Air Purser's No-show Delays Thai Flight

Air purser's no-show delays THAI flight

BANGKLOK: -- A Thai Airways International flight bound for Chiang Rai was delayed for about two hours yesterday after its air purser failed to turn up, a source at the national flag carrier said yesterday.

About 150 passengers were stranded at Don Muang Airport when the captain of the TG 140 flight refused to take off. The Boeing 737-400 did not have the chief of the flight attendants on board, the source said.

A commercial flight aviation rule would have been violated had the captain taken off without an air purser on board.

The airliner had to replace the whole crew as the rules demanded before letting the plane leave.

The source said what happened yesterday was not the first time such an incident had taken place.

Sunatee Isvarphornchai, director of the THAI Public Relations Office, said the problem was due to the sudden sickness of the purser and the airline could not find anyone else to stand in.

The airline had increased flights and thus made it difficult for itself to find replacements in emergency situations, Ms Sunatee said.

--Bangkok Post 2004-01-20