Most flights are on routes where two or more flights can easily be combined, to minimise passenger
inconvenience (and revenue losses). Evidently yours is more serious, requiring you to change your plans by
a day.
Fortunately, European air passengers’ rights rules are on your side. As easyJet knows, when it cancels a
flight it must provide an alternative as close to the original as possible. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
says that if a cancelling airline cannot offer a different flight on the same day, then it must buy you a ticket
on another carrier.
The email you got from easyJet neglected to mention this option explicitly, offering only the choice
between the refund and the chance to “transfer your flight free of charge”.
The airline has decided to interpret the rules differently. A spokesperson said: “Customers on cancelled
flights have been given details of their alternative options via email which includes a link to the webpage
outlining entitlements including rerouting.
“Here, we explain that if we can’t get customers to their destination within 24 hours on an easyJet flight
they can switch onto another airline and we will reimburse them.”
I suggest that you rely on the CAA guidelines instead, and if necessary book a flight yourself and then claim
it back from easyJet.
Email your question to [email protected] or tweet @simoncalder