Passengers Stuck On Plane For Nearly 28 Hours Land At Sfo

[arshad]

AN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Calif. (KGO) --

Dozens of passengers are finally on the ground at San Francisco International Airport after being stuck on a plane for nearly 28 hours. It all began with a freak fog incident that shut down an airport in Abu Dhabi.

For passengers aboard Etihad Airlines Flight 183, frustration had been brewing for hours.

"They kept telling us that we were going to leave, you know 15 minutes from now, 20 minutes from now, 30 minutes for now, for 12 hours," said passenger Thomas Piani.

Fellow passenger Polkit Pahwa added, "Because of the bad weather and the gates, all the flights were grounded or canceled, so they didn't have enough space in the airport to accommodate us to take us out."

A passenger shared a picture of the fog in Abu Dhabi that kept their flight and others grounded for so long. 

The plane loaded with kids, seniors, and hundreds of other passengers then had to make the 16 hour flight there to San Francisco for a grand total of 28 hours on the same plane.

"Everybody was fighting with each other, and the flight attendants were fighting with us, and we were fighting with the flights attendants," said passenger Venkatesh Pahwa.

Pahwa says passengers did calm down in flight. For his parents, it was a nerve racking wait. All they could send their dad was a text from another passengers' phone.

"Etihad has a website but there was no updated information on the website. You call their number, it just puts you in a loop," said passenger Ajay Pahwa.

Among the last to leave the flight was 77-year-old Leela Nariani. Her daughter, Anita Nariani, is furious with the airline.

"To have them just waiting, especially if they are seniors traveling on it, they've gotta pull them," she said.

The airline has apologized for the delay. They say the fog caused them to cancel 20 flights in Abu Dhabi. One couple says they're happy the fight wasn't canceled.

"We had already had another flight earlier canceled on this trip and it was a nightmare," said Megan Hamilton.

Her boyfriend just proposed on this trip. So she has reason to be happy.

The U.S. Department of Transportation prohibits lengthy tarmac delays. The maximum allowed for international flights is four hours. And carriers must make sure passengers are provided adequate food and water.

However, the rules only apply to U.S. airports, and do not apply to foreign carriers overseas.

 

Source: http://abc7news.com/travel/dozens-stuck-on-plane-for-almost-28-hours-land-at-sfo/461134/

 

 

Source 2:

 

Tempers grew short on Etihad Airways Flight 183 when fog in the city of Abu Dhabi delayed take-off for half a day, passengers who landed in San Francisco early today told broadcaster KGO.

"They kept telling us that we were going to leave, you know 15 minutes from now, 20 minutes from now, 30 minutes for now, for 12 hours," Thomas Piani said.

Passengers said the flight crew told them the Abu Dhabi airport was too crowded with other stranded flights to allow them to get off the plane to wait.

"Everybody was fighting with each other and the flight attendants were fighting with us, and we were fighting with the flight attendants," Venkatesh Pahwa said.

Etihad, a national airline of the United Arab Emirates, which includes Abu Dhabi, said on its website that fog had delayed flights and caused airport congestion.

The airline apologised for travellers' inconvenience but said the delays were beyond its control.

The airline said today "unprecedented fog" delayed flights and caused airport congestion and Flight 183 was one of the planes most affected.

"The passengers remained on the aircraft as all efforts were being made to secure a new departure time. The delay was then compounded by the requirement to replace the aircraft's ultra-long haul operating crew who had exceeded their flight time limitations," a statement by the airline said.

It has also emerged that a second flight, which spent 13 hours on the tarmac at Abu Dhabi, had to be diverted to Vienna after a 73-year-old male passenger died on-board.

The plane had been destined for Düsseldorf.

Pól Ó Conghaile adds:

In a separate statement yesterday, Etihad encouraged passengers able to defer their travel to, from or through Abu Dhabi "up to and including Tuesday January 6th" to rebook flights through the airline's global contact centres, details of which can be found at www.etihad.com/contacts.

The airline is waiving normal cancellation and refund fees during this period, and has pledged to review its policies on the length of time aircraft can remain on the ground, with passengers aboard, while waiting for a take-off slot.

"It is expected that more than 95pc of passengers delayed by the severe fog, which caused the closure of Abu Dhabi International Airport, will have departed Abu Dhabi by tomorrow morning, with the remainder having departed by the end of the day," the airline said today.

Source: http://www.independent.ie/life/travel/travel-news/etihad-airline-passengers-in-12hour-tarmac-ordeal-without-food-or-proper-information-30882304.html

[k2s]

:3D_Smiles:

[Spartan]

idemundi..

 

British Airways passengers 20 i think are stranded in Mumbai airport for 8 days anukunta..

[arshad]

idemundi..

 

British Airways passengers 20 i think are stranded in Mumbai airport for 8 days anukunta..

 

 

Anni Rojulu emi chesaru... Kotta flight construct chesara??

[Spartan]

Anni Rojulu emi chesaru... Kotta flight construct chesara??

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2896754/British-Airways-passengers-including-special-needs-children-told-wait-EIGHT-DAYS-flight-stranded-Mumbai-aiport.html

 

 

[ARYA]

hmm..

[abhigadu]

idemundi..

British Airways passengers 20 i think are stranded in Mumbai airport for 8 days anukunta..

Idhi with in the flight anukunta bro

[arshad]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2896754/British-Airways-passengers-including-special-needs-children-told-wait-EIGHT-DAYS-flight-stranded-Mumbai-aiport.html

 

 

Etihad in the flight bhayya.. Not in Airport.

[athletics]

Anni Rojulu emi chesaru... Kotta flight construct chesara??

 in flight ki ..air port ki chala difference bro..naku monna boston to SF fly ayyetappudu denver ki divert chesadu for refueling (not in the flight plan), 1hr 30 minutes ki chukkalu kanpaddayi..enka 28 hours ante seniors ki kids ki ante sangati..luck there are no causalities. will never fly Eithad ..

[MegaPowerRockstar]

ninna jfk lo kuda emirates flights alageee ayindhe,,,,gates availability leka ....runway meedha 2 hrs wai chesaru anta...

 

ee weather ella kuda torture peduthadheee anne anuko ledhuuu

[Rebel890]

Good that they reached the destination safely..thy suld thank the airways for that..rather than being a cry baby for the delay.

[citizenofIND]

ninna climate bagaledhu almost flights delayed

[flavours]

Nenu etihad lo oka sari vella.....based of my experience one of the worst airlines and customer service

[Mahesh_Fan]

congrats Mr and Mrs Passengers 

[arshad]

 in flight ki ..air port ki chala difference bro..naku monna boston to SF fly ayyetappudu denver ki divert chesadu for refueling (not in the flight plan), 1hr 30 minutes ki chukkalu kanpaddayi..enka 28 hours ante seniors ki kids ki ante sangati..luck there are no causalities. will never fly Eithad ..

 

 

Fog ba, 

 

 

Aademi chestadu... Anni flight la ki bokka padndhi... Kani ee flight lo vallaki Bayatiki teniki airport lo sthalam ledu ani lopala koosobettesadu... Daridrudulu. Ee climate lo fly cheste take off lo ne koolipoddi.

 

Same situation vienna flight ki vallaku 13 hours plane lo koosebettadu... Last ki fly ayyi gamyam chere lopu okatanu heart attack to chanipoyadu.