Passengers Experience Suffocation & Extreme Heat Inside Local Aircraft 

I would have to say that for travel bugs like me, I always look forward in traveling via plane. Thank God of our local airlines who have made air travel very affordable nowadays. Personally, I don’t recall having any unpleasant experiences aboard a plane before. The worst for me so far I believe, would be that more than half a day flight delay we experienced last year.

Most of us travel to relax and get away from stress, so having a not-so-good flight experience can really be traumatic especially when your aim is to enjoy a well deserved vacation. I believe that aside from the destination, the method on how one gets to a place, also contributes a lot to the overall travel experience. If more and more people become traumatized by unpleasant flight experiences, I’m sure less people will be motivated to travel far (eventually affecting tourism). =(

We’d like to share with you this letter that was sent to us by one of our friends (Lex B) about his most recent unpleasant experience with an airline operating locally. We hope that this will serve as a wake-up call to all airline companies to provide better service by ensuring that all passengers are kept away from danger. 

Hi Vince,

This is my account of our horrendous aircraft experience which we passengers forced to have its flight aborted:

Imagine the heat as you enter a car that has been parked under the scorching sun. And as soon as you take a seat you can’t open any window or door. Suffocation. Your skin is forced to absorb every amount of heat emanating from the interiors. And you’re locked inside for what seems like forever. Children crying. Adults getting dizy.

This is just what happened to our  flight from Manila to Kalibo (05JUL14). After a long, hot walk from the departure gate to the plane, we found ourselves inside a hot plane with flight attendants all sweaty. We were told that there was no power to supply for the air conditioner while waiting on the ground. And we could only have decent air circulation once we have achieved the altitude. Things got a lot hotter when they closed the doors. Preparation for take off. To make matters worse, we were in line for a take off and we had no number yet unsure of how many more minutes shall we endure what seems to be a 40 degree celsius temperature inside the cabin (i should know, i am a certified hot yoga instructor). Everyone was sweating profusely. I knew that the situation is not just inconvenient. It was hazardous to our health. I walked to the flight attendant and demanded that I be taken off the flight. A few seconds, everyone else followed admitting many of them have become dizzy from the lack of sufficient air circulation.

The plane went back to its parking area cancelling its flight. And were taken by a bus back to the departure area. The airline management should have sent medics to check on blood pressure of many of the adults inside. But all they did was assure us we are leaving in an hour to the next flight as if it was another usual unavoidable cause of delay.

The airline’s negligence got us stuck inside an aircraft that would have been hazardous to the health of its passengers. The heat was stroke-inducing. If the passengers did not insist on turning back and deplaning the temperature of the aircraft could have caused injury to any one of us.

My question is, is transferring us to a new plane enough? What about the delay and the physical hazard the aircraft has caused to its paying customers? What about our rights?

I have no answers as I have yet to receive feedback from the Civil Aviation Board and aircraft’s  management.

Thank you for taking the time to support us. We hope this awakens the their management

 

 

Have you experienced a traumatic flight experience before? 

What did the airline do afterwards?

We would love to hear your stories.

Passengers Experience Suffocation & Extreme Heat Inside Local Aircraft