The Qantas flight was rerouted Sunday evening after weather conditions delayed take-off and delayed it again in the air.
Instead of landing in Wellington as scheduled, the flight was forced to travel to Christchurch because it missed the curfew at Wellington Airport.
Jan Tait was on the run and told the Herald that she thought there would be assistance from Qantas at the airport – but there was not.
“We came through customs and I had to go through the counter and I asked what was going on and she more or less said we would be here [ the airport]† That was the first suspicion I got that there would be no accommodation or help.”
Tait traveled alone and soon joined several other passengers – including an unaccompanied minor who was just 13 years old.
“We were all pretty shocked because if you were his parents you would have been worried! We knew he was okay and he knew he was okay but he hadn’t eaten much because he said the food in the plane would have upset his stomach, so he’d had a long day.”
Tait says she had expected Qantas staff to help him, but no one was in sight.
Mike, a Platinum One aviator with Qantas, told the Herald that the passengers disembarked, collected their bags and were then “dumped” at the airport.
A social media post from the boy’s mother indicated that the boy had a rough night at the airport.
“This is really bad…I was sick all night, my son wasn’t sleeping. Thank goodness he found a group of people on that flight who took him under their wing,” she wrote.
She was grateful to the airport staff who went out of their way to help.
“I would like to thank the staff who helped assist my son and other passengers. I know that the ground staff has no control over what they can and cannot give to passengers in these situations. I called the Christchurch ground staff and they were great. “
The woman declined to comment when contacted by the Herald.
A Qantas spokesperson told the Herald the flight was being diverted because it would not have reached Wellington Airport before curfew and a new crew had to be flown to Christchurch due to crew constraints.
The Herald understood that there was no accommodation for the stranded passengers, because the time frame of four to five hours was too short.
Qantas says the pilot asked for a curfew exemption when the plane was delayed, but it was turned down.
A spokesman for Wellington Airport told the Herald that the 1am-6am curfew was imposed in 1997 as part of Wellington City Council’s district plan.
Limited waivers are available for things like medical emergencies and a 30-minute extension for unforeseen events like weather.
“No flights are allowed to land later. Airlines are well aware of this rule.”