Passengers organise whip-round to pay for aircraft part
Passengers on a LOT Polish Airlines flight organised a whip round to pay for a new part after the plane suffered a technical hitch at Beijing Airport.
The Boeing 787 needed a new hydraulics pump but airport staff refused to accept a bank transfer, insisting they were paid in cash, according to a report on metro.co.uk
So the 249 passengers handed over £280 for the new part, and were then forced to wait 10 hours for it to be fitted before the flight could take off for Warsaw.
Passenger Daniel Golebiowski told the website that a mechanic waited by the plane for the cash to be raised and handed over. Passengers were reimbursed when the flight landed in Poland and given vouchers. They are also eligible for compensation for the long delay.
An airline spokesman apologised for what he described as ‘an unusual situation’. Metro quoted him saying: "Believe it nor not, but there was a situation with a warehouse employee in Beijing who refused all methods of payment other than cash which led to the confusion. Nevertheless, I am grateful to him and that the flight returned safely to Warsaw."
He said the worker who insisted on the cash payment will face disciplinary action.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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