Team DailyPedia
Last July 1, 2014, a cellphone video taken inside AirAsia RP C 8997 aircraft (Flight Z2763 Manila-Cebu) went viral on social media. The film ran for about 1-minute and 38-seconds. According to Gretz, the passenger who took the video, it was so hot when they entered the plane because the air-conditioning unit was not yet turned-on. Twenty minutes has passed. All the passengers were sweating and feeling uneasy. Among on board were children and a pregnant woman that need special attention. They had asked for stairs to get off but nothing came. In her post, she shared how they were trapped inside for almost 1 hr and 18 mins without any assistance or even complimentary water.
Gretz’ Statement
“This is the video taken last July 1 at AIR ASIA aircraft RP C 8997. (Air Asia RP C 8997 ang muntik ng pumatay sa family ko at sa iba pang passengers.,.
When we entered at the aircraft it was so hot, wala pang aircon parang nasa loob ng oven.when all the passengers were seated i asked the flight attendant kung bakit wala pang aircon Kasing sobrang init na and yung bata infront of us nagwawala na even my daughter kept on saying that its too hot and pawis n pawis na kaming lahat.,The flight attendant said maya maya daw e On ang aircon.After 20 mins hindi pa din naka on ang aircon and we were all uneasy,so pumunta ako sa harap and i confronted the 2 flight attendants kung bakit wala pa ding aircon,nakaka suffocate na and one of the attendants said na lumipat muna kmi ng upuan sa harap muna umupo.,and I said NO!ang kelangan nmen lahat is aircon.,then she said na inaayos pa daw so sabi ko pababain nyo muna kami since inaayos pa amg plane kasi masusuffocate kaming lahat and there i saw the pregnant woman nakasalampak sa may cooler.and nagpapaypay.,she said kinocoordinate na daw nila sa PILOT pero ang ginagawa lang nila is sinasarado nila ang door and sinasabi nila na okay na kahit hindi naman!Nag request kami ng stairs para makababa na kami pero walang dumadatin!gusto pa ata ng piloto na mag take ng risk!kung dun palang sa ground hindi mag ON ang engine paano kung nasa ere na masiraan?Paano na?almost 1 hr and 18 mins kaming trapped sa loob ng aircraft and ni wala silang binibigay kahit complimentary water man lang!
HIndi ko to pinost para sa sarili and sa family ko lang but para din sa ibang passengers and para hindi na ulitin ng air asia ang ginawa nila!Nagbayad kami ng maayos for our ticket pero hindi pala kami safe!
CAAP, PLEASE CHECK AIR ASIA’s Aircraft and dapat managot sila sa ginawa nila!”
Translation:
“This is the video taken last July 1 at AIR ASIA aircraft RP C 8997. (Air Asia RP C 8997 the aircraft the almost killed my family and the other passengers)
When we entered at the aircraft it was so hot, the aircon is off, it feels like we were inside an oven. When all the passengers were seated I asked the flight attendant as to why the aircon is still off because it’s very hot and the child in front of us is getting uneasy, even my daughter kept on saying that its too hot we are all sweating. The flight attendant said they will turn on the aircon soon. After 20 mins, it’s still not on and we were all uneasy, so I went in front and confronted the 2 flight attendants about the situation. It’s suffocating. One of the attendants said that we can just transfer to the front seat and I said NO! What we need is for the aircon to work. Then she said that the unit is still being fixed. So I told them to let us go down if they are still fixing the plane because all of us are already suffocating. And there i saw the pregnant woman sitting in front of the cooler fanning herself. She said tehey are coordinating the situation to the PILOT but all I see is they are closing the door. They told us that everything is okay even though it’s really not! We requested for stairs so we can alight the plane but nothing came! I think the pilot wanted to take a risk! If the engine won’t work on the ground, what if the plane fails to work while we are flying? What will happen? We were trapped for almost 1 hr and 18 mins inside the aircraft and we were not given even a simple complimentary water!
I did not post this for myself and for my family only but for all the passengers as well so AirAsia won’t allow this thing to happen again! We paid well and in full for our ticket but we’re not really safe!
CAAP, PLEASE CHECK AIR ASIA’s Aircraft and they should pay for what they have done!”
As of writing, the Facebook video post gained 4,202 shares (and counting), 28 likes, and a number of reactions from the readers.
We tried to get AirAsia Philippines’ response on this matter via their Facebook page and here’s their reply:
UPDATE:
We were given a chance to interview Ms Gretz’ today, July 8, 2014, and here’s her statement. She requested for us to mention only her name in our report for privacy.
The DailyPedia: Based on your comment in your Facebook post, the flight you were into when this happened was flying from Manila to Cebu?
The DailyPedia: What happened after that 1 hr and 18 mins of being trapped inside the plane? Did AirAsia transferred you to another flight?
The DailyPedia: Any explanation from the management as to why this happened? Did AirAsia try to reach you about the uploaded video?
The DailyPedia: Will you still choose to fly with AirAsia Philippines?
The DailyPedia: Any message to the management of AirAsia Philippines?
Reference
- Gretz’ Video Post; https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10204511013202188; https://www.facebook.com/gretel.charlz
