FFlyer From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 732 posts, RR: 0 Posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 9189 times:
A Finnish friend told that a Finnair flight from Helsinki to Goa was diverted to Sharjah (?) due to engine problem. Finnair hasn't been able to book the pax to any other flight, and the passengers have had to sleep on the terminal floor. They can continue their trip some time tomorrow after been spent 2 nights at the airport! Isn't anybody flying from Sharjah to Goa? How far is DBX from Sharjah? Emirates sure would have flights to accommodate the AY pax. But it would be expensive for Finnair...it is much cheaper to have them sleep on the floor.
A fault has been detected in one of the hydraulic pumps [of a 757] just before a technical stop at Sharjah en route to Goa. A mechanic is to be flown in from Finland tonight. Hotel rooms in Sharjah are hard to come by at the moment (Hajj?) but are being sought for travelling families and the elderly. The airport in Goa is under maintenance as well and closed until tomorrow morning. The over 200 passengers had to sleep on the floor of the airport (why no benches then?), and no proper meals were being served according to the passengers.
FFlyer From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 732 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 9003 times:
Quoting WSOY (Reply 2): The over 200 passengers had to sleep on the floor of the airport (why no benches then?), and no proper meals were being served according to the passengers
If the Sharjah airport has US style benches, it is impossible due to the benches having armrests between each individual seats.
Lufthansa747 From Philippines, joined May 1999, 3174 posts, RR: 47 Reply 5, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 8623 times:
Quoting WSOY (Reply 2): Hotel rooms in Sharjah are hard to come by at the moment (Hajj?) but are being sought for travelling families and the elderly.
According to AY hotel rooms are always hard to come by. I remember one delay at HEL where they claimed that the nearest vacant rooms were in Lahti. I have a hard time believing that. And all those HEL-BKK delays with "NEW INFO AT" coming at 2h intervals in the middle of the night. Pathetic.
Sllevin From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 3376 posts, RR: 6 Reply 6, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 8593 times:
Quoting LordHowe (Reply 4): How far is Sharjah from HEL? - A few hours! Why not send another aircraft there ...
Heck, how far is SHJ from DXB? Great circle mapper says it's just a handful of miles. You'd think they could have gotten everyone home on scheduled flights.
BA From United States of America, joined May 2000, 11135 posts, RR: 61 Reply 7, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 8534 times:
Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman have essentially formed one metropolitan area now. Each are in their own respective emirate (state) of the same name. The distance between Dubai and Sharjah is about 15 kilometers and the drive takes about 15-30 minutes depending on the traffic. The airport is a bit far from the city however.
Sharjah airport can be easily seen on take off from Dubai on a clear day if you are taking off towards the desert and are on the left side of the plane.
"Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need." - Khalil Gibran
WSOY From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 8492 times:
Makes more sense to have them sent on rather than fly them back, and then down the same route again. The people waiting for their flight in Goa also need to be attended to and flown back. And the company itself has to stay afloat as well mind you.
edit: Finnair website claims there were no charters available on such a short notice due to the New Year season. The flight is now estimated at tomorrow Nov 30 8:00 hours.
NorthstarBoy From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 1713 posts, RR: 1 Reply 9, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 8180 times:
does Finnair not have a spare MD-11 they can dispatch to Sharjah to pick everyone up and take them to Goa? and why would they need to charter an aircraft? that seems to make no sense, just pull an MD-11 or A340 off the line (or locate a spare one) and take care of the problem.
I could have elite status if I wanted it, but flying the same airline all the time is boring.
FFlyer From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 732 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 8141 times:
Quoting NorthstarBoy (Reply 9): why would they need to charter an aircraft? that seems to make no sense, just pull an MD-11 or A340 off the line (or locate a spare one) and take care of the problem.
It's the money, of course. Cheaper to keep the pax sleeping there, than to have them accommodated with other more expensive arrangements.
COSPN From Northern Mariana Islands, joined Oct 2001, 1475 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 7978 times:
SHJ DXB is just a short car or bus ride 20 mins or so depending on Traffic
JAAlbert From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 1196 posts, RR: 1 Reply 12, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 7853 times:
Quoting NorthstarBoy (Reply 9): why would they need to charter an aircraft? that seems to make no sense, just pull an MD-11 or A340 off the line (or locate a spare one) and take care of the problem.
and of course, its a charter flight. Typically cheaper than scheduled flights, which of course, means u get stuck if the plane gets stuck
Fridgmus From United States of America, joined Oct 2006, 1383 posts, RR: 11 Reply 13, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 7669 times:
Finnair is stabbing these pax in the back. Greed, plain and simple. They need to get off their asses and do the right thing with their pax.
I don't know how true it is, but I've heard there are a few Russian planes looking for a charter that hang out at DBX??? Anybody know anything about that?
Not to mention you can't have alcohol in Sharjah!
The Lockheed Super Constellation, the REAL Queen of the Skies!
FAGC From South Africa, joined Aug 2006, 8 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 7512 times:
Quoting WSOY (Reply 2): Hotel rooms in Sharjah are hard to come by at the moment (Hajj?) but are being sought for travelling families and the elderly.
Hajj pilgrimage is centred around Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, some way from SHJ.
Shortage of hotel rooms can be attributed to the shopping festival which is going on in DXB, as well as the fact that it is the Eid and New Year holiday which sees a lot of people in the region coming to DXB and surrounding areas for their break.
LordHowe From Finland, joined Jan 2003, 728 posts, RR: 1 Reply 15, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 6996 times:
Quoting LordHowe (Reply 4): "Because of the New Years Holidays", says the Finnair website - but why?
Quoting Lufthansa747 (Reply 5): According to AY hotel rooms are always hard to come by.
Quoting FFlyer (Reply 10): It's the money, of course. Cheaper to keep the pax sleeping there, than to have them accommodated with other more expensive arrangements.
Exactly! And of course there is the question of crew working hours ...
Happy New Year Finnair - and Finnair Leisure Flights!
Teva From France, joined Jan 2001, 1868 posts, RR: 17 Reply 16, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 6789 times:
Finland being part of the EU, they should have done better for they pax, and they wil have to pay a lot when the pax come back home. They put themselves more at fault by not even providing food or appropriate lodging.(maybe the true story is that since all the passengers are probably not visa exempt in the Emirates, they prefer to keep all the pax together)
Teva
Ecoute les orgues, Elles jouent pour toi...C'est le requiem pour un con
WSOY From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 17, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 6 days ago) and read 5722 times:
Quoting Teva (Reply 16): Finland being part of the EU, they should have done better for they pax,
The Commission evidently has to be directed to divert some funds for this purpose, in order to maintain the pride and dignity of the EU citizen in cases such as this one.
Andaman From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 20, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 4935 times:
Quoting Teva (Reply 16): Finland being part of the EU, they should have done better for they pax, and they wil have to pay a lot when the pax come back home. They put themselves more at fault by not even providing food or appropriate lodging.(maybe the true story is that since all the passengers are probably not visa exempt in the Emirates, they prefer to keep all the pax together)
Teva
In the end it's the travel agency who pays the pax, there are clear rules for the situation like this. Of course most annoying for pax to stay a night at the airport, but it didn't sound that dramatic in Finnish papers.
Yes happily in EU but I am afraid Brussels not interested in this case..
LordHowe From Finland, joined Jan 2003, 728 posts, RR: 1 Reply 21, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 4795 times:
Well,
She's finally in shape again and the crew(s) have had their rests ...
Estimated time of arrival in HEL December 31st at 0305 - originally December 29th at 1445 - so some 36 hours late.
Seems to have a very slight effect on other leisure flight activity. Tonights departure to the same destinations - vi Sharjah to Goa - is estimated to depart at 2330, some three hours delayed. Excellent of Finnair Leisure Flights!
SK909 From Denmark, joined Nov 2005, 247 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 4514 times:
Quoting FFlyer (Reply 10): It's the money, of course. Cheaper to keep the pax sleeping there, than to have them accommodated with other more expensive arrangements.
I don't agree. What is more expansive? Loosing PAX or helping them. The problem is that it may be a charter flight, but the passangers see "Finnair"... Them don't see the difference. Hence Finnair gets negative press. And that is bad. And especially on long haul flights, as it is one of AY strong sides.
Had I been in the CEO chair: Pay for the accommodation, or get a spare aircraft. Cheaper in the long run.
WSOY From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 23, posted (6 years 4 months 3 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 4323 times:
Quoting SK909 (Reply 22): Pay for the accommodation, or get a spare aircraft. Cheaper in the long run
But one problem was that neither one was readily available, see above. Or perhaps they did not consult the IL-18 or AN-12 operators in Sharjah?
The airline wil be well aware of the compensations packet holiday travellers are due to receive, which no doubt will be charged on the airline. (And I may add that comsumer protection was not invented by the EU and was in force before the year 1995.)
Quoting Fridgmus (Reply 13): I don't know how true it is, but I've heard there are a few Russian planes looking for a charter that hang out at DBX??? Anybody know anything about that?
I'd prefer a 30-hour delay than a flight in a Russian aircraft "hanging out" in DXB.
Quoting NorthstarBoy (Reply 9): does Finnair not have a spare MD-11 they can dispatch to Sharjah to pick everyone up and take them to Goa? and why would they need to charter an aircraft? that seems to make no sense, just pull an MD-11 or A340 off the line (or locate a spare one) and take care of the problem.
Finnair's long-haul fleet has so tight schedules that you can't just pull one off the line for charter work. The 757s do those jobs, and they're also quite tightly scheduled.
Quoting Lufthansa747 (Reply 5): And all those HEL-BKK delays with "NEW INFO AT" coming at 2h intervals in the middle of the night. Pathetic.
There hasn't been one for a long time.
One of the best places in the world: McDonald's in T2 at FRA.
25 LordHowe: Well here we go again (this time not BKK though): From Amadeus: "FINNAIR - AY 22 (January 2nd) Indira Gandhi International (DEL), Delhi, Intia 2:30 N
26 HAWK21M: Any other RB211-535 B757s operating to India.Apart from Blue Dart/DHL. regds MEL
27 Mika: Amen to that! I have an old Airliner world magazine with an article about Sharjah..seems there's alot of old Russian metal hanging around there. Not
28 EFHK: I have that too and was thinking exactly about it. Air Finland flies a weekly charter this winter to Goa via AUH with 757s, which have RR engines.
29 HAWK21M: Is this the one that operates to AHD. regds MEL
30 EFHK: Well, firstly I don't know what AHD is (Ahmedabad?). But no, that flies from Helsinki to Goa via Abu Dhabi. Finnair does charter flights to Thailand,
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