PUBLISHED ONMarch 14, 2024 9:51 AMByClaudia TanWhat was supposed to be a short flight to Singapore turned into a 12-hour ordeal for some 161 passengers who were stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.
They were supposed to board Jetstar Asia flight 3K516 on Wednesday (March 13), reported Shin Min Daily News.
The flight was scheduled to take off at 1.35pm Singapore time and land at Changi Airport at 5.05pm.
One passenger, Yu Zhuyu (transliteration) told Shin Min that they were previously informed that the flight had been delayed to 5.20pm.
"After the plane arrived at the Bangkok airport, it was parked for three hours. The ground staff said there was a technical issue and the pilot failed the pre-departure inspection twice."
When they heard the news, several passengers rushed to the counter to seek an explanation from the airline staff, but no one was there to answer their queries, said Yu.
"We waited till 7pm and were told that the boarding gate had been changed. At 10pm, they said the flight was cancelled," added the 37-year-old, who works in the IT industry.
"The airline didn't even announce that the flight was delayed. We found out only after checking the flight timing on our own."
Yu said there were also some passengers who were supposed to transit in Singapore.
"I heard that someone was supposed to attend his father's funeral. Many of us were unhappy and the entire scene was chaotic."
Yu told Shin Min that he also spoke to a tour guide who was leading a group of 28 travellers from China on a 10-day trip to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
They were supposed to land in Singapore on March 13 and leave for Malaysia the next day.
Yu said: "Since they are stuck in Thailand, they will have to forgo their travel plans in Singapore. The tour guide said they've already paid for their expenses in Singapore, but now everything's wasted."
Another passenger who gave her name as Lian, told Shin Min that she had heard from airport staff that there was a leak in the plane's hydraulic system which could not be fixed.
The 29-year-old teacher added that Jetstar provided the passengers with food and drinks at about 5pm.
At 1am on Thursday, the airline chartered buses to take them to a hotel.
"We were all very tired. They said they would ferry us to the airport [the next day] and provide lunch before our rescheduled flight to Singapore," Lian said.
In response to AsiaOne's queries, a spokesperson from Jetstar Asia said the delay was caused by a technical fault identified in a routine pre-departure inspection.
He added that all the passengers will be put on a rescheduled flight that departs at 9pm on Thursday.
They were also offered accommodation, transportation and meal vouchers.
Passengers who do not wish to board the rescheduled flight will be offered a full refund.
"We sincerely apologise for the frustration and inconvenience caused by this delay. The safety of our customers, people and fleet is our first priority and our team is working hard to get everyone to their destination as soon as possible," said the spokesperson.
claudiatan@asiaone.com