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Dozens dumped, delayed at city airport after plane replacement blamed on weather leaves them with no seats

By Yang Jian | January 21, 2016, Thursday | Online Edition

OVER 40 China Eastern Airlines passengers missed their flight at Pudong International Airport this morning for a rare reason as the plane, supposed to take them from Shanghai to Beijing, has no seat for them.

The 48 passengers on Flight MU564, taking off at 9am from Pudong airport’s Terminal 1 building to Beijing Capital International Airport, were told they could not board the aircraft because all the seats were fully taken.

A passenger said the manager-on-duty with China Eastern offered to compensate 200 yuan each for the affected on condition that they all sign a statement to give up their rights to complain. The act made the passengers angry and they refused to sign, the passenger said. The passenger also said they suspected the airline had oversold tickets.

But a press officer with China Eastern told Shanghai Daily it was all because the airline had replaced the original aircraft for the flight due to bad weather and it turned out the new plane, of the same size, holds fewer seats.
 
“It is impossible for us to oversell so many tickets for the single flight,” he added.

All the passengers were transported to Hongqiao International Airport and took another China Eastern flight to Beijing at 11am. The airline will also compensate them, he said.

A manager with the airline based at the Pudong airport said the original aircraft failed to fly to Shanghai due to the frozen weather hitting most part of China. So the airline then dispatched another aircraft with the same size that unexpectedly had fewer seats.

It is a common practice for airlines to overbook tickets in case some passengers fail to show up at last minute.

Metro


 

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