The Future of Air Travel..Airline Passengers Asked for $31K For Fuel

Just when you think you've heard it all... Essentially the passengers were held hostage and told to deboard the plane to hit the ATM machines if they wanted to arrive at their final destination. WOW!!

Airlines used to provide free refreshments. Now at least one wants passengers to cough up extra cash for fuel.

That's what happened to angry passengers traveling from India to Britain who found themselves stranded in Vienna by a charter airline that wanted them to kick in money for fuel.

Passengers said Comtel airline staff told them they would be stuck in Vienna until they could raise more than 20,000 pounds ($31,000) to fund the rest of the flight to Birmingham.

Footage from the plane broadcast by Channel 4 news showed cabin staff telling passengers, "you have to pay."

Reena Rindi told Channel 4 that passengers without money had to get off the plane in Vienna to get cash from ATMs.

Airport officials said Thursday that Comtel's weekend flights had been cancelled.

www.newsmax.com...

How about cancelling this airline's license to operate....

The company didn't receive the money from the UK company that booked the flights and the guy whos owns the planes said they were not getting on because they hadn't received the money so the staff asked the passengers to pay.

reply to post by jibeho


Unreal, so they had to pay to buy the ticket then forced to help buy fuel in addition...

Thnx

Now we have sky pirates. It's not good enough we have ocean pirates, who board cruise ships and plunder whatever they want....now we have them taking over passenger planes too. Is nothing sacred anymore?

I hope the airline in this case, looses their license as a passenger carrier. I can't help but wonder how much cash was pocketed by the crew of that plane. Off to prison with all of them too

Originally posted by roughycannon
The company didn't receive the money from the UK company that booked the flights and the guy whos owns the planes said they were not getting on because they hadn't received the money so the staff asked the passengers to pay.

Interesting and even more troubling. The airline should have enough capital or credit to fuel one plane. The passengers had already bought their tickets. The airline needs to dispute the case with the agency that booked the flights not the passengers. They've probably already spent half a years wage just to get on board the plane.

Word to the wise... know who's booking your charter flight before you get on the plane. This is just pathetic and even worse if children are involved on this flight.

here is a link to the video

video

reply to post by roughycannon


How is that any of the passengers concern?

They paid their tickets in good faith, if the company taking the payments didn't pay the airline owners, that's between the two of them, not the passengers!

BTW, the airline staff didn't 'ask' the passengers for money, they demanded money from them under threat of stranding them if they didn't pay up...that's extortion in my book.

I would revoke the license to operate or at least heavily fine the airline.

They should have honoured their contract with the passengers aboard and taken the payments company to court to recover their money, not basically hold the passengers to ransom.

Quotes from below site:

"After being stranded for several days due to an earlier delay, the passengers collectively came up with the "money. In order to raise the funds, some passengers even left the plane, after police intervention, to go to cash machines to retrieve funds to give to the Comtel pilot."

"The flight finally arrived on Tuesday instead of last Saturday. The original delay was because of a conflict between "because of a conflict between tour operator Skyjet and Comtel, which had hired the plane and the crew from a Spanish company, Mint Airways," reported ABC News."

"Skynet has reportedly collapsed and concerns have arisen over Comtel's future. According to Sky News, Comtel says they are fine."

www.digitaljournal.com...

*****

This is WAY bigger than Comtel just asking passengers for gas money. Imagine if you were transferring across country for a new job with Company XYZ, joined with some co-workers doing the same. Co. XYZ gives you gas money to make it to Wyoming (on your way to Florida) and tells you when you get to Wy, hook up to this agency for additional funds for gas, food and lodging money. You get to Wy, and.....tada.....no agency to hook up with because of God only knows why. You have to be in Florida in 30 hours and what do you do???? You ALL pony up of course, work out the details/reimbursment later.

Of course the airline situation is much graver and hugely wrong.

reply to post by spikey


According to the report and a spokesman for the airline in the video, upon the flights arrival in the UK, the pilot still had all of the cash collected from the passengers. So, the cash was never used to buy fuel in the first place.

This is just twisted.

reply to post by jibeho


Now that IS twisted.

OWS Comtel!

OWS Comtel!

OWS Comtel! CREEPS!!!

So um people may get angry for my asking but anyone want to start a fake airline and hold passengers hostage with me? I bet we wouldn't even have to pay taxes...

According to the report and a spokesman for the airline in the video, upon the flights arrival in the UK, the pilot still had all of the cash collected from the passengers. So, the cash was never used to buy fuel in the first place.

Wat? Seriously? How much was the average everyone had to fork out?

reply to post by Domo1


Especially if we put "GE" in front of the name.

GEeeee Let's Fly the Skies

GEt Along Little Charter Plane

This airline should be charged with piracy.

Literally. Piracy. Not the downloading of music kind either.

Piracy