Loganair passengers stranded in Edinburgh Airport after Sumburgh flight turns back
Scores of Shetlanders including young children have been caught up in an “absolute shambles” at Edinburgh Airport after their flight home was cancelled.
In the chaos, some customers say they were left to cover the cost of last-minute accommodation while others complained of “unacceptably rude” treatment from staff.
Loganair has since acknowledged what happened to passengers “wasn’t good enough”.
The airline said it was working with its partner, Menzies, to understand what went wrong and how they can work together to ensure this does nto happen again.
Carina Newell and her daughter Rhea were among the passengers left stranded after Friday’s 4.30pm Loganair flight was forced to turn back after circling over Orkney.
Hours later, at almost 11pm, she and her fellow travellers, including children and people in need of medical attention, were still stuck in the airport with no hope of finding an alternative flight back and nowhere to stay.
Despite Sumburgh flights operating from other airports, Ms Newell was told staff in Edinburgh had been unable to get them there.
She said the initial advice given to the stranded passengers was to travel to Aberdeen to take the NorthLink ferry back to Lerwick - even though that night’s sailing had already been cancelled.
NorthLink has since confirmed tonight’s ferries have also been cancelled due to the weather.
Ms Newell said: “They argued with us when we told them it was cancelled, and said they were offering a solution - it was our choice whether or not we took it.
“Everyone stood their ground and eventually they conceded that it was cancelled.
“The feeling was that if they could get us moved out of the airport, then we would be someone else's problem.”
Ms Newell said many people were left to make their own travel arrangements or book their own accommodation.
Staff from Menzies, which provides passenger services for Loganair customers at Edinburgh Airport, had reportedly been on duty since 4am.
Speaking to The Shetland Times, Ms Newell said she and her daughter eventually found a hotel, which they had to pay for themselves.
She said there were others travelling who had been more severely affected.
The disruption came at the start of stormy weather, which is set to last today and into tomorrow.
Hundreds of Shetlanders have been away for holidays and family visits during the October break, with many of those having been due to return home this weekend.
One traveller, Steven Jamieson, described the situation at Edinburgh Airport as an “absolute shambles”.
“I spoke briefly to the airport duty manager who assured me that this situation was not his fault and there was nothing he could do to help us,” he said.
“He was in no way concerned about any of our issues.”
Ms Newell highlighted the fact that before departure the pilot warned passengers of possible weather issues and that Loganair was also aware of the potential disruption.
However, she said Menzies staff told passengers they were unaware of any weather issues for flights to Shetland and had not been contacted by Loganair, until the flight had been turned back to Edinburgh.
She said Menzies had made no attempt to call in extra staff to assist the passengers.
“In fact their staff were shattered,” she added.
“Some had been on shift since 4am.”
Ms Newell will not be able to fly at all and her her daughter will have to wait until Monday.
Ms Newell said she was aware of one young person from Shetland whose parents book flights online only to be told that they did not actually exist - and that the airline was double booking in the hope some travellers failed to show.
“Many of the travellers were those coming home from holidays, they had been travelling with children from 4am,” she said.
“No offers of food vouchers or refreshments for children.
“One passenger required medical attention while waiting in the queue.
“Staff from Menzies were obviously left in the lurch as to what to do in the situation, but were also dismissive and rude at times.”
Ms Newell said she had been travelling between Shetland and the mainland frequently for work this month.
But she won’t make it home at all this weekend.
And when she sought accommodation the response was “Loganair says no - get your own hotel and try claiming back”.
“I was told they would phone to see about accommodation for myself, this was just before 11pm,” she added.
“At this point the Menzies staff shut down the desks, and walked away.”
“There were a number of families still waiting with children to get information about travel in to access travel from other airports.”
Mr Newell’s daughter, Rhea, said staff had been “incredibly rude” and had tried booking several people on flights that were already full or were not flying.
“I don’t think they had much clue what was going on and weren’t communicating with each other,” she said.
“I was then waiting for another 45 minutes before hearing what to do with accommodation, when I was told just to book my own and try get reimbursed.
“We only got to accommodation at half midnight last night and when we were leaving there was still numerous families waiting for pick ups.”
Danielle Mae Robertson, who was travelling as part of a family group including four adults and four young children, the youngest aged just three, has raised a formal complaint with Loganair.
While she has accepted the decision to turn around due to high winds, given the safety concerns, she said the way the passengers were treated after returning to Edinburgh Airport was “unacceptable”.
“Once back on the ground, we were told no buses were available to take us to the terminal,” she said.
“When we eventually arrived, no updates, no guidance, and no support were provided for hours.
“Staff said that Menzies were ‘trying to get hold of Loganair’ but there was no plan in place - despite the crew having known there was a strong chance of diversion well before we even took off.
“By 8.30pm, we were told the only option was to travel to Aberdeen and take the overnight ferry the following evening - a ferry that we already knew was cancelled due to weather.
“Yet no one at the airport seemed aware or willing to check.
“At around 10pm we were told there might be flights the next day from another city - but when I asked about accommodation or transport, we were told (incredibly dismissively) that it would ‘be a long time’.
“We were travelling with four children late at night, stranded in an airport with no clear information, no food, and no support.
“Eventually, we had to pay for our own overnight accommodation and travel to Aberdeen.
“To make matters worse, the conduct of some Menzies staff was unprofessional and rude.”
She said one member of staff told a passenger: “What do you want me to do, put you on my back and take you there myself?”
Another staff member allegedly told passengers: “I should be home now”. And when a passenger said: “So should we,” they replied: “This is one day for you, this is every night for me”.
Mrs Robertson added: “This was not just poor service - it was a complete lack of empathy towards stranded families, including young children, late at night.
“When an airline knows diversion is likely, there should be contingency plans, clear communication, and basic care for passengers - not confusion, hostility, and families left to fend for themselves.”
Loganair’s flights this today are currently showing as departing and arriving as scheduled.
Another passenger, Nicola Barrie, says staff told her she “should be glad to be in Edinburgh” and that she eventually gave up asking for help and spent £150 to arrange her own travel and accommodation for the night.
“I understand the weather can be unpredictable — that’s part of island life — but the lack of care, planning, and basic support for stranded passengers was unacceptable,” she said.
“Many people were left exhausted, cold, and unsure what to do next. It’s not just about inconvenience; it’s about how island residents and visitors are treated when things go wrong.”
Loganair said in a statement: “We’re sorry for the experience our passengers faced after flight LM0357 returned to Edinburgh on Friday evening.
“ Our crew made the right call to turn back due to severe weather; safety will always come first.
“However, we acknowledge what happened after landing wasn’t good enough.
“Of course, we take full responsibility for ensuring our passengers have a positive experience on the ground as well as in the air.
“Ground services at Edinburgh are handled by our partners at Menzies Aviation, and we’re already working closely with them to understand what went wrong and how we can work together to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
“Loganair is dedicated to its customers, and safety will always be our top priority.
“We’ll continue to work closely with our airport partners to ensure future passenger experiences meet the high standards our customers expect and deserve.
“We thank our passengers for their patience and understanding and remain committed to learning from this to deliver the best possible service going forward.”
Edinburgh Airport said it was for Loganair and Menzies to arrange rebooking or finding alternative methods for passengers.