McArthur meets with Loganair over “wholly unacceptable” passenger experience

Following concerns raised regarding recent flight disruption, notably on a cancelled flight between Aberdeen and Kirkwall last Friday, Orkney’s MSP, Liam McArthur, has met with senior Loganair management this afternoon.

In a meeting with Shetland’s MSP, Beatrice Wishart, Mr McArthur discussed concerns with Loganair CEO, Jonathan Hinkles, and chief operations officer, Maurice Boyle in relation to the reliability of the lifeline service to Orkney and Shetland.

Commenting after the meeting, McArthur said:

“The experience of those passengers caught up in the disruption to flights back from Aberdeen to Orkney last weekend was wholly unacceptable. That many were NHS patients, some very vulnerable, only made a bad situation all the worse.

“I made clear in the meeting with Loganair’s management today that not only will an apology and compensation be required, but lessons have to be learned, including improving communications with passengers. Mr Hinkles and Mr Boyle agreed and confirmed that steps will be taken, including extending an offer to meet with those forced to overnight in Shetland last Saturday due to their plane breaking down.

“While this offer is welcome, what passengers really want is a lifeline service that is reliable. Too often lately that has not been the case.

“Loganair’s management set out some of the reasons for this, but also made clear their determination to get the service back on track and build public confidence. They also agreed to my request to re-establish regular meetings with key users of the service in Orkney. These have been useful in the past in allowing an exchange of information and for problems to be identified early.

“I will be monitoring the situation closely over the coming months and would like to thank constituents who have been in touch to share their recent experiences of the service.”