A number of problems led to a chaotic weekend in Munich for commuters trying to get to Chicago.
The trouble began on Friday when United Airlines Flight 952 had mechanical problems. The trouble lasted for hours.
“What happened was just crazy,” said Anthony Jacobs, one of hundreds on board at the time.
“There are no tugs to pull the plane from the gate, no de-icing. They had like two de-icers here in Munich,” Jacobs said from Munich Airport. “We had a four-hour mechanical problem that created all the craziness to cut the drivers’ time.”
By the time the plane was cleared to take off, hours later, the crew had run out and the flight was cancelled.
Passengers were forced to rebook. However, due to a rare snow storm, all flights were grounded at Munich Airport on Saturday.
Despite the airport being completely shut down, some customers tell NBC 5 they weren’t notified of canceled flights and still showed up at the airport, enduring a treacherous ride.
On Sunday, the problems continued.
“Before that we were on the plane for seven hours [the staff] time is up,” one commenter shared on a Facebook group set up for affected passengers. “We were offered six ounces of water and a packet of crackers.“
“I was on the original flight on Friday 12/12 for over 6 hours and again on Sunday 12/12 for over 10.5 hours,” said another passenger on the Facebook group.
“One of the worst but most memorable experiences I’ve ever had. I was rushing to rebook only to be canceled, grabbing available hotels, strategizing how to get the Uber drivers to actually show up,” said Jake Tiongko, another passenger.
Tiongco, along with a few strangers, took matters into their own hands, traveling by train to Frankfurt to catch a flight to Chicago on Monday morning.
“As if the flight delays weren’t enough, our train broke down midway to Frankfurt where we had to sit and wait for a replacement train for two and a half hours,” he said.
Tiongko and his group landed in O’Hare late Monday afternoon.
Others are still stranded overseas, including Jacobs, who tells NBC 5 he was forcibly removed from his flight Monday due to a medical emergency.
“I haven’t taken my medicine, my diabetes medicine, for four days because I didn’t pack it all. I didn’t pack medicine expecting to be here this long. I don’t carry stress. I don’t worry about a lot of things, and it brought me to the brink of a nervous breakdown,” Jacobs said.
On its website, United says that “safety, weather, air traffic control, operations and other factors can sometimes cause long delays on the tarmac.”
It goes on to say: “If there is an extended tarmac delay, we will make every reasonable effort to ensure that your basic needs are met. If safety and security considerations permit, this includes providing a light snack and drinking water no later than two hours after the aircraft leaves the gate.”
Aviation expert and Lewis University professor Eric Jones says the situation in Munich is the result of multiple factors.
“When you have these significant weather events, combined with a mechanical issue, combined with a crew timing issue, it creates a perfect storm,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, what you have is a complete breakdown in the ability to transfer passengers safely and efficiently. This often creates traffic jams. Let’s just keep people where they are, we know we can keep them safe and out of harm’s way.”
He points to the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights, introduced earlier this year, as a lifeline for passengers.
it sets clear expectations and rules for how airlines can operate and how that affects passengers,” Jones said. “But it always leaves a caveat. And that caveat is safety. That warning is time.”
Some passengers say they received partial refunds from United. Others have paid thousands of dollars out of pocket for new flights, hotels, transportation and food.
In a statement, United said: “We are closely monitoring the winter weather conditions in Munich, doing our best to serve customers in difficult conditions. Over the weekend we implemented travel waivers due to the extreme weather and are adding additional flights, including three that departed earlier today.”
