Thai Airways International (THAI) on Tuesday insisted its passenger care met all international standards after a message and photos were posted on social media showing stranded travellers at Shanghai airport after the airline cancelled a flight to Bangkok.
Wiwat Piyawirote, vice-president of THAI, apologised to all 244 passengers for the inconveniences after flight TG665 on Shanghai-Bangkok route due to depart at 5.20pm (local time) was cancelled on Nov 17. The aircraft developed a technical problem and technicians had to wait for a spare part from Bangkok to fix it, forcing the carrier to cancel the flight, he said.
During the flight cancellation, the airline had taken care of all passengers based on international standards. Ground staff had helped the passengers and coordinated with immigration officials to reschedule their flights.
Food and drinks had been provided for all passengers. Staffers also arranged for some passengers wanting to board other flights on that day and provided accommodation and dinner for those wanting to fly with THAI the following day, he said.
Facebook user ChuChu Supermom on Nov 18 posted a message criticising the airline over the flight cancellation on Nov 17, saying the incident caused her to lose faith in the national carrier forever. What happened on that day showed the inefficiencies of the airline and a lack of professional skills and teamwork in solving the problem, she said.
The aircraft announced via microphone at around 4.50pm that flight TG665 had to be delayed as the aircraft had developed a technical problem. However, no message about the flight delay was shown on TV screens. Passengers who had to connect flights were in trouble, she wrote.
At around 6.30pm, staffers came to check names of passengers on the business class and gold members. When passengers asked about the progress of the flight, no update was given. Many passengers started to complain as they did not know when they could depart.
At around 7.30pm, a Chinese male staffer told the passengers that they could transfer to China Eastern Airlines, but they had to follow immigration procedures and could not bring their luggage with them. About 15 passengers decided to board the China Eastern Airlines flight, said the Facebook user, who was among them.
All had to race against time to catch the flight as the boarding time was approaching. However, the plane took off before they reached the gate, she said.
No Thai staffer was sent to give advice or help passengers, she wrote. At 10.15pm on that day, she and some passengers were able to board a flight on Air China to Suvarnabhumi airport, she wrote.