For the 321 passengers booked on delayed Scoot flight TR713 from Greece to Singapore, holidaying was not so much fun as it was tiresome. Rescheduled flights aren’t uncommon, but the Boeing 787 aircraft’s technical fault caused a hold-up that resulted in the travelers stranded in Athens for two days.
Originally set to depart at 11:20am local time on Dec 18, the flight was later pushed back three times. A Scoot spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia that it’s currently scheduled to (finally) leave Athens today at 1:05pm local time (7:05pm Singapore time).
In a statement, the budget carrier explained that the delay was caused by “operational considerations arising from equipment limitations”, and that because the hiccup took a while to resolve, passengers were asked to disembark and given refreshments.
However, after they got the green light to step on board a second time, “the operating crew’s flight time limited unfortunately ran out”, the spokesperson said. Scoot then had to postpone the departure time to the next morning as the plane had to be grounded, and offered accommodation and meals to the passengers, The Straits Times reported.
On Wednesday, passengers entered the plane for the third time. But the aircraft never took off, as Scoot was informed that its flight approval had been rescinded just as it was prepping to leave the gate. So everyone on board had to alight and wait once more. Accommodation and meals were again arranged, and Scoot’s spokesperson said the carrier is arranging for a plane to be sent to Athens to ferry the affected passengers to Singapore.
“Scoot sincerely apologizes for this extended flight disruption and the inconvenience it had caused to our customers’ travel plans,” the spokesperson added. “Affected customers can opt for a refund via vouchers or to their mode of payment, if they prefer not to continue their travel with Scoot.”
In response, several passengers voiced their discontent on social media, the most common complaint being the multiple times they had to board and disembark the aircraft.
If anyone has the inside scoop on why Scoot had so many issues organising the fix, coordianting with air traffic control and with @ATH_airport, I’m all ears. It seems we couldn’t catch a break
— Ali McManus (@aliupdatesu) December 19, 2018
Daughter stuck in Athens after flight delayed and postponned so over 48 delay. Communication has been shocking #scoot #tr713 #athenstosingapore
— Nicky hodges (@nickyhodges3) December 19, 2018
Stuck at @ATH_airport for the second day trying to fly to Singapore on @flyscoot #TR713
We are asked to leave the flight for the THIRD time now. Staff seem to blame it on the @ATH_airport control, but nobody is telling us what’s really going on. Pathetic from @flyscoot— Sunimal Rathnayake (@sunimalr) December 19, 2018
Well, here’s hoping fourth time’s the charm.
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