Odyssey at the end of a vacation Swiss passengers land at a German cargo airport instead of Zurich
A Swiss couple landed at a cargo airport in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate instead of Zurich. And that was just a stopover on their odyssey: they have not yet received any compensation.
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- A flight from the Greek island of Kos to Zurich can no longer fly to Zurich due to a delay and unloads the passengers at Frankfurt Hahn cargo airport.
- After an hours-long bus journey, they arrive at a hotel. They have to organize their return journey by ICE train themselves.
- They have not yet been reimbursed for their additional costs, according to one Swiss couple affected.
Franziska M. and her boyfriend wanted to fly back to Zurich from the Greek island of Kos with Condor. The departure was delayed by several hours and it became increasingly unlikely that the plane would arrive in Zurich before the night flight ban came into force.
They were told that Condor would try to get a special permit, M. tells Blick. Half a cup of water was all they received. They were also unable to buy any drinks or snacks from the cabin crew.
The plane took off two hours late and at least the passengers didn't know their destination. At some point, Frankfurt was mentioned. They landed at 0.30 a.m. at Frankfurt Hahn Airport, 125 kilometers from Frankfurt am Main, which is mainly used for freight traffic. And around 350 kilometers from the passengers' actual destination airport.
Four-hour bus ride to the hotel
There is also no opportunity to buy something to eat or drink at the cargo airport. Instead, they were directed to buses that would take them to a hotel. They got off at "some bus station in Frankfurt" at three o'clock, got on again, were dropped off at the wrong hotel and finally arrived at the designated restaurant at 4.30 am. According to Franziska M.'s impression, the flight attendants did not know what exactly was planned and who had to go where.
The flight attendants had instructed the passengers to buy their own train tickets to travel home. They were reimbursed for the costs. Her friend asked whether a first-class ticket would also be paid for, which was confirmed.
Swiss couple waiting for compensation
The arduous return journey ended on June 28, one day later than planned. The 500 euros for the first-class ICE tickets had not yet been transferred to the couple at the beginning of August. They had made over ten telephone and electronic enquiries to Condor, the long-suffering couple told Blick. One letter merely stated that they would receive the money back for second-class tickets. M. also wants further compensation for the completely unsuccessful return journey from Greece.
The airline acknowledges some difficulties in the newspaper and apologizes for them, but avoids any admission of guilt. The reason for the delayed departure was a previous delay. During the waiting time, the usual service was provided on board. The cost of the train tickets was refunded on August 8. M.'s story was published a week later. Apparently they have still not received any money.
