Toxic Flight BA6232:PLZ-JNB:01-JUN-2016

<p>Flight BA6232 taxied down the runway around 6:35 Am Wednesday Morning. Only to return to the apron as the pilot detected smoke in the ****pit. We sat for 30 minutes in a fairly full plane with no air conditioner running while engineers scurried up and down the aisle and the fire truck with red lights stat ominously flashing red lights outside. At one point Pilot came back on and informed us good news it wasn’t smoke form engine one but rather appeared to be Hydraulic fluid from the one landing wheel had leaked and caused toxic fumes to get into the air conditioning unit. They were in contact with Johannesburg to decide what to do about this.</p> <p> </p> <p>After 30 minutes, and noticed been 1 June No inflight magazines, we were finally asked to return to the airport and await further instructions. The crew handed us “transit” cards as we disembarked and headed back indoors.</p> <p> </p> <p>Once inside we were ignored and no updates given. According to the BA app on my cell phone the plane was still on schedule though the evidence indicated otherwise. I am loaded with my cell number and email address on the BA check in site as well but no updates where forthcoming here either.</p> <p> </p> <p>Eventually many of us went out of departures and over to the check in counters to see if we could be accommodated on the 8:50 AM flight that passengers were starting to arrive for. Others went to ticket sales to see if they could get a refund as they were now going be too late to make meetings. We were met by totally unprepared, chaos. No ground staff knew what to do. Some claimed we should just go back to departures and wait till someone makes an announcement, one told us to stand back in the main check in queues to have the check in staff have to go ask her what to do with us as they had no idea. Eventually one went through the queues and took stubs from those with and those with electronic wrote our names and seat numbers down on a s**** of paper. Then we were all ignored till around 9AM when suddenly she reappeared with a bunch full of ticket snubs with new seat numbers scribbled over them and called them out. Told people to rush to gate 2 for boarding the alternative flight that we are now delaying. Those of us with electronic check in who had had our name taken down observed people way further back in the queue had been called out so we asked her about us. We were informed if she took our number down we also on same flight please go to counter 2. For the rest they are on another flight leaving from counter 3 shortly after.</p> <p>So back we went, back in another queue, to get there and be told sorry the flight is fully booked and our names not on the transferred list, go stand in queue 3. Back into another queue in a mad rush now find we been put back onto the original plane.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>We noted every single person in business class had been moved from this plane making us rather nervous as the remaining “sample group” to test out the repair job.</p> <p>Having been up from 4:30AM and now 9:00 Am shoved from queues to queues, treated with hostile annoyance, not once offered something to drink or eat, finally back on board to be informed the flight will have no meals as they have to be in air by 915AM and the meals were removed earlier. </p> <p> </p> <p>The Pilot assured us the engines had successfully started twice so we all good. This didn’t give us much confidence but we were not given any choice in the matter. Taxied down the runway again and shortly after take-off the whole cabin filled with fumes that causes many of us to cough and battled to breath. Twice we both felt and heard the engine make alarming drops in power. Then the pilot came on and told us we would be returning to the airport as not happy with the condition of the plane. He went on to inform us that “at this point” he is “hoping to make a normal landing.” We did a gentle glide around the bay out to sea, while some of the passengers got near hysterical sobbing and had to be comforted by those around as crew just stayed strapped in their seats</p> <p> </p> <p>We landed fast and hard and were chased down the runway by fire trucks either side. The doors seem to take forever to be opened while we sat still breathing in the fowl air in the cabin. Eventually we were allowed off and handed another transit ticket. I was light headed, and dizzy, I asked guy I was walking back to airport with he said he felt drunk in the head. Many others also indicated not feeling too marvellous.</p> <p> </p> <p>On returning to the departures lounge we were told to sit down and wait for further instructions. Some of us asked can we get something to drink at least given our traumatic event. We were informed that doesn’t get arranged by boarding crew just sit down and await further instructions. Eventually someone came along and informed us to “please go queue again at ticket sales to arrange another flight, we cannot stay in the departures area”. As next flight was 1:30 we asked do we get meal vouchers or something as none of us had had anything to eat all morning. We were informed to ask our questions of the ticket office and she walked off.</p> <p> </p> <p>I realised I did not have the energy to stand in a 4th queue and collapsed in on a chair and called my father to please come fetch me. I bought my own water and went outside for fresh air eventually as I was still battling to breath.</p> <p> </p> <p>I had him take me to the medicross who on inspection found my sugar very low and my blood pressure was rising uncontrollably. When it got to 205/120 I was admitted to Life care CCU for stabilisation and observation. The staff in CCU where incredibly friendly, efficient, caring and friendly.</p> <p>What followed was 24 hours of extensive monitoring, ECGs, blood samples, urine samples, kidney scans, cardiograms, cardiographs, and hooked up to machines under observation.</p> <p>It would appear a combination of anxiety, stress, existing condition of high blood pressure, weak lungs, low blood sugar and dehydration all added up to a near fatal ****tail.</p> <p> </p> <p>What is shocking is the lack of care, concern, professionalism or interest shown by the Comair staff in our wellbeing. Sure we didn’t all by business class tickets, but even us club travellers deserve to be treated with some level of care. </p> <p>An air ticket is in some ways a contract between me the traveller and my travel facilitator to get me to my destination alive and on time. When problems and issues arise there should be a process in place to ensure our comfort and wellbeing. At no point should our lives be put in unreasonable danger. Placing us back on the original plane without getting our consent and clearly without giving it a thorough check was a clear breach of trust.</p> <p>Some concern, refreshments, a comfortable place to sit, a senior, professional, pleasant, competent Comair manager to talk to us, could have gone a long way to not putting unnecessary strain on people’s health.</p> <p> </p>