Passengers on an flight from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco were stuck on a plane for 28 hours when the Abu Dhabi International Airport closed due to fog Saturday.
Etihad Airways Flight 183 was stuck on the tarmac for 12 hours before it was allowed to takeoff for the 16-hour flight to California, CBS San Francisco reports.
People inside the airport were not allowed to leave, either. Frustrated travelers from inside the airport — and the plane — aired their grievances on Twitter.
EY183 on runway for 9 hours. Terrible service and crew won't serve food. Now further delays as they replace (unserved) food. @EtihadAirways
— Sujatha (@SuzeTwtr) January 3, 2015
@EtihadAirways – If you were truly doing all possible, then we wouldn't be sitting here tired and hungry.
— Ravali Reddy (@ravaliareddy) January 3, 2015
@EtihadAirways – And the flight was out of water for a while. No one's answering questions, and we have people who haven't eaten in 18 hours
— Ravali Reddy (@ravaliareddy) January 3, 2015
@Soni_Razdan @EtihadAirways shocking, irresponsible& to top it off,rude ground personnel. Unacceptable from a so called premier airline.
— sagari g nayak (@sagarinayak) January 4, 2015
One Bay Area family is furious @EtihadAirways. Their 78 year old mother among those stuck on the same plane for 28hrs pic.twitter.com/QC2KGHhrUw
— Sergio Quintana (@svqjournalist) January 4, 2015
Etihad may face fines for the massive delay, but CBS San Francisco reports that it is unclear if the airline will have to pay passengers anything because the delay did not occur in the U.S.
In a statement released after the incident, Etihad described “extraordinary weather conditions” at the airport, saying:
Today in Abu Dhabi we have experienced extraordinary weather conditions which have caused severe disruption to our flights. Etihad Airways is working around the clock to restore flight schedules and to ensure that guests can travel as soon as possible. Normal change or cancellation fees will be waived.
Etihad also issued something of an apology on Twitter, although it explained the events as “beyond our control.”
We apologise for the serious inconvenience that these events have caused, which have been beyond our control. 8/8
— Etihad Airways (@EtihadAirways) January 4, 2015