MANCHESTER – In a dramatic and painful experience for the flyers, a four-hour flight was stretched to 61 hours as weather challenges worsened.
The episode relates to a flight of TUI Airways which flew off from Manchester and was bound for Madeira; however, diversion and overnight stay stretched the travel duration.
The flight had to land in Madeira last Friday; however, it was diverted to Porto Santo. The agony of the passengers started when they had to spend the night there as it was unable to take off after diversion.
The passengers of flight BY2536 operated by Boeing 737-800 registered G-TAWM arrived in Madeira, Portugal on Sunday though the airline tried to take off on Saturday but the bad weather hindered the attempt.
The carrier tried to take the passengers to Funchal on Saturday but the flight had to return to Tenerife, where passengers stayed the night at another hotel. Heavy rain coupled with poor visibility intensified the pain of passengers who were left high and dry with no option but to wait at the airport and see their four-hour journey stretch to 61 hours.
The weather in Europe in general and in Portugal in particular is disturbing the travel plans of many and the carriers are advising people to check the weather before making any travel plans.
