Flight should have departed at 21.45 and we boarded at 9 pm and sat on the tarmac with a computer related problem until 3 am. Finally the captain decided to deplane the passengers who were really hungry by then. We had been offered water and a small packet of peas after 2 hours and a packet of potato chips after 4 hours, but no substantial food of any kind.
I’ve been in this situation before and usually a round of drinks is offered after a couple of hours delay and snacks but no such luck this time.
We then waited at the airport lounge for two hours to get taken to a hotel where we checked in at 6 am and were told to get some refreshments from the breakfast buffet (which wasn’t really open until 6.30). By the time our luggage was in and we could hit the sack it was 7 am and we were told to be downstairs ready to go back to the airport at 11 am. That meant a maximum of 4 hours sleep! As it turned out we had 3 hours, then gathered at the lobby at 10.45 only to be told we would be picked up at 1.30 after lunch!
Coordination was not good. Refreshments on board could have been served much quicker. It took ages to sort out transportation to the hotel and then we were misinformed about onward arrangements. Eventually the flight was scheduled to leave 20 hours later at 5.30 but was further delayed an hour to 6.30 pm, so why we needed to be up and ready at 11 am was unclear.
Once onboard things were smoother and although many had missed their connecting flights, we were taken care of much more efficiently in Singapore airport: we were met with hotel vouchers, and allowed to take individual taxis to the hotel, which minimised the waiting time and reduced frustration levels. We were also given a $100 voucher to use against a flight or duty free shopping.
Not a great experience but managed fairly well overall. Flight safety is what we need and a fresh flight ensured that !
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