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Broken aircon on Qatar Airways flight has passengers melting

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Posted

From The Nation

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Passengers on a Qatar Airways flight heading to Doha on Monday nearly suffocated after the plane’s air-conditioning system stopped working while it was waiting to take off.

Among the passengers on flight QR204 were 49 members of Thailand’s national Muay Thai team, staffers and reporters who were returning home from Athens after participating in the IFMA Senior World Championships 2024.

The tournament was held from May 31 to June 10 at Dimitris Tofalos National Indoor Sports Hall in Patras, Greece.

After being stuck in the stifling heat for three hours without any notification or explanation from the airline, the captain eventually decided to let passengers off the plane, a source said.

Some passengers reportedly suffered a nosebleed, while others relied on oxygen masks to help with breathing, the source added.

A physical confrontation also nearly broke out between passengers and flight crew during the incident.

Smoke was seen emitting from the aircraft’s rear while it was waiting to take off, prompting airport officials to put fire trucks on standby in case of fire.

The source said passengers had not been given any information on the situation by the airline or crew.

Muay Thai athlete Thananchai Sitsongpeenong told reporters that he only spotted the smoke after he got off the plane.

“I consider myself lucky to have survived this,” he said, adding that he and other passengers were practically melting in the sauna-like heat on board.

 

Posted

that's gross. Surprisingly crew did not act on it sooner - they must feel the same heat.

Still good it happened on the ground , not mid air over Indian Ocean.

I once was in opposite situation on China Eastern's Shanghai bound flight in December 2014. It was so cold aboard that majority of passengers were wearing jackets and hats. 

Posted
7 hours ago, vinapu said:

that's gross. Surprisingly crew did not act on it sooner - they must feel the same heat.

Still good it happened on the ground , not mid air over Indian Ocean.

I once was in opposite situation on China Eastern's Shanghai bound flight in December 2014. It was so cold aboard that majority of passengers were wearing jackets and hats. 

One of the problems  with Qatar, and Emirates, is that they are great till things go wrong,  then they are very poor. 

Posted
17 hours ago, vinapu said:

that's gross. Surprisingly crew did not act on it sooner - they must feel the same heat.

Still good it happened on the ground , not mid air over Indian Ocean.

I once was in opposite situation on China Eastern's Shanghai bound flight in December 2014. It was so cold aboard that majority of passengers were wearing jackets and hats. 

Unfortunately the crew don't really have the say. The Captain will have been pressured by the company to keep the passengers on board in the hope that the problem would be fixed quickly and the plane could depart swiftly. Disembarking the passengers would have required the whole boarding process to be done again; a good 30-40 minute delay after the issue was resolved.

 

That said, communication and handling such a situation seems like it could have been improved for sure.

Posted
3 hours ago, omega said:

The Captain will have been pressured by the company to keep the passengers on board in the hope that the problem would be fixed quickly and the plane could depart swiftly.

that likely was a reason

Posted
15 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

One of the problems  with Qatar, and Emirates, is that they are great till things go wrong,  then they are very poor. 

I am singed up to a travel blog which highlights  how bad Emirates and Qater are when things go wrong, as opposed to their slick pr.

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Posted
On 6/11/2024 at 6:04 PM, vinapu said:

...not mid air over Indian Ocean...

 

At cruising altitude, the air from outside gets heated, not cooled I think.

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Posted
On 6/12/2024 at 12:02 PM, omega said:

...a good 30-40 minute delay after the issue was resolved...

 

In my opinion delay for about one hour seems better than three hours inside a very hot plane.

Posted
2 hours ago, Thomas_88 said:

 

In my opinion delay for about one hour seems better than three hours inside a very hot plane.

Not for the profit margins of the company.

Posted
14 hours ago, Thomas_88 said:

 

At cruising altitude, the air from outside gets heated, not cooled I think.

Correct. Keeping cabin cooler can reduce fuel burn so tempting for some carriers to lower temps on long hauls.

Posted
On 6/13/2024 at 2:27 PM, Thomas_88 said:

 

At cruising altitude, the air from outside gets heated, not cooled I think.

I would hope so, as temperature  at the cruise altitude is around -48deg!

Posted
On 6/11/2024 at 7:34 PM, Keithambrose said:

One of the problems  with Qatar, and Emirates, is that they are great till things go wrong,  then they are very poor. 

TK should be on the list too. 

Posted
On 6/12/2024 at 3:43 PM, Keithambrose said:

I am singed up to a travel blog which highlights  how bad Emirates and Qater are when things go wrong, as opposed to their slick pr.

I think I'm on that blog too!

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