Eighty passengers remain stranded in Dubai, forced to celebrate New Years Eve in transit rather than in Sydney after their flight from London was delayed.
Among the hundreds affected by the delay on Friday was Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. While some passengers have been left waiting for two days, Joyce managed to get the first available flight to Sydney and made it back in time for the new year.
A routine fuel stop at Dubai international airport for the A380 QF2 turned into a lengthy delay after a technical fault was discovered on the aircraft. Joyce was on that flight.
Passengers who flew in on the next flight from London headed for Sydney were then bumped off their flight, and the stranded passengers, including Joyce, took that flight back to Sydney.
A Qantas spokeswoman told Guardian Australia that this was a part of routine procedure when delays occurred, and that there had been no special accommodations made for Joyce.
“When there are delays the first group of people who have been through delays get on the first available flight,” she said.
The almost 500 passengers originally booked on the flight were offered accommodation in Dubai. There were 80 passengers left in Dubai still waiting for an alternative flight, the spokeswoman said.
However, passengers were unimpressed, posting about their frustration with the airline on social media.
One passenger, Mia Parkes-Talbot, wrote on the airline’s Facebook page: “Please think about the pregnant women, babies and people trying to get home to their families this new year. I hope you have a terrible 2017.”
Earlier, Parkes-Talbot posted: “Please can you send some staff to talk to passengers of the QF2 flight? While we have been delayed for 8 hours now we haven’t seen a single qantas staff member.”
She claimed that passengers had been told there were delays because of fog.
Another passenger, Graham Dobson, posted on Twitter that there was “total chaos” at the airport.
@Qantas still in Dubai. Not been given any update on when i can get the next flight to Sydney. Total chaos pic.twitter.com/ohqKfyOb4F
— Graham Dobson (@gdobson1) December 31, 2016
@Qantas I appreciate prioritising safety of course but leaving them in Dubai with no luggage for 48 hours and not communicating the issues..
— Conor Geoghegan (@goggss7) December 31, 2016
Hey @Qantas 2 wedding guests stuck in Dubai - flight cancelled 2 days ago. Help get them to the #maxwellmadness in Syd
— Henri Hawkins (@TheEtte) December 31, 2016
Qantas passengers bound for Sydney stranded in Dubai on New Year's Eve #Qantas https://t.co/Ktqmswb4uc @Easy_Branches pic.twitter.com/cjTkXv5n3O
— @easyworldnews (@EasyWorldNews) December 31, 2016
