Not-so easyJet: a ten-hour flight delay with a ten-week-old baby – Angus Robertson

Summer travels can be stressful at the best of times. For my wife Jen and I, it has been a new challenge as we took our wee ten-week-old daughter, Saoirse, for a short break to Mallorca.

Airports and young babies don't always mix well but wee Saoirse managed to sleep through most of a lengthy delay (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

Never having travelled with a baby, I now extend my total admiration to all parents who have managed over the years. It is not easy.

Things started really well at Edinburgh Airport, with a special family lane and staff who were super helpful and kind, offering to hold the baby as we put buggies and bags through the scanners. All was going so well.

Then our easyJet flight to Palma was delayed, then delayed again, and again and again. Having arrived at Edinburgh Airport at 8am we finally took off 6pm, a full eight hours after our scheduled departure time.

Full credit to the Dutch EasyJet captain who flew the delayed plane. He stood in the aisle before take-off, and made an impromptu speech apologising profusely to all passengers and then spoke individually to anyone who had any questions.

Sadly, that positive impression was not to continue when trying to reschedule the return flight, having lost a big part of a short break. The excuses by EasyJet have already started to avoid paying compensation for the disruption.

One small mercy is that baby Saoirse managed to sleep through most of it.