EasyJet has apologised after passengers accused the airline of "abandoning them without food or water".
One flier, a 70-year-old retired psychology lecturer, accused the airline of leaving him and fellow travellers stranded at Montenegro's Tivat Airport for more than 24 hours with no provisions or airline staff on hand to assist them.
Dr Ron Roberts, who was attempting to return to the UK, alleged the budget carrier effectively deserted its passengers, providing neither food, water, nor accommodation during the lengthy ordeal.
The former academic had been holidaying alone after his wife cut the trip short to visit her sister back home.
He claimed: "It was absolute chaos. They wouldn't do anything. They left people without food or water."
Dr Roberts arrived at the airport ahead of schedule, only to find his flight repeatedly pushed back with no clear explanation offered to waiting passengers.
Airport staff, he alleged, failed to provide any meaningful information or assistance as the delays mounted.
The situation inside the terminal deteriorated significantly, with what Dr Roberts described as "suffocating" levels of overcrowding among the stranded travellers.
EasyJet has apologised after passengers accused the airline of 'abandoning them without food or water'
| GETTYConditions became so severe one passenger collapsed, an incident the retired lecturer attributed directly to the oppressive congestion within the building.
He accused the airline of displaying indifference to the wellbeing of those affected, claiming: "They're not interested - it's as if people's health is expendable."
When the airport closed for the night, Dr Roberts said passengers from the delayed flight were ejected from the building and left to fend for themselves.
He complained: "We were all thrown out of the airport. They said 'you've got to go and arrange your own accommodation and travel'. Even though they'd already told us there's no free accommodation in the area. I said it's not possible to do that."
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Airport staff, he alleged, failed to provide any meaningful information or assistance as the delays mounted
|GETTY
With no hotel rooms available nearby, the stranded travellers had no option but to bed down outdoors, effectively sleeping rough on the streets surrounding the terminal.
Dr Roberts's assessment of the airline's conduct was unsparing, expressing his belief that easyJet had demonstrated "complete contempt for passengers" throughout the entire episode.
In his view, the carrier treated those caught up in the disruption as though their welfare was of no consequence whatsoever.
The 70-year-old, who endured the ordeal without any companion to lean on, maintained the airline bore full responsibility for the suffering inflicted on travellers during the protracted delay.
The carrier was accused of treated those caught up in the disruption as though their welfare was of no consequence whatsoever
|GETTY
A spokesman for easyJet said: "Flight EZY2638 from Tivat to London Luton was delayed overnight due to the aircraft experiencing a bird strike on a previous flight. Unfortunately, the flight has been delayed departing due to air traffic control restrictions.
"We have been doing all possible to minimise the impact of the disruption and while we always look to secure hotel accommodation, as there was very limited availability, we advised customers they would be reimbursed for booking they own.
"While this was outside of our control, we are very sorry for the difficulty this caused.
"Our customers' safety and wellbeing is our highest priority and we are looking into the experience in the airport with our ground handling provider at Tivat, as this is not the level of support we expect for our customers."