Dragonair Flights Continue to be Disrupted Passengers Requested to Postpone Non-essential Travel

Hong Kong, 2012-07-26 — /travelprnews.com/ — Dragonair today (25 July) announced that its flight operations and schedules are still not yet back to normal because of the knock on effect and passengers backlogs arising from the cancellation of 49 flights and diversion of 7 flights caused by typhoon Vicente. The airline expects it could take a few more days before operations return to normal.

Dragonair appeals to passengers to postpone or cancel non-essential travel between today and this coming Sunday as the airline is making every effort to bring its services back to normal.

The airline will waive re-booking, re-routing, cancellation and refund charges for all tickets issued worldwide (irrespective of fare type) on or before 24 July for travel on Dragonair between now and 29 July.

Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Patrick Yeung said: “We sincerely apologise to our customers.  Our teams are taking all possible actions in getting passengers to their destinations as quickly as circumstances permit.  However, owing to the after effect of disruptions caused by Typhoon Vicente, we are facing significant challenges in ensuring our flight schedules are intact.

“The flight diversions in the past two days have caused a number of airplanes and crew to be out of their intended positions, disrupting our schedule integrity. In addition, a weather-related shortage of ground services has added complexity to the situation,” he added.

“While the typhoon is moving away from Hong Kong, weather conditions remain challenging as occasional heavy rains and thunderstorms are affecting Hong Kong and nearby areas.  Therefore, more spacing precautions in sequencing departing and arriving aircraft are necessary.  In the meantime, lightning at the airport today requires that personnel be removed from the ramp for safety reasons.  The chain effect is that we will be experiencing the after effects of the typhoon for days,” he said.

Dragonair expects that flights will be delayed through the end of the week.  Additional flight cancellations may also be necessary to get airplanes and crew back into position.

Passengers are advised of possible delays in the delivery of baggage and they are reminded to provide their contact details upon arrival at their destinations when their bags are delayed.

As operations remain disrupted, passengers are advised to first check the airline’s website, www.dragonair.com, to get the latest flight information before leaving for the airport.

Online check-in service for today’s flights has been suspended.

Passengers whose flights are cancelled are advised not to go the airport. Dragonair will assist with alternative arrangements for affected passengers.

To ensure customers receive the latest flight status updates via SMS or email, they are advised to update their contact details in Manage My Booking.

Dragonair continues to monitor the situation closely and will issue further updates once more information becomes available. The airline regrets any inconvenience this may cause and hopes for passengers’ understanding.

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