This incident may redefine “air fryer.”
Passengers struggled to breathe and suffered from panic attacks after their sweltering “sauna” plane was held for two hours before getting canceled entirely.
The Boeing 777 mishap occurred July 25 after the air conditioning system malfunctioned on Thai Airways flight TG 917 which was slated to fly from London to Bangkok at 9:25 p.m., ViralPress reported.
As a result, passengers were trapped in the veritable steam room with wings while crew members tried to fix the issue.
“People were stuck on the plane and couldn’t leave,” lamented Warawalan Maksaen, 26, a student at the University of Exeter who was trapped aboard the plane. “We were hot and couldn’t breathe. At least in a sauna, you can leave when you want.
“This was like a form of torture.”
Another passenger claimed that conditions were so sweltering that flyers started sweating profusely while one even suffered a panic attack.
To make matters worse, no food or water was provided during this time, according to Maksaen. After two hours, a flight attendant provided water in the kitchen area and opened the door to let fresh air in.
Unfortunately, no technicians were available due to the airport’s curfew, so the passengers had to deplane at 11 p.m. after needlessly being stuck aboard the scorching hot aircraft.
While the flight was rescheduled for the next day, it was out of the frying pan and into the fire as passengers were given two unenviable choices.
“We could either sleep in the airport until the rescheduled flight or take a bus to find a hotel,” complained Maksaen. “Myself and a lot of the other passengers went to the bus station to wait for transportation to a hotel.
“There was no help from the airline, and the last group of passengers waited aimlessly until the last three buses arrived at 2 a.m.”
If that wasn’t enough of an odyssey, the hotel the airline provided only had eight available rooms. As families were prioritized, Maksaen — who was traveling alone — was left to locate her own lodgings.
Thankfully, she was familiar with the area and managed to find a hotel — at 3 a.m.
However, when she re-boarded the flight the next day at 3:45 p.m., that plane’s engine would not start, so passengers had to wait inside the plane before disembarking yet again. They were finally allowed to get on the plane again at 6:49 p.m.
“I was so disappointed by Thai Airways. Their service was appalling, and I sent a complaint email after the incident,” said Maksaen. “I have received a compensation offer, either as cash or a discount voucher for my next flight, which I chose as cash because I do not want to fly with this airline again.”
The Post has reached out to Thai Airways for comment.
