QRC3288
Sep 2, 08, 4:57 am
Two odd things happening during a return on KA from Hangzhou today:
1.) The plane is an A330. I only fly this route every two months or so, but each time it's always A321. They're advertising KA and CX like crazy in HGH, have been doing so for the last six months or so, but first time I've ever seen the A330 on the route.
2.) 8 hour delay until 11:30pm tonight (3:30pm original departure). They don't tell anyone what's going on for 2 hours, and then at 5:30 tell everyone the flight back won't be until 11:30pm (the turnaround of the KA flight that lands at 10pm). That's conveniently right after what would've been the possibility of leaving from PVG...if they bothered to say anything earlier, I could've got a car and been on the 8:30pm departure from PVG. Now I'm hanging out in the Hangzhou airport (which we're basically imprisoned in, and if you know the "international" side of the terminal you know it's actually just two gates and a weird first class lounge, unless we opt for the 8am KA departure tomorrow morning) until 11:30pm.
I'm no plane expert, but I kid you not...they had a bucket underneath one of the A330's engines and it was leaking fuel, according to the KA people here. The staff on the ground has actually been great, it's clear they're just operating with limited information. I can't really believe though CX control would sit on their a$$ and not tell us earlier, because basically they held me in limbo until I had really no other option except to use their two crappy ones. Adding on to this, the KA staff here said the same A330 had problems in Shanghai yesterday and was stuck there for the day.
1.) The plane is an A330. I only fly this route every two months or so, but each time it's always A321. They're advertising KA and CX like crazy in HGH, have been doing so for the last six months or so, but first time I've ever seen the A330 on the route.
2.) 8 hour delay until 11:30pm tonight (3:30pm original departure). They don't tell anyone what's going on for 2 hours, and then at 5:30 tell everyone the flight back won't be until 11:30pm (the turnaround of the KA flight that lands at 10pm). That's conveniently right after what would've been the possibility of leaving from PVG...if they bothered to say anything earlier, I could've got a car and been on the 8:30pm departure from PVG. Now I'm hanging out in the Hangzhou airport (which we're basically imprisoned in, and if you know the "international" side of the terminal you know it's actually just two gates and a weird first class lounge, unless we opt for the 8am KA departure tomorrow morning) until 11:30pm.
I'm no plane expert, but I kid you not...they had a bucket underneath one of the A330's engines and it was leaking fuel, according to the KA people here. The staff on the ground has actually been great, it's clear they're just operating with limited information. I can't really believe though CX control would sit on their a$$ and not tell us earlier, because basically they held me in limbo until I had really no other option except to use their two crappy ones. Adding on to this, the KA staff here said the same A330 had problems in Shanghai yesterday and was stuck there for the day.