Following the horrific experience of Scoot passengers last weekend, the low-cost carrier’s CEO, Campbell Wilson, has finally issued a statement to the media and apologised for the inconvenience it caused passengers.
Two flights were delayed: TZ 221 from Hong Kong to Singapore, where those affected were provided hotel accommodations while waiting; and TZ8 from Singapore to Perth, which caused mayhem at Changi Airport and led to videos of disgruntled passengers going viral.
While we all know that a technical fault was the cause of delay, Campbell reveals in his statement the sequence of events that led to the Changi airport meltdown where passengers had to wait for nearly 24 hours for their flight to take off.
“With a small fleet and one aircraft out of action in Hong Kong a number of flights were rescheduled, including Saturday’s TZ8 from Singapore to Perth. During checks prior to this flight, a tyre issue was detected requiring a wheel to be changed, a process that took three hours. Regrettably, this new delay meant that the operating crew could not complete the flight in their legal duty time and were obliged to stand down but, because of earlier rescheduling of flights, no standby crew were available. Consequently, TZ8 was delayed overnight until a new, rested crew was available,” he explains.
Wilson also stressed that “low airfares come with a quid pro quo” and that’s why purchasing travel insurance is recommended. “The safe operation of our airline is paramount and will not be compromised. We again apologize to those affected, assure them that their safety was at the core of our actions at all times, and commit that we will learn from this experience.”
The statement, however, does not refer to the personal statements made by a reported Scoot flight attendant who chided the passengers for complaining and demanding so much from a budget airline.
Photo: Scoot Magazine
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