The Nightmare of Waiting in Egypt

Austrians Were Stranded at the Airport for 30 Hours

Some of the exhausted and, after the long wait, desperate vacationers who were stranded at the airport in Hurghada(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Passengers were stranded at the airport in the tourist city of Hurghada (Egypt) for more than 30 hours. For a very long time, they had no reliable information, no assistance, and no prospect of returning home. Three vacationers from Styria had to pay for their hotel and airport transfers out of their own pockets.

Delay after delay—after a day of waiting, exhaustion and outrage are palpable at the airport in Hurghada, Egypt. “Small children are now sleeping on the benches at the airport,” a student from Vienna told the *Krone* newspaper, describing the situation. And all this while they were forced to continue waiting at the rather unsanitary and dilapidated airport.

The Al Masria Universal Airline flight was actually supposed to take off for Vienna at 8 a.m. on Sunday. After that, however, a lot happened—except for a return flight. On Monday, too, the flight, which was scheduled for 4:15 p.m., kept getting pushed back further and further.

No Reliable Information
The lack of planning certainty was a major problem: “The situation is particularly stressful for families with children and other travelers, some of whom have been waiting all night for reliable information and a real chance of departure,” says Simon Fellinger, one of the passengers.

We’ve been waiting here at the airport with our children for more than 30 hours and haven’t received anything to eat or drink because we weren’t allowed to check in.

Florian aus OÖ urlaubte mit seiner Familie in Hurghada.

Alongside him, more than 30 other travelers from Upper Austria, Vienna, and Styria found themselves in this challenging situation. There was no information from the airline or the tour operator CoralTravels regarding the reason for the massive delays, nor was a solution provided.

Food and drinking water were also not provided. Even a quick shopping trip at the airport wasn’t an option, since the stores were all empty. The passengers even had to arrange for hotels and transportation between their accommodations and the airport on their own. “I wanted to be home on Monday; I had an important appointment,” said Martin, a native of Styria, frustrated.

Martin with his girlfriend and her brother in the Egyptian departure hall(Bild: Martin Zettler, Krone KREATIV)

Waiting at the airport under the most adverse conditions was no pleasant experience either: “We were completely let down by the tour operator. There was no drinking water at the airport, the stores were closed, and the restrooms were completely filthy.”

Group Told to Wait Outside in the Heat
To make matters worse, on Monday morning, airport staff instructed the tour group to leave the terminal building and wait in the blazing sun for the flight—which had been postponed yet again—with outside temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, this was prevented.

Additional costs of more than 400 euros
The passengers could have been home more than a day earlier. The passengers, who are demanding clear communication, adequate support, and above all a concrete solution, were put through an enormous ordeal—not only emotionally but also financially, according to Simon Fellinger. Martin spoke of additional costs totaling around 410 euros.

It wasn’t until more than 30 hours later that there was “relief”
Relief came only more than 30 hours after the scheduled return flight: On Monday evening at 5:10 p.m., boarding finally began. Hopefully without any further incidents.