Stranded passengers at Hong Kong International Airport left to fend for themselves not knowing when they will be able to escape protest-hit city
- Protests leave thousands stuck as 180 flights are cancelled
- With airport staff quitting their posts, and a lack of information from airlines, travellers are left waiting with their luggage
Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday as thousands of protesters brought the transport hub to a grinding halt.
With no airline employees in sight, passengers replaced staff at check-in desks, sitting in their seats and waiting to find out when, or even if, their flights would depart.
Some 180 flights to all parts of the globe were cancelled as a result of the action by anti-government protesters, who flooded the arrivals hall and departure areas at one of the world’s busiest airports. Another 45 flights that were expected to arrive were also cancelled.
A lack of information from airlines meant that – despite the cancellations – passengers kept arriving, not knowing flights had been cancelled for the day.
And they kept coming to the check-in counters to ask other travellers and reporters about flight information, with staff nowhere to be seen.
Mickey Lai and her two young children arrived at 9pm ready to fly back to New York, having received a text at 8.07pm telling them their flight would take-off at 11pm on Monday night. But the information was incorrect.