Loganair Passenger Claims Oil Workers Prioritized Over Patients After Flight

December 11, 2025 at 07:00 AM•2 min read

Loganair faces passenger claims of prioritizing oil workers over hospital patients for accommodation.

Key Points

1Loganair passenger Bobby Macleod accused the airline of prioritizing oil workers over hospital patients for accommodation during a November 18 flight disruption from Aberdeen.
2Macleod observed oil workers dictating hotel choices while vulnerable patients were sent to distant locations, despite Loganair's assurances of improved processes.
3The passenger called for a 'sensible approach' to accommodation, advocating for the prioritization of hospital patients, families with young children, and elderly individuals.
4Further issues included long queues for vulnerable passengers, delays for ground staff awaiting updates, and reports of allocated hotel rooms already being occupied.

A Loganair passenger, Bobby Macleod, has accused the airline's ground handling colleagues of prioritizing oil workers over hospital patients when allocating accommodation during recent flight disruption. The incident occurred on November 18 when a flight from Aberdeen to Sumburgh had to return to Aberdeen due to snow. Macleod claimed that while oil workers could choose their hotels, hospital patients were sent to distant accommodation in Portlethen, leading to what he described as a "total farce."

Loganair's Head of Government and Corporate Affairs, Simon McNamara, had previously stated the airline learned lessons from an October incident at Edinburgh Airport and developed processes for quicker responses to weather-related disruption, including widening its network of hotels and transport providers. However, Macleod asserted that the situation on November 18 showed no improvement, with ground handling staff waiting for updates and queues of NHS passengers, pregnant women, and elderly individuals forming.

Macleod, 83, called for a more sensible approach to accommodation allocation, suggesting that hospital patients, women with young children, and older folk should be prioritized. He also reported issues such as taxis accumulating fares while waiting for instructions and passengers finding their allocated hotel rooms already occupied. Macleod and his wife ultimately booked their own hotel online after several hours of waiting.