What happened on board my Qantas flight from hell: “We just wanted to get off”
The annoyed Qantas passengers who were forced to sit on the tarmac for six hours before their flight was finally canceled have pounced on the airline.
Flight QF93 from Melbourne to Los Angeles was canceled at 3am on Tuesday after it was decided the plane was too heavy to take off due to high winds.
The doomed flight had already been delayed before customers boarded.
Qantas customer Caitley had already traveled five hours from regional NSW that day and only arrived at her hotel at 6am for some much-needed rest.
“We just wanted to get out.” “We were tired, there was no water, we weren’t even offered food, we weren’t allowed to get up from our seats,” she told radio station 3AW.
Exasperated Qantas passengers who were forced to sit on the tarmac for six hours before their flight was finally canceled have hit out at the airline
(Stock image) Flight QF93 from Melbourne to Los Angeles was canceled at 3am on Tuesday after it was decided the plane was too heavy to take off due to high winds
Caitley said passengers became more frustrated with every hour they spent on the tarmac and the pilot provided updates every half hour.
She waited at the airport for another hour before taking a taxi to a hotel in the city, both paid for by Qantas.
“We didn’t get to bed until six o’clock this morning,” she said.
“We left home at 11:30 yesterday morning, so it was a long journey to cover just 500 kilometers.”
Another passenger, Pip, criticized Qantas for “never being at the forefront”.
“This isn’t their first rodeo, they didn’t have a contingency plan and they’re never out front,” she said.
“You have to be on the phone with them, you have to pursue them, you have to be the one trying to get your compensation or file your complaint.”
Pip said passengers were offered the option of flying to Los Angeles without their luggage before the flight was permanently canceled.
A Qantas spokesman has since apologized for the inconvenience caused to customers.
Passengers were offered the opportunity to fly to Los Angeles without their luggage before the doomed flight was finally canceled
“The aircraft arrived late in Melbourne after a delayed departure from the UK due to weather and then encountered further issues, including runway work and poor weather, which affected takeoff,” the spokesman said.
“Passengers were offered refreshments on board, but further refreshments were not available as the aircraft prepared for takeoff.”
“Qantas provided accommodation and transport to customers overnight and they will board a new flight on Tuesday evening.”
Passengers were asked to leave the plane and return to the terminal, where they were given vouchers for an overnight stay in a hotel or a taxi fee.
Melbourne Airport was carrying out maintenance on its north-south runway, which meant only the shorter runway was available.
The work has been ongoing since November.