- Were you on flight TG917 on July 25?
- Email perkin.amalaraj@mailonline.co.uk
Passengers on a “sauna” plane suffered panic attacks and struggled to breathe properly for two hours after their flight from Heathrow to Bangkok was held up for two hours, before being cancelled altogether.
The Boeing 777 was taking off from London Heathrow International Airport bound for Bangkok, Thailand, when the air conditioning system failed on July 25.
Footage shows hundreds of travellers fanning themselves as they battle the heat on flight TG 917, operated by Thai Airways, the state-owned flag carrier.
Warawalan Maksaen, a 26-year-old student at Exeter University, said conditions were “like a sauna” and passengers were eventually ushered out before boarding a flight the next day.
Warawalan said: “People were trapped on the plane and couldn’t get out. We were hot and couldn’t breathe. At least in a sauna, you can get out whenever you want. It was like a form of torture.”
The student said the flight was scheduled to take off at 9:25 p.m. but the captain announced a problem with the air conditioning, which prevented the flight from taking off.
The Boeing 777 was taking off from London Heathrow International Airport bound for Bangkok, Thailand, when the air conditioning system failed.
Footage shows hundreds of passengers fanning themselves as they battled the heat on Thai Airways flight TG 917.
The passengers had to remain inside the plane for two hours, until 11pm, while the matter was being reviewed. According to her, they were not provided with food or water while waiting on the plane, which was hot.
Another passenger said passengers were left sweating and someone had a panic attack. A flight attendant provided water in the galley area and opened the door to let in fresh air.
Warawalan said the passengers finally disembarked at 11pm because there were no technicians available due to the airport curfew, and the flight was rescheduled for the next day.
He added: “We were given two options: we could sleep at the airport until the rescheduled flight or take a bus to find a hotel.
‘I and many 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 2am.’
Passengers were forced to remain inside for two hours until 11pm while the matter was being reviewed.
Another passenger said passengers were left sweating and someone had a panic attack.
Warawalan said the hotel provided by the airline did not have enough rooms for all passengers and only offered eight rooms despite assurances from the airline.
The hotel prioritized groups and families, leaving Warawalan, who was traveling alone, to find her own accommodation.
Fortunately, he knew the area and at 3 in the morning he found a hotel.
He added: ‘Passengers asked when a new flight would be provided and how passengers would be compensated, but the airline did not give clear answers.
“We were only able to gather fragments of information from conversations between us, so we were all confused.”
Warawalan boarded the ship at 15:53 the next day when the captain announced that the air conditioning was fixed but the engine could not be started.
He said passengers had to wait inside the plane before they were finally removed and allowed to reboard at 6:49 p.m.
Warawalan added: “I was very disappointed with Thai Airways. Their service was appalling and I sent a complaint email after the incident.
‘I have received an offer of compensation in cash or a discount voucher for my next flight, which I chose cash because I do not want to fly with this airline again.
‘Foreign passengers who were determined to visit Thailand were extremely disappointed with the ‘national airline’, which made them unwilling to visit after ruining their first impression.’