A court has asked bailiffs to reclaim £400 from easyJet to compensate a passenger who missed his flight home when his train was delayed by flooding.

Craig Stevens, 40, won a refund from the budget airline in a small-claims court but so far easyJet has failed to pay him compensation. Mr Stevens, a languages teacher, his Japanese wife Utako and their daughter Lana, 2, were left stranded when they missed their flight from Palermo in Sicily to Gatwick last year.

The family were trapped on a train by flooding, and were told by easyJet that they could take a later flight if they paid a £35 fee. Instead the airline charged them an additional £300, claiming that they had to report to a check-in desk within two hours of the original flight's scheduled departure to qualify for the reduced fee.

Mr Stevens said: “I rang easyJet while still on the train, which had been delayed by a flash flood, to be told I would be charged just £35 if I missed the flight. At no time was I told that I had to be at the airport within two hours. We decided to check into a hotel and went to the airport the following morning. It was only then that they told me I should have checked in within two hours.”

Mr Stevens took his claim for a £300 refund to Bristol County Court at the end of May after easyJet sent him a letter admitting he had been misinformed. However, easyJet failed to file a response within the 28-day limit, and the court ruled in his favour. When easyJet failed to pay, he returned to court and was granted permission for bailiffs to be sent in to claim his money. The court charges and bailiffs' fees will add a further £95. The company has a week to pay or bailiffs will remove £400 of property from its head office at Luton Airport. However, easyJet yesterday promised to pay before the deadline.

A spokesman said: “Due to an error, this case was overlooked and the airline did not respond with any challenge. As a result, the small claims court ruled in favour of the passenger and the airline will pay the costs.”

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