Broken plane loos leave 262 passengers stranded in Alaska - for two days

Updated
Hundreds of passengers stranded for two days in Alaska - after plane loos break
Hundreds of passengers stranded for two days in Alaska - after plane loos break

Stock photo: PA



A flight from San Francisco to Shanghai had to divert to Anchorage three hours after take-off - after the plane lavatories broke down.

The United flight departed at 2pm on Sunday, but 'several' toilets were found to be inoperable just a few hours into the flight.

According to the Daily Mail, it took staff a long time to hand out hotel and meal vouchers, with one passenger saying they didn't receive their food voucher until 10pm, when "everything was closed", and many passengers had to use their own credit cards to check in to hotels.

One traveller, Bill Smith, from California, told the Anchorage Daily News: "The employees were being helpful, but they were overwhelmed.

"The U.S. Air employees came over and helped out, and I don't think they were supposed to."

The airline brought in a replacement plane on Monday, and passengers boarded for take-off at 3pm.

But, it soon became apparent that the plane also had problems, and passengers were left waiting on the tarmac before being told that a computer had overheated.

Travellers were again stuck on a plane with no power, lights or toilets, and were finally allowed to disembark - with more vouchers - at 8.30pm.

But, by this time, patience was wering very thing. "They wouldn't let us have our luggage," said one passenger Alisa Hart.

"Some of us made a run to Walmart last night to get socks and underwear," said Treg Vandenberg.

Passengers finally took off at 2.40pm Tuesday afternoon after a third Boeing 777 was brought in for the job.

United spokesman Charles Hobart told the Anchorage Daily News that the airline would be "fully refunding everyone's tickets" as well as looking into additional compensation.


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