Abu Dhabi sandstorm leaves 500 passengers stuck in Phuket: VIDEO

[webfact]

Abu Dhabi sandstorm leaves 500 passengers stuck in Phuket: VIDEO
Nattha Thepbamrung

PHUKET: -- Some 500 airline passengers scheduled to fly out on two Etihad Airways flights are currently stuck in Phuket because of a massive sandstorm that has also caused fog in Abu Dhabi, their destination.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffT2hxzZURU

Video of a sandstorm earlier this year in Abu Dhabi, by WolfAnnie.

The storm has closed Abu Dhabi Airport for two days, with the result that flights that were due to arrive in Phuket on Saturday and Sunday to take passengers back to Abu Dhabi were unable to fly.

Etihad has cancelled a total of 20 flights out of Abu Dhabi because of the sandstorm and fog, the local news site, The National, reported yesterday.

Santi Pawai, Director of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Phuket office told The Phuket News that Etihad Airways flight EY430, both yesterday and today (January 5), was grounded, leaving two plane-loads of people stuck in Phuket.

Passengers are being put up in local hotels until the airline is able to fly them out.

In Abu Dhabi would-be fliers have been asked to postpone any non-essential flights until the backlog of stranded passengers has been cleared.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/abu-dhabi-sandstorm-leaves-500-passengers-stuck-in-phuket-video-50417.php


-- Phuket News 2015-01-05

[hansgruber]

Shit happens. I wouldn't want to fly with a sandstorms filtering sand through the engines.

I'm sure some will complain about the inconvenience though.

[khwaibah]

Shit happens. I wouldn't want to fly with a sandstorms filtering sand through the engines.

I'm sure some will complain about the inconvenience though.

Inconvenience ? Your stuck in Thailand. PARTY ON DUDE.

[hansgruber]

Shit happens. I wouldn't want to fly with a sandstorms filtering sand through the engines.

I'm sure some will complain about the inconvenience though.

Inconvenience ? Your stuck in Thailand. PARTY ON DUDE.

The inconvenience of being put up in one of the crappy phuket town hotels.

They all dated slums basically geared towards the Chinese. I wouldn't stay there for free.

[khwaibah]

Shit happens. I wouldn't want to fly with a sandstorms filtering sand through the engines.

I'm sure some will complain about the inconvenience though.

Inconvenience ? Your stuck in Thailand. PARTY ON DUDE.

The inconvenience of being put up in one of the crappy phuket town hotels.

They all dated slums basically geared towards the Chinese. I wouldn't stay there for free.

Happy chappy we are.

[emilymat]

TAT will not like this. 500 rooms immediately available in the middle of the high season.

[how241]

Shit happens. I wouldn't want to fly with a sandstorms filtering sand through the engines.

I'm sure some will complain about the inconvenience though.

+1...I wouldn't complain. Better safe then sorry -- Better late then dead.

[stevenl]

TAT will not like this. 500 rooms immediately available in the middle of the high season.

There's always space available, especially in Phuket Town where not many holiday makers stay.

BTW, 500 passengers does not equate to 500 rooms.

[Nemesis7]

Better than getting hit by the sand storm and have a crush landing in the middle of no where.

[khwaibah]

If you want to see how bad it was go to a good news source..

Irate passengers suffer 12-hour wait on tarmac

AP4:53 a.m. EST January 5, 2015

(Photo: AP via Rithvik Reddy)

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hundreds of air travelers landed in San Francisco, safe but irritated after a 28-hour overseas flight they say included 12 hours on a tarmac in the Middle East without food or accurate flight information.

Tempers grew short on Etihad Airways Flight 183 when fog in the city of Abu Dhabi delayed takeoff for a half-day, passengers told San Francisco 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," passenger Thomas Piani told reporters in San Francisco after finally landing in the city on Saturday evening.

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," passenger Venkatesh Pahwa said.

Etihad, a national airline of the United Arab Emirates, which includes Abu Dhabi, apologized for travelers' inconvenience, saying the problem was largely beyond its control and it affected other airlines as well.

The airline told the Associated Press in a statement that "unprecedented fog" had delayed flights, 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," the airline said.

Flight attendants eventually passed out sandwiches and water after some people made a fuss over the lack of food, passenger Ravali Reddy said.

"No one was angry about the delay itself. If it's unsafe to fly, we don't want to fly," she said. "It just didn't seem to make any logical sense why we had to stay on the plane."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2015/01/05/12-hour-wait-tarmac/21276613/

[dabhand]

Had a family member on one of the Etihad planes parked on the tarmac at Abu Dhabi airport for about ten hours

He was enroute to Glasgow from Bkk, via AUH and Dublin - it was a late booking and that was the only option for a 02Jan flight,

The AUH/DUB flight was due to depart at 02.15 and, unfortunately for him, the airport closed at 02.00. Rather than ship them back to the terminal, the passengers on his flight, plus all the other flights boarded but yet to take-off, had to remain on the plane. The claim that deplaning would cause a crush at the terminal has merit but was not an ideal situation. Including flight time to Dublin, he was on the plane for over 18 hours

So, yes, I reckon he would have been more than happy with the 'inconvenience' suffered by passengers in Phuket.

[webfact]

Relief on way for Etihad passengers stranded in Phuket
The Phuket News



PHUKET: -- With several hundred passengers of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways still stuck in Phuket, the airline has announced that relief is finally on its way.

In a statement released this afternoon (January 5), the airline said, “Etihad Airways is dispatching relief aircraft to both Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand to assist passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted by the extraordinary weather conditions at Abu Dhabi over the weekend.

“Etihad Airways is also rebooking passengers onto other airlines, to ensure that they can now return or continue their journey as quickly as possible.

“The two relief flights are being brought into service in the next 24 hours to assist stranded passengers as the airline’s network begins to return to normal following a major disruption due to severe fog that resulted in widespread cancellations and delays to all airlines operating from Abu Dhabi airport.

“Etihad Airways’ scheduled three-times-a-day service between Abu Dhabi and Bangkok, and its daily service to/from Phuket are also now operating as normal.

“Etihad Airways apologises to its passengers for the inconvenience that this major disruption has caused and thanks them for their patience during these extremely challenging few days.

“Passengers are advised to contact the Etihad Airways Contact Centre (24-hours) in Thailand on 02 787 3377 or visit etihad.com/flightstatus for more information on the status of flights.”

It noted, however, “Response times will be longer than usual as the airline’s global contact centres continue to experience high volumes of calls from passengers wishing to change their flights or enquire about flight status.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/relief-on-way-for-etihad-passengers-stranded-in-phuket-50430.php


-- Phuket News 2015-01-06

[ttthailand]

So do those 500 people get counted as new arrivals again. Need to get those tourist numbers up

[siam2007]

If you monitored the situation at AUH airport that day on flgithstats, you will realize that virtually EVERY flight was affected.

I have a certain understanding that they wanted the PAX to stay on board, because indeed it would have created a chaos if Thousands of PAX return to the terminal, roam around everywhere or even fall asleep in a quiet corner. It would have been impossible for the flights to take-off and find all the PAX somewhere in the Terminal once the sandstorm stopped.

The only thing unacceptable is the fact that they were not handing out food and drinks. there must have been plenty on board and I am sure the catering companies at AUH would have been able to produce at least some additional sandwiches too. Plus you of course have to give information necessary to the PAX so they can understand what is going on and why. This will give ETIHAD a bad reputation in handling problems....