The flight from London to Athens typically takes about four hours.
That was not the case for a recent British Airways flight from Heathrow Airport, which inexplicably encountered problem after problem.
Two days and four planes later, the seemingly cursed flight finally arrived at its destination.
According to the Evening Standard, it all started with a faulty cockpit warning light that caused the September 5 flight to be canceled. The second plane was unavailable four hours later after the cabin crew exceeded their maximum working hours.
Passenger Geoff Lye said the pilot called it "the most embarrassing PA announcement" of his career.
Adding insult to injury, passengers had to remain on the canceled flight for another hour because of "security issues." Passengers were provided vouchers for overnight accommodations in London but had no idea that the ordeal was just beginning.
The flight eventually departed at 1:40 p.m. local time September 6 but was forced to turn back to Heathrow almost immediately after an engine caught fire.
Six hours later, a fourth plane was brought in and passengers departed for the second time. This time, there were no issues and the flight arrived in the Greek capital during the early morning hours of September 7-just 33 hours after its originally scheduled departure time!
"There was no communication, and it was unbelievable they could get so much wrong," said Lye.
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British Airways confirmed the incident and apologized for the tortuous journey in a statement to Express.
"Following a technical fault with the aircraft a replacement was provided, but after crew members went over their allocated working hours, the flight was nightstopped," a British Airways spokesperson said. "The next day, the replacement aircraft returned to Heathrow after a technical fault and another aircraft continued the journey to Athens."
"Our teams on the ground were trying their best to provide customers with as much information as possible when they had it. We fully appreciate how frustrating this experience has been, and have apologized to our customers for the long delay to their flight."
It's unclear whether the airline will compensate affected travelers. However, Lye, who has been flying with British Airways for almost 40 years, told the Evening Standard he'll likely never fly with the airline again.
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