When Willy Z.* (65) was stranded in Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, he probably said to himself, “Oh, you’re happy”! The Lucerne native wanted to fly with his wife as a birthday present for his father-in-law in Lithuania.
Due to ground fog at the arrival airport in Vilnius, the Swiss machine had to stop. “It’s not funny,” Willy Z. tells Blick, who has to wait for his flight to Warsaw with his Christmas gifts, his wife, his suitcases, and many passengers. Looking at his cell phone, it was even more frustrating for him that “other planes were arriving in Vilnius that day as scheduled”.
But for Z., the travel nightmare really started there. Passengers were not allowed to get off the plane. For two hours, nothing happened. “There wasn’t even anything to eat in Warsaw!” complains Z. A flight attendant tells him about the lack of staff. Then the machine is refueled.
Back to Zurich instead of going to Vilnius
The pilot reported a little later that he could now start. But he is returning not to Lithuania, but to his place of departure in Zurich! Willy Z. and his wife are only able to leave the plane at around 6 pm. They spent almost eight hours on the plane. For a flight to Vilnius that will take only 3.5 hours.
The couple is forced to spend the night at Zurich Airport, as the next flight can only take off on Friday. Z. and his wife have another hour and a half to check-in at the Hyatt Place hotel in the Circle. After all, there is a coupon for dinner, but only at the buffet. Z says it’s only CHF 20 per person.
Bad luck for the people of Lucerne: they only had spaghetti with tomato sauce. Nothing is refilled, says Z. So the two go to waiter service at their own expense. “After all, the food was good,” says a native of Lucerne.
Swiss Blick explains that the weather in Vilnius was too bad to land an Airbus 321. “If possible, the plane will return and fly back to the departure airport,” a Swiss spokesperson said. As Vilnius could not be reached by land from Warsaw, the passengers were sent back to Zurich.
30 hours late happy ending
It was also easier to accommodate and feed 188 passengers at Zurich Airport, according to Swiss. And he adds: There are operational reasons why the plane did not stay in Warsaw, and it is not due to a lack of personnel.
Yesterday, Friday, Willy Z. and his wife dared to do it again. The morning flight was already 45 minutes late. At the door, the couple continues to be postponed. The weather is very bad in Vilnius.
The flight was delayed again. After waiting again, Willy Z. and his wife finally boarded the plane to Switzerland at 13:40. Another half hour passes and then they are in the air. Willy Z. and his wife can now enjoy Christmas with their family. “30 hours late.”
* Name known to editors