‘My Flight From Malta Was Delayed 16 Hours And All I Got Was A €6 Voucher’
A disgruntled passenger has hit out at a local airline for delaying their flight to Vienna by 16 hours just before departure – and all they got was a €6 snack voucher.
The 63-year-old woman went to the airport in the early hours of the morning to catch a 7am flight to Vienna, together with her daughter and two granddaughters.
However, upon arrival, the family was informed that the flight wouldn’t take off until 11pm that night… 16 hours later.
“Then we were told we can go to a hotel and have free lunch so my granddaughters got excited,” she told Lovin Malta.
However, after being asked whether she lived in Malta or not, they were informed that they were not eligible for this compensation.
“After we waited for an hour, we went downstairs and we were told that since we live in Malta we were not entitled. I asked about a taxi to go home and was told that I have to wait for the airline employee to take details of all passengers first.”
“Then they said would need to contact their office in Italy and they can make arrangements. I got a taxi and left. Now, I’m at home and I have to take another taxi to go to the airport this evening. What a disgrace.”
The woman ended up paying for her own taxi back to avoid waiting until all other passengers’ details were taken.
As compensation, she was given a €6 voucher for snacks.
The airline in question, Air Malta, has since explained why some flights over the busy Easter weekend encountered serious difficulties after one of their aircraft faced technical issues – and they were unable to replace it in a timely manner.
The national airline said that a leased aircraft experienced technical issues on Sunday 9th April, which resulted in it being withdrawn from service. And, due to the peaks experienced on Easter weekend, it could not lease an aircraft in time, resulting in significant delays.
However, passengers were still left disgruntled to learn about the delays just hours before the supposed departure.
“I’m shattered now. I’ve been up since 4am, and our day’s itinerary is ruined.”
Have you been affected by airport delays? Write to us at [email protected]
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