Passengers Forced to Stand During 5 Hour Flight
Airline Says The Flight Was Overbooked
KTLA News
5:25 PM PDT, September 30, 2010
MOSCOW — Six passengers on a crowded jet had to stand for most of a five-hour flight
According to a report in London’s Daily Mail, the jet in question was operated by Russia’s Tatarstan Airlines.
The Boeing 737 has a capacity to carry 142 passengers.
But on September 24th, the jet flew from Antalya to Ekaterinburg, Russia with 148 passengers, according to the Daily Mail.
The incident is reportedly a violation of European aviation standards
The passengers did not have oxygen masks or life vests and were forced to sit in the aisles during turbulance, according to reports out of Moscow.
According to the travel agency that booked the flight, the plane was switched at the last minute to one that could not accommodate the entire group.
“People had a choice,” said Evgenia Fedorova, a manager of the tour that booked passengers on the flight, told Daily Mail.
“To fly on that plane standing up, or wait seven hours for another plane. All the tourists decided to fly back despite uncomfortable conditions.”
The travel agency offered the standing passengers $200 in compensation.
The airline says its investigating the incident.
Source: KTLA News
This is a violation of FAA regulation and the fault of the whole flight crew. All the crews especially the pilot should know better than overload an aircraft. I hope they all get fired.