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160 passengers stranded in Bangkok after Jetstar flight to S'pore delayed for over 33 hours
Jetstar said the delay was due to an "engineering issue" that required a spare part to be flown in.
Daniel Seow
February 20, 2025, 04:06 PM
https://bit.Iy/3qgqzHg
160 passengers bound to depart Bangkok for Singapore on Feb. 19 found themselves stranded in Bangkok after their flight was cancelled due to an "engineering issue".
Jetstar flight 3K514 was originally scheduled to depart Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport at 9:20pm on Feb. 19.
However, passengers ended up waiting for updates at the airport till the wee hours of the morning, before being checked into a Bangkok hotel and reassigned to a morning flight on Feb. 21.
Lack of updates from airline: Passenger
One affected passenger, surnamed Pang, 32, told Mothership he had travelled to Bangkok for a holiday with two others.Pang said that his group was waiting at the gate to board the plane at the stipulated 8:40pm boarding time.
However, at 9:20pm, flight staff announced that the flight would be delayed due to "technical issues".
At 9:35pm, the same update was provided. After that, passengers were left in the dark until 3am, said Pang.
Pang claimed that no water or food was provided for the waiting passengers at the airport.He also claimed that one passenger with a child got angry as it grew late, and made a scene at the airport.
Other passengers asked ground staff for information and updates but "there was no supervisor around" and "staff didn't know anything", Pang said.
"They don't seem to be trained for this kind of crisis management," he added.
Flight delayed 33 hours
At around 3am, Pang said passengers were told that arrangements had been made to accommodate them at a hotel.
Staff also collected the passports of passengers to have their immigration stamps invalidated and for them to be reassigned to another flight.
However, it took hours before the new flight plan was communicated to passengers.
Upon reaching their hotel at 4am, passengers were initially notified that they would need to return to the airport at 7am.
However, when he woke up, Pang found a message left at his hotel door which said their check-out time had not been confirmed.
A sign displayed at the breakfast venue also indicated that passengers should wait at the hotel for further instructions.
It was only around 10am that Pang received an update from Jetstar, explaining that flight 3K514 had been delayed because of "engineering requirements".
The flight had been rescheduled to depart Bangkok at 7:05am on Feb. 21 — a delay of more than 33 hours.
Accommodation and meals at the hotel were covered by Jetstar during their stay, said Pang.
However, due to the delay, Pang said he had no choice but to take an extra two days of leave following his trip.
He also ended up missing important work meetings as a result.Pang also bemoaned the lack of updates and poor communication from the airline during the whole affair.
"It was a full flight, and I heard many passengers also missed their connecting flights in Singapore," said Pang.
Spare part needed to be flown in: Jetstar
In response to Mothership's enquiries, a Jetstar Asia spokesperson apologised for the inconvenience caused by the lengthy delay to flight 3K514 which affected 160 passengers.The spokesperson said an engineering issue required a spare part to be flown in, and Jetstar had to cancel flight 3K514 from Bangkok to Singapore on the night of Feb. 19.
"Passengers were offered accommodation and meals, and our team has been working hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible," said the spokesperson.The spokesperson added that Jetstar's customer teams have been updating passengers on developments, with a replacement flight planned to depart at 7:05am on Feb. 21.
"We know this must be a really frustrating experience, but safety is always our first priority," said the spokesperson.
