Hospital patient sent on 350-mile detour after island flight cancelled

An 82-year-old hospital patient in the Western Isles was sent on a 350-mile overnight detour, after her 30-minute flight home was cancelled.

Angusina Maceachan, who has Parkinson's and uses a wheelchair, had attended an appointment in Stornoway on Tuesday.

But the Loganair flight due to take her home to Benbecula had a cracked window and no replacement plane was available.

Mrs Maceachan was then given a flight to Glasgow, with a hotel stay an hour away, and a flight home the next day.

Loganair said from time to time airlines faced unfortunate situations, and added that it went beyond its obligations to help affected passengers.

Mrs Maceachan had been accompanied by her daughter Sarah on the routine hospital appointment for a scan.

"The worst thing was just not knowing what was going on," said Sarah.

"I appreciate these things aren't easy to manage when you end up with a plane that can't fly, but you just feel there should be contingencies in place."

Mrs Maceachan, along with 18 other hospital patients on the island-to-island flight, were offered new travel arrangements when the plane was grounded.

These included an overnight stay in Stornoway with a 05:00 start on Wednesday to catch the ferry home.

This would involve a journey of more than five hours because the route would go via Skye.

Passengers with mobility issues, like Mrs Maceachan, were alternatively offered an hour-long flight to Glasgow Airport with an overnight hotel stay.

This option also involved an early start for a Wednesday morning flight to Benbecula.

Mrs Maceachan's situation was further complicated because the hotel on offer - in the village of Drymen, an hour away from Glasgow airport - was not suitable for wheelchairs.

Sarah and her mum had to use a fire escape to access their rooms.

Sarah said that airline and airport staff had tried their best to ease the situation.

"People were doing the best for us," she added.

"We are grateful for everybody's help, but we shouldn't have been in that position.

"You are powerless. There was nothing you could do, and all you could do was sit and tolerate the situation the best you could."

Loganair said that customer safety was its top priority in such a situation.

A spokesperson added: "The decision to delay or cancel a flight is always taken with this at the forefront of our minds - and only ever as a last resort.

"When this happens, Loganair activates its protocols for prioritising vulnerable customers. These were followed after the cancellation of this service.

"Loganair went beyond its obligations on this occasion to secure accommodation for all customers and arrange alternative travel on the next available service."