A flight delay of a few hours can be frustrating, but some easyJet passengers were told that they would have to wait 86 years and one day for their next flight after their flight was cancelled.
About 130 passengers on easyJet flight 8485 were waiting for a delayed departure from Geneva when they received an email saying that their flight would be grounded for eight decades, the Indepenent reports.
The email from the airline read, "We are writing to inform you that your flight will depart as 9485 at 11:00 local time on 29/07/2099."
The airline gave an apology for the "significant inconvenience" and told passengers that they hoped they "will give us another chance in the future."
EasyJet blamed the postponement on bad weather at Geneva airport. A Civil Aviation Authority said "Because the delay is weather-related, it is unlikely compensation will be due, but that does not affect your rights to accommodation, food and phone calls."
The airline would have to provide passengers three meals and two international phone calls and accommodations every night until the summer of 2099. These costs would come out to about $9 million for each customer. EasyJet is a relatively new airline in its 18th year. It would be 104 by 2099. The oldest airline currently is KLM, which is 94 years old.
Of course the 86 year delay was just a mistake. "This was a systems error which only affected one flight. Even our new long-term fleet deal doesn't take us that far into the future," an airline spokesman said.
Some passengers asked for their money back as they waited for their next flight. Those who called will receive a refund within 20 days and not eight decades. The cancellation was caused due to a technical issue with the plane.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
