I rarely post on this forum these days, as now find one more local more useful, but thought this might be worth posting. Every word IS true !

Gib - Gatwick last Tuesday. Easyjet . 1850 dep. At about 1830 told flight was delayed. After half an hour.. more info to be given in half an hour. Ditto after another half an hour. Then told that the outcoming flight for tech probs was diverted to Malag, we are now to be bussed there. Coach arrives about two hours later, farce of identifying luggage laid out on the tarmac, get on bus drive to the border, get out with hand luggage, walk across border , get back on the bus.
Arrive in Malaga to utter chaos. Previous Malaga-Gatwick flight has been cancelled, but passengers told that the Gib flight people have priority on the next flight out, the last, departing at midnight. It is now 11ish and we are still re-checking in. Some duty free tequila and vodka bought at Gib but now not allowed through security makes the rounds of some of the queue. (Apparently one should always return it to the shop at Gib and get a refund).
Finally we board and take off at around 1240. Cabin crew tells us that we should have been given free food vouchers by the airport, we weren't, so will give us one soft drink, we must pay for the rest and food. Also that they appreciate that we are tired, but they are as well as they had waited around for three hours for us and were now into their day off, so if we kicked up a fuss they would just go and hide at the back of the plane.
An hour into the flight, we suddenly feel the engines rev like mad and the plane starts to descend, crew close down the trolley rush to seats and announce that a crew member is very ill and we are diverting to Bordeaux. Lady next to me is convinced that it's a ploy and we are about to crash land with a problem. We are certainly losing height very quickly. Turns out be true, suspected peritonitis(appendix). She is carted off in an ambulance. Then another woman rushes to the fore, needs to get off as she is stressed, then collapses. Ambulance returns, much discussion, ages later she is also sent off ( heard she might have had a heart attack) with a friend. We are also waiting to re-fuel, the refuelling man has to be woken up from his bed at home and brought down to the airport. Eventually doors are shut, engines are started. But we sit there . And sit there. The engines are turned off. The captain announces that we have overrun working hours for some of the cabin crew, and they have to stand down, health and safety. He has the option of continuing himself. We can either have fourteen volunteers to get off the plane, or we will have to sit and wait for another plane to arrive from Gatwick with a fresh crew. Lots of people rush to take the option, told they will PROBABLY be given a hotel and a meal, but not guaranteed exactly what it will be. I expect they have had enough and just want to get off the plane. Finally we are set for take off, then told that French traffic control are on strike and we are queuing, another twenty minutes later we are airborne and off, landing at Gatwick at 0730 !
Through all this we managed to (mostly) retain our sense of humour, though the cabin crew were in serious need of some training, especially in customer service. No water or food was offered since the emergency landing. One had to go to the back of the plane and ask. When I asked if we could at least have some biscuits, they said it was now all security locked and not possible, but they would ask the captain as I requested. I then asked a second steward the same thing and he said he would need to ask the captain to get permission to have the biscuits unlocked, from London. When I asked a third if the permission had been requested, two sandwiches suddenly appeared. Nothing for anyone else, so we ate ours guiltily. It was funny, hysterical and infuriating. I know this was extenuating circumstances, but they could have taken more care. One elderly couple, possibly flying for the first time, tried to get off the plane until another passenger persuaded them we were in France. We discussed the possibility of removing an appendix mid-flight with the colorectal surgeon who had been at a colorectal conference in Gib. I know it’s been done to oneself by some sailor mid-ocean, but apparently it’s not recommended.
Even when we landed at Gatwick the plane had to negotiate a track with building works adjacent, as informed by the captain. Then the trains were late because of signal failure.

I blame it on the full moon.

OMG

This sounds a bit odd. The plane was already lacking one cabin crew and others had to go for a lie down (but the flight crew was at strength) - I can see that. What I don't understand is where this thing about having to lose 14 passengers comes from - they can't have had to bump that many to make room for the CCs to sleep. I guess it's 1 cabin crew for every X passengers - but to be down 2 CCs at least ands till have enough for most of the pax. sounds strange.
Note to self: next time I hear my flight's being delayed - make a dive straight for the vending machines: get drink and nibbles.

My god! thanks goodness you retained your sense of humour!

Elle xx

I can't remember the numbers exactly but it's down to the number of Emergency Exits.
One cabin crew member required for each Emergency Exit (door) and so many passengers per door.
The same would apply if a door was inoperative for whatever reason, you have to reduce load by so many depending on the door. It is all regulated and detailed in a book in the Flight Deck. There is no choice.
Cabin (and Flight) Crew are only permitted so many hours on duty per day and after this has expired they have a short "discression" if they feel fit, but after this has expired they must cease operation, continuing breaks the law and they are liable to prosecution.

See my profile.

Edit to add the Flight crew are subject to the same rules on hours but - using Easyjet as an example - Two, Captain and First Officer, required at all times. There can be more but NEVER less. In case of either being incapaciated it's Land ASAP.

There were some cabin crew travelling as passengers from the previous cancelled flight. It was one of these, I believe, who took ill. The staff/passenger ratios went up the spout when the others had to stop work..at least that's how I understood it. What annoyed us was the amount of time they had spent arguing and discussing with the second casualties' friends about what was to take place, when they must have know that time was crucial. The ill woman was out cold on the floor. And I never realised that their biscuits were of such high quality that they had to be secured under lock and key.....

Just read your thread and :-

The cabin crew dont go out of hours before the flight deck.

Now that sounds shocking!!!!

Of course they can. My wife (20 years flying) and I can think of several circumstances when this is possible but, for example, we did a BMIBaby Manchester to Malaga not too long ago where the Aircraft had done Manchester to Belfast before the Malaga flight.
The Captain and First Officer were standing at the gate with the passengers and the Flight Deck crew subsequently changed but the Cabin Staff did not and they remained on board for Malaga and back.
Conservately that put them four hours into their duty day while the Flight Deck were fresh.
Happens all the time with the LoCo operators as they strive to get the maximum from the staff.

Poollounger's experience is a series of unfortunate incidents but perfectly possible.

Ahhh (to quote my blind friend) I see.
Probably has more to do with stopping staff pilferage than inconveniencing the passengers - though on no-frills flights, annoying the pax is considered an added bonus

Oh dear, it is really shocking story!!!

I appreciate that we travel cheaply, but one doesn't expect a lower level of service in Woolworths or Asda or even Lidl and Aldi, or do we?? I wasn't expecting them to start a full service with hot drinks etc, but to have gone down the aisle offfering water and a biscuit would have been a gesture and welcomed. There were very many elderly people travelling. As it happens, my insistence did produce TWO bacon sandwiches, though my intention had been to try and get something done for everybody. Also, annoying as it might be, I can understand them cancelling flights to economise when a flight is not fully booked. However they must have known about it well in advance, so they could have just had the coaches standing by in GIB to bus people to Malaga right away, rather than the farce of having to wait almost two hours for them to arrive. The run to Malaga is easy enough, and one could easily put up with it.