Drama: Double Medical Diversions in DPS on D7 KUL-OOL Flight

[flee 5]

Empty check-in desks, no ground staff and nowhere to sleep but the floor: Passengers slam AirAsia after medical emergency left them stranded in Bali with nothing but a $10 food voucher

• A plane full of passengers have been stuck in Bali for more than a day
• The plane bound for Coolangatta from Kuala Lumpur was grounded twice
• Medical emergencies were the cause for Air Asia D7206's grounding
• Passengers are furious with the airline and it's handling of the situation
• Crowds of people have taken to sleeping on the floor of the airport

See: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3450510/Empty-check-desks-no-ground-staff-sleep-floor-Passengers-slam-AirAsia-medical-emergency-left-stranded-Bali-10-food-voucher.html

 

[J. Suri 0]

no spare aircraft eh?

[flee 5]

A passenger's account:

 

 

I was a passenger on board Air Asia X flight D7206 scheduled from KUL-OOL on Monday 15 Feb, departing at 2140. Just after overflying Bali we had to divert for a medical emergency. A middle-aged lady sitting next to me was having severe stomach problems. She was moaning and screaming for the last hour - a doctor on board was administering medical support, but her condition was clearly not improving. She and her husband were offloaded and we carried on our way.

About an hour after takeoff the captain came over the PA to inform us we had to return to Bali due to another medical emergency. This time a passenger who had a doctor's clearance to fly after an operation started bleeding internally. The same doctor was assisting, but we had to return because the passenger was getting worse.

Half an hour after landing the captain came over the PA to let us know that because some crew were out of hours. We disembarked the aircraft and had to purchase an Indonesian Visa from our own pockets ($35USD), and were then made to collect our bags and wait in the baggage collection area. It took the staff about 5 hours to organise hotels for everyone. We spent most of the day in the hotel, and were picked up and were back at the airport at 7pm for our 11pm scheduled departure.

We were on board on time, but then we were informed that 9 passengers were unaccounted for. Due to Indonesian immigration law, we were unable to depart until all passengers who arrived on the flight left on the same aircraft. We stayed on board for 3 and a half hours while the staff desperately tried to account for the missing passengers.

There was very little communication from the captain or any staff and were understandably getting more and more frustrated. Finally at 2.30am we were offloaded due to the immigration department not being negotiable. We were made to stay at the departure gate and could not re-enter the country. We had to wait for 12 hours - finally being allowed to depart at 2.30pm when a new crew had arrived from Kuala Lumpur.

We landed at the Gold Coast 38 hours later than our scheduled arrival time.

Question is has this ever happened before? I am a regular flyer and have never had a single medical diversion, let alone a double!

Just glad to be back home.

 

[JuliusWong 0]

Now on local news: https://www.facebook.com/7NewsQueensland/videos/1110513752294809/?pnref=story

 

"They can't recall when they last showered....":(

 

I can't believe the Indonesian government did not waive the visa fee in such circumstances....

 

A double medical diversion is really one in a million chance of really happening....

[KK Lee 5]

D7 followed the correct procedure. I would blame the ordeal on the 9 AWOL/missing pax.

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

We have once fly with Garuda SYD-CGK-KUL with original transit time in CGK about 2 hours. However, few weeks before our departure GA changed the departure time from SYD to a later time thus same day connection to KUL at CGK was not possible. Although GA did arrange overnight accommodation in Jakarta for us, we need to pay for the visa for 4 of us (I think it was USD100 back then). I asked the ground staff if the visa fee could be reimbursed but the answer was no. I wrote to GA but did not receive any response from them

 

Wonder if anyone has similar experience ?

[JuliusWong 0]

From another forum:

 

mandala499 From Indonesia, joined Aug 2001, 7453 posts, RR: 77
Reply 10, posted Fri Feb 19 2016 21:58:57 your local time (59 minutes 57 secs ago) and read 89 times:
Quoting Goodbye (Thread starter):
Question is has this ever happened before? I am a regular flyer and have never had a single medical diversion, let alone a double!
From what I gathered from various informants on the ground...

Quoting Goodbye (Thread starter):
It took the staff about 5 hours to organise hotels for everyone.
The information I got was that immigration initially did insisted that the passengers to remain airside. Eventually immigration relented into allowing the passengers to go to hotels (on humanitarian grounds).

Quoting Goodbye (Thread starter):
We spent most of the day in the hotel, and were picked up and were back at the airport at 7pm for our 11pm scheduled departure.
The airline placed the passengers in 3 hotels. There was a team of Air Asia staff placed at each hotel for the passengers.

Quoting Goodbye (Thread starter):
We stayed on board for 3 and a half hours while the staff desperately tried to account for the missing passengers.
Immigration refused to let the aircraft go because of the missing passengers. Negotiations took about 3 hours... immigration then allowed the aircraft to go, AFTER the airport runway was closed for daily maintenance... so they had to leave later in the morning. When morning happened, the new slot request had lapsed and a new slot application was not approved approved as the person signing it would only approve it "during office hours". By this time, the crew not only had run out of hours, but also duty days... fresh crew had to be flown in but couldn't because all flights fromKUL to DPS was full. When the new crew arrived, more problems with the slot...

Quoting Goodbye (Thread starter):
There was very little communication from the captain or any staff and were understandably getting more and more frustrated. Finally at 2.30am we were offloaded due to the immigration department not being negotiable. We were made to stay at the departure gate and could not re-enter the country. We had to wait for 12 hours - finally being allowed to depart at 2.30pm when a new crew had arrived from Kuala Lumpur.
It sounds absolutely crazy, but knowing Indonesia, I'm not surprised... sadly... transport officials are currently afraid of making any decisions because it is believed by many that there is a bounty on whistle blowing any deviation from government policies regardless of the circumstances (1 airline was discovered to have been using forged flight approval documents recently and was caught in Bali, and the ones catching it were rewarded with $1000 by the minister... so now we have wannabes hunting for $1000 rewards! Yes, some officials can be really cheap!).

Quoting dhr (Reply 9):
Did those missing 9 passengers who were missing eventually show up to be skinned alive for causing the additional delays?
3 of these 9 pax decided to take a Jetstar flight without telling the airline.

 

[S V Choong 4]

NOW EVERYONE CAN FLY XTRA LONG!!!

[Mushrif A 3]

Although what was long wasnt in the flying but in the waiting on the ground.

[chookyan 0]

Although what was long wasnt in the flying but in the waiting on the ground.

 

I was kept in the plane on the ground for 13 hours on a Air China flight in Beijing in Nov '15 during the height of the snow. Explanation is we cannot de plane or we will miss the deicing and 1st available take off slot but dinner were served while on ground and plenty of drinks round by the crew. For once I appreciated that I have travel insurance and was able to claim for the delay.

[flee 5]

Yes, travel insurance is "mandatory" these days! That is why I have an annual policy - so I don't need to buy insurance for each trip I go on.

[Arthur W. 0]

 

I was kept in the plane on the ground for 13 hours on a Air China flight in Beijing in Nov '15 during the height of the snow. Explanation is we cannot de plane or we will miss the deicing and 1st available take off slot but dinner were served while on ground and plenty of drinks round by the crew. For once I appreciated that I have travel insurance and was able to claim for the delay.

 

Yikes! 13 hours?! How on earth did you manage to survive that?

 

My worst was 6 hours sitting in the plane on the tarmac... and I thought that was bad. It was on Dragonair HKG-PVG. I was already expecting some PRCs to do some funny stuff like opening emergency exit doors. Unfortunately, they were pretty well behaved that time.

I heard that flights in/out of China have an unusually high tendency of severe delays.

[Kenneth Chong WT 0]

Internal bleeding after operation??? Any clue what surgery it was??? I'm kinda worried...

[Johan Z 0]

That's a common risk associated with most of the surgeries.

[Kenneth Chong WT 0]

I under went a surgery on the 15th of Jan...on the 29th I was admitted again due to bleeding. I am to fly tomorrow...you can see why I am kinda worried.

[flee 5]

Could the cabin pressurisation stress the surgical wounds? Cikgu, if you are worried, go and consult your surgeon.

[Kenneth Chong WT 0]

Dr say ok to fly...but the guy on D7 was also given the green light...but things can go awry when you least expect it...

[Pieter C. 5]

Dr say ok to fly...but the guy on D7 was also given the green light...but things can go awry when you least expect it...

if you don't feel like flying: cancel the trip !

[Kenneth Chong WT 0]

Classes start on Monday...i wish i could...

[chookyan 0]

 

Yikes! 13 hours?! How on earth did you manage to survive that?

 

My worst was 6 hours sitting in the plane on the tarmac... and I thought that was bad. It was on Dragonair HKG-PVG. I was already expecting some PRCs to do some funny stuff like opening emergency exit doors. Unfortunately, they were pretty well behaved that time.

I heard that flights in/out of China have an unusually high tendency of severe delays.

What to do?, being parked at a remote bay plus extremely cold weather ! Most of the time Air China has the tendency to park at remote bays far from the main terminal and you are bus to your flight. The flight was only 50% full and most has 2 or 4 seats to themselves since it was a A330 and almost all were able to lay down and rest. I guess the cold weather and crew 'smartness' in serving dinner and switching on the IFE saved the day! Imagine the crew even conducted inflight duty free sale on ground but no one bothers. Would have been havoc if the weather was hot.

[Vicknesh PS 0]

There was also a recent incident of a Philipine pilot, Bangkok to Manila

 

MANILA - The management of Philippine Airlines has initiated its investigation against a pilot who told passengers that his life was more important than theirs after a Bangkok to Manila flight was delayed for more than five hours last Sunday.