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Passengers stuck on a 32-hour flight with multiple diversions never made it to destination
Passengers stuck on a 32-hour flight with multiple diversions never made it to destination
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A Condor flight from Zurich to Crete experienced multiple diversions and an overnight stay due to severe weather.
The flight, initially scheduled for under three hours, ultimately took over 32 hours and returned to Zurich without reaching Crete.
A recent Condor flight, which was supposed to take less than three hours, turned into a 32-hour ordeal when poor weather forced multiple diversions, including an overnight stay, according to the Germany-based airline. Even after its extended journey, the flight never reached its final destination.
Condor flight DE1234 departed from Zurich, Switzerland, at 6:35 a.m. on May 24 for Heraklion, Crete, in Greece with 137 passengers and six crew members onboard. Typically, the flight time for this route is approximately two and a half hours, but "extreme weather conditions with strong winds" that day restricted the number of take-offs and landings in Crete, Condor spokesperson Johanna Tillmann told USA TODAY in an email statement.
"Despite several attempts to land in Heraklion, the flight was unfortunately unable to operate as planned and had to be diverted several times including a night stop in Thessaloniki before finally returning to Zurich," Tillmann continued.
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The aircraft made several attempts to land in Crete, but was diverted to other Greek airports.
According to FlightAware, the flight flew to Athens before going to the island of Kos, landing at 1:51 p.m. After that, it arrived in Thessaloniki at 5:05 p.m. for an overnight stay. The next day, the flight went to Athens then returned to Zurich at 2:46 p.m. for a total flight time of over 32 hours.
The airline said passengers were updated about the flight path via email and text message and given hotel accommodation and grand transport in Thessaloniki.
"We sincerely apologize to all affected guests for the inconveniences caused by this," the airline said. "The safety of all guests and crew members is Condor's top priority at all times, as in this case as well." Those who were on the flight are able to reach out to Condor customer service for refund and rebooking options.
