KA824 went tech at 1 a.m., fight erupted at the end of the story
Mar 30, 2014, 1:17 pm
#1
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Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
KA824 went tech at 1 a.m., fight erupted at the end of the story
Started out as your typical weather delay, 7 p.m. departure became 9 p.m. departure became 9:30 p.m., and then we only boarded at 10:30 p.m., but sat on the plane as the Captain said China won't let them take off until 12:50 a.m. We did just that, and sat till 1 a.m. until it's time to take off. Seems like many planes were delayed as we waited on the taxi way forever listening to one plane after another took off, finally at around 1:20 a.m. it's our turn, engine spinned, full throttle, and then brake, slowed down, and the Captain announced right engine is broken, need to head back to gate. Taxi to open space and waited for airport trolley to pick us up, and we were told airport is stressed due to weather so another 40 minutes wait for trolley. When all is said and done we didn't get on trolley to be taken back to airport around 2:30 a.m. On board the flight we were greatly misinformed (which probably contributed to the fight) that KA will arrange hotels for us, but when we went in all we saw are a bunch of KA staff telling us the plane is rescheduled for 8:30 a.m. and we need to sleep at the airport, no hotel is offered, no food vouchers is offered, no compensation whatsoever is offered.
Naturally, a few people speaking mainland Mandarin erupted and went very hostile at some KA female ground staff. KA female ground staff got scared and one of them actually screamed a little, the males quickly went up to take over the conversation, and a person started to push him. I quickly pulled the pax back and yelled at him in Chinese: "Are you crazy, stop." He was then pulled back by his friends, but all hell broke lose with the yelling from pax to KA staff.
I decided I needed sleep so I headed off to G16, which I know is open overnight because one of the supervisor came to thank me and I told him can he do any favors to a DM, I was hoping for a hotel, but he said no hotel but go to G16 as it's open overnight.
I wonder if the incident will be reported publicly.
Naturally, a few people speaking mainland Mandarin erupted and went very hostile at some KA female ground staff. KA female ground staff got scared and one of them actually screamed a little, the males quickly went up to take over the conversation, and a person started to push him. I quickly pulled the pax back and yelled at him in Chinese: "Are you crazy, stop." He was then pulled back by his friends, but all hell broke lose with the yelling from pax to KA staff.
I decided I needed sleep so I headed off to G16, which I know is open overnight because one of the supervisor came to thank me and I told him can he do any favors to a DM, I was hoping for a hotel, but he said no hotel but go to G16 as it's open overnight.
I wonder if the incident will be reported publicly.
Mar 30, 2014, 1:46 pm
#2
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It happens every time . . . .
They don't know how to behave or complain. It looks like a terrible situation for all, and to be honest none of it is a fault of KA. Weather + mechanic is a double whammy and unfortunate. However they should have provided some type of accommodation considering the overnight delay. But there is probably some rule saying no hotel if under 8hr delay or something....
I appreciate passengers getting angry, but there are ways to voice your concerns, dissatisfaction, and always the way Mainlanders lose it and don't behave appropriately. When you think about it for a while, do you think the poor female KA ground staff working a graveyard over night shift at HKIA has any say or choice on what to do with the delayed flight? No. It is higher seniority, yet these people go straight at the poor ground staff. And trust me, this behaviour doesn't stop at airports, it applies everywhere . . .
I am glad you kept your cool and could use the lounge, and hopefully you got to your destination soon.
If I may say, we live in a troubling world right now.... and its not necessary just Mainlanders, but generally I feel people are less considerate and less kind or understanding....
They don't know how to behave or complain. It looks like a terrible situation for all, and to be honest none of it is a fault of KA. Weather + mechanic is a double whammy and unfortunate. However they should have provided some type of accommodation considering the overnight delay. But there is probably some rule saying no hotel if under 8hr delay or something....
I appreciate passengers getting angry, but there are ways to voice your concerns, dissatisfaction, and always the way Mainlanders lose it and don't behave appropriately. When you think about it for a while, do you think the poor female KA ground staff working a graveyard over night shift at HKIA has any say or choice on what to do with the delayed flight? No. It is higher seniority, yet these people go straight at the poor ground staff. And trust me, this behaviour doesn't stop at airports, it applies everywhere . . .
I am glad you kept your cool and could use the lounge, and hopefully you got to your destination soon.
If I may say, we live in a troubling world right now.... and its not necessary just Mainlanders, but generally I feel people are less considerate and less kind or understanding....
Mar 30, 2014, 4:03 pm
#3
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TL;DR
1) There was a series of delays and KA824 eventually went into tech
2) No hotel or food vouchers was offered (I can't imagine any F&S still open at 3am...)
3) Mainlander were angry and yelling
4) OP jumped in and yelled at a Mainlander, and the chaos erupted threefold as worst.
Yes, thank you OP, you were such a hero
1) There was a series of delays and KA824 eventually went into tech
2) No hotel or food vouchers was offered (I can't imagine any F&S still open at 3am...)
3) Mainlander were angry and yelling
4) OP jumped in and yelled at a Mainlander, and the chaos erupted threefold as worst.
Yes, thank you OP, you were such a hero
Mar 30, 2014, 4:18 pm
#4
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TL;DR
1) There was a series of delays and KA824 eventually went into tech
2) No hotel or food vouchers was offered (I can't imagine any F&S still open at 3am...)
3) Mainlander were angry and yelling
4) OP jumped in and yelled at a Mainlander, and the chaos erupted threefold as worst.
Yes, thank you OP, you were such a hero
1) There was a series of delays and KA824 eventually went into tech
2) No hotel or food vouchers was offered (I can't imagine any F&S still open at 3am...)
3) Mainlander were angry and yelling
4) OP jumped in and yelled at a Mainlander, and the chaos erupted threefold as worst.
Yes, thank you OP, you were such a hero
With the Black Rain warning at HKG, I think one of the reasons there is no hotel is because the airport hotels might have been full from other flights being cancelled. I know that even large hotels like the Regal can fill up completely in the aftermath of a typhoon.
OP did his best to calm a situation down. He's not saying that he is a hero but intervened in this circumstance. Which I doubt not many people would step in.
But these mainlanders are really getting out of hand. There are so many stories about them ... so a situation like that described above can happen.
We only need to see the news about the MH incident.
Mar 30, 2014, 4:28 pm
#5
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I doubt Regal was full. But given the fact the pax didn't arrive back to the Airport until 2:30am...by the time KA could get all the pax checked into Regal, it would probably have been well beyond 4am. For a 8:30am departure...it just doesnt make sense (logistically) to send them off for 2 hours and wake them up again. You're best to just keep everyone in airside. Glad KA decided to keep G16 open overnight for elites ^
Honestly, with so many CX lounges at HKIA...CX should seriously consider keeping one lounge open permanently overnight with reduced service/food or something. Does it really take that much resources to keep one lounge open for 3 additional hours...
Honestly, with so many CX lounges at HKIA...CX should seriously consider keeping one lounge open permanently overnight with reduced service/food or something. Does it really take that much resources to keep one lounge open for 3 additional hours...
Mar 30, 2014, 6:45 pm
#6
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Wheres your doubt coming from? Tbh, being in hkia ytd wasnt a nice scene. I circled around in 507(coming on standby from from 569. Thank god i did that instead of being thrown around in the air in a 333/772...) for an hour before being dumped on the apron for another 45 mins before getting off by buses. Another further wait for bags when my j tags got flipped up. (1st container and subsequent ones must hv had a 15 min interval)
Even worse, a friend was stuck in a plane for 3 hrs heading north. I hope its not the same plane cb was on for him
Originally Posted by CanucksHKG
I doubt Regal was full. But given the fact the pax didn't arrive back to the Airport until 2:30am...by the time KA could get all the pax checked into Regal, it would probably have been well beyond 4am. For a 8:30am departure...it just doesnt make sense (logistically) to send them off for 2 hours and wake them up again. You're best to just keep everyone in airside. Glad KA decided to keep G16 open overnight for elites ^
Honestly, with so many CX lounges at HKIA...CX should seriously consider keeping one lounge open permanently overnight with reduced service/food or something. Does it really take that much resources to keep one lounge open for 3 additional hours...
Honestly, with so many CX lounges at HKIA...CX should seriously consider keeping one lounge open permanently overnight with reduced service/food or something. Does it really take that much resources to keep one lounge open for 3 additional hours...
Even worse, a friend was stuck in a plane for 3 hrs heading north. I hope its not the same plane cb was on for him
Mar 30, 2014, 10:55 pm
#7
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this is how their government taught them to behave.In their own home they are pushed, shoved, beaten and restrained at the whim of some capriciously appointed individuals, an then told this is the only way to get respected. Now HK for many reasons does not want to touch them, but it is high time that once they get their thick shaved skull outside motherland they are treated exactly in the same way they allow themselves to be treated. In all fairness i noticed an improvement in behaviour since few years ago, with few loutbursts and generally more composed attitude, although you always risk to find the group of country bumpkins overflowing with "hard earned" cash and fitted with slightly garish outfits that are very likely to jump at any perceived slight to their self image.
Mar 31, 2014, 1:05 am
#8
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Just a warning to those posting on this thread that one of the FT guidelines is:
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Please keep your posts objective and pleasant. Otherwise this thread will be closed.
sxc
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sxc
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Mar 31, 2014, 1:26 am
#9
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Not sure everyone will be please to hear this update. Got to the gate this morning, made sure my boarding pass was still good, and the agent asked me "did you get your money?" I asked what money and I was told every pax was given $800 HKD. I asked fellow pax what happened as KA was adamant about no compensation last night. Apparently someone let a rally and won't let any KA staff go if they were not compensated, so KA gave in, and they even negotiated on the figure, originally it was everyone $300 HKD, then $500 HKD, finally settled on $800 HKD.
So once again being rude and loud wins?
So once again being rude and loud wins?
!
Mar 31, 2014, 2:08 am
#11
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Mar 31, 2014, 2:28 am
#12
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That's why in some other parts of the world, it's all written in the law. If something happens, you get this, and if something else happens, you get that. And if you're not happen and cause a scene, you'll be escorted out by security/police.
Mar 31, 2014, 3:32 am
#13
Join Date: Jul 2013
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I'll just leave this quote from Warren Buffett
.
“If a capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk back in the early 1900s, he should have shot Orville Wright. He would have saved his progeny money. But seriously, the airline business has been extraordinary. It has eaten up capital over the past century like almost no other business because people seem to keep coming back to it and putting fresh money in. You’ve got huge fixed costs, you’ve got strong labor unions and you’ve got commodity pricing. That is not a great recipe for success. I have an 800 (free call) number now that I call if I get the urge to buy an airline stock. I call at two in the morning and I say: ‘My name is Warren and I’m an aeroholic.’ And then they talk me down.”
.“If a capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk back in the early 1900s, he should have shot Orville Wright. He would have saved his progeny money. But seriously, the airline business has been extraordinary. It has eaten up capital over the past century like almost no other business because people seem to keep coming back to it and putting fresh money in. You’ve got huge fixed costs, you’ve got strong labor unions and you’ve got commodity pricing. That is not a great recipe for success. I have an 800 (free call) number now that I call if I get the urge to buy an airline stock. I call at two in the morning and I say: ‘My name is Warren and I’m an aeroholic.’ And then they talk me down.”
Mar 31, 2014, 4:20 am
#14
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 289
Yes, Europe and FAA got very clear compensation rules on flight disturbance
Mar 31, 2014, 4:24 am
#15
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Not sure everyone will be please to hear this update. Got to the gate this morning, made sure my boarding pass was still good, and the agent asked me "did you get your money?" I asked what money and I was told every pax was given $800 HKD. I asked fellow pax what happened as KA was adamant about no compensation last night. Apparently someone let a rally and won't let any KA staff go if they were not compensated, so KA gave in, and they even negotiated on the figure, originally it was everyone $300 HKD, then $500 HKD, finally settled on $800 HKD.
So once again being rude and loud wins?
So once again being rude and loud wins?