Newlywed couple's honeymoon is almost ruined after groom left behind at Gatwick when easyJet overbooked the flight

Published: 20:11, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 20:11, 3 August 2026 A newlywed couple endured a nightmare start to their honeymoon after easyJet overbooked their flight leaving the groom stranded in Gatwick.  Andy and Katya Wedlake headed to the airport on July 26 looking forward to a special getaway in Tivat, on the Montenegro coast, having just tied the knot. Hours before their 8.25am departure time, the couple tried to check in online - but were stunned when the website blocked them from doing so.  They soon found out why. On arriving at Gatwick's North Terminal, the pair were told easyJet had sold more tickets than there were seats available.  This is standard practice for many airlines, although Ryanair and Jet2 say they do not oversell on their flights. It prompted a miserable couple of hours for the Wedlakes which saw them blocked from boarding the plane.  They were then offered a dose of false hope when easyJet asked for volunteers to give up their seats and take compensation - and one passenger raised their hand. But after no one else put themselves forward, leaving just one spare spot on the plane, the newlyweds decided they would both stay at Gatwick, take the compensation and wait to be placed on the following day's flight. Andy Wedlake, pictured, and his wife Katya, endured a nightmare start to their honeymoon after easyJet overbooked their flight leaving the groom stranded in Gatwick They were headed to the airport on July 26 looking forward to a special getaway in Tivat, pictured EasyJet, however, had other ideas and said that if neither of them accepted the lone vacated seat they would sacrifice their compensation rights.  Mr Wedlake told the Telegraph: 'They said that either my wife or I had to take that seat otherwise we would count as a 'no show' and would lose all rights for rebooking and any compensation. So my wife got on the flight and I stayed behind.' A day which had been circled in the calendar for months turned out to be one to remember, for all the wrong reasons. Mrs Wedlake was jetting off to the Adriatic resort to celebrate her honeymoon alone, while her husband had to return to London and spend the night at home. Thankfully, the couple were eventually reunited allowing them to finally enjoy their much awaited escape - albeit 21 hours later than they expected. EasyJet insisted it followed its own policy throughout the ordeal, which is to deny boarding to the last passengers to check in. They are then required, under air-passenger-rights rules, to offer volunteers the chance to take the later flight in return for financial compensation. A spokesperson for easyJet said: 'We are very sorry for Mr and Mrs Wedlake's experience and the difficulty this caused for their honeymoon. 'Like most airlines, we sometimes overbook a very small proportion of flights and in the significant majority of cases do not result in denying boarding as we use data to select flights with a history of customers not travelling. By filling these seats, it helps to keep fares lower for everyone. 'In the rare event a customer can't travel, we take our responsibilities seriously and seek volunteers to travel on a later flight in exchange for compensation. Where this is not possible, a decision is made based on order of check in. 'Whilst a seat was available for one passenger, we are sorry that an exception was not made on this occasion to book an alternative flight for them together, especially as it was such a special trip. 'We have since reached out to Mr and Mrs Wedlake to apologise for their experience, provide the compensation due and offer a gesture of goodwill.' Mr Wedlake is entitled to £350 compensation for being blocked from the flight. He said: 'For me that doesn't cover the stress, the sadness of being apart from my new wife, the loss of one full day in Tivat, or the wasted time.' The newlywed said he was confused the airline had not anticipated that the flight would be comfortably fully booked, given it was on a Sunday morning in the height of summer.