newswatcher
11th Jun 2001, 12:45
From an NZ source:
"A three-hour flight from Sydney to Auckland turned into a 24-hour drama for two Bay of Plenty men who ended up in China being interrogated by armed guards.
The drama began when Mark Dance, a nurse, and Alfie O'Neill, the intellectually disabled man he has cared for over 10 years, answered the call to board their flight from Sydney to Auckland last weekend.
"There are two airlines with very similar names, China Airlines is the Taiwanese airline we were booked on, and China National Airways is the Communist China airline, which was leaving at the same time as our flight to New Zealand," said Mr Dance.
The pair boarded the flight to Beijing despite their boarding pass being rejected by a ticketing machine. An attendant told them the machine was faulty.
"She just waved us through so we got on board. I wondered why there were so many Chinese flying to Auckland but it wasn't until about half an hour after take off and 37,0000 feet in the air that I realised we were on the wrong plane."
Mr Dance eventually managed to tell a hostess of their predicament.
"She went deathly white and rushed to the front of the aircraft. When we landed we were told to stay in our seats until everyone else was off, and then we had to walk down a steep flight of steps from the aircraft to be met by guards who took us into the terminal."
There Mr Dance again explained his story to an official who had a slightly better grasp of English.
"They kept us waiting on hard chairs in the lounge, away from everyone else. They took our passports and I was getting really worried. I had $100 in cash and my Visa card but no idea how to use the airport phones or who to ring."
After an hour's wait officials said they could leave on a plane to Sydney in half an hour.
Nine hours later Mr Dance and Mr O'Neill arrived back in Sydney to be greeted by officials from the Chinese and Taiwanese airlines and were given first class seats on the next Qantas flight to New Zealand.
A corporate car with chauffeur then drove them home to Katikati.
"A three-hour flight from Sydney to Auckland turned into a 24-hour drama for two Bay of Plenty men who ended up in China being interrogated by armed guards.
The drama began when Mark Dance, a nurse, and Alfie O'Neill, the intellectually disabled man he has cared for over 10 years, answered the call to board their flight from Sydney to Auckland last weekend.
"There are two airlines with very similar names, China Airlines is the Taiwanese airline we were booked on, and China National Airways is the Communist China airline, which was leaving at the same time as our flight to New Zealand," said Mr Dance.
The pair boarded the flight to Beijing despite their boarding pass being rejected by a ticketing machine. An attendant told them the machine was faulty.
"She just waved us through so we got on board. I wondered why there were so many Chinese flying to Auckland but it wasn't until about half an hour after take off and 37,0000 feet in the air that I realised we were on the wrong plane."
Mr Dance eventually managed to tell a hostess of their predicament.
"She went deathly white and rushed to the front of the aircraft. When we landed we were told to stay in our seats until everyone else was off, and then we had to walk down a steep flight of steps from the aircraft to be met by guards who took us into the terminal."
There Mr Dance again explained his story to an official who had a slightly better grasp of English.
"They kept us waiting on hard chairs in the lounge, away from everyone else. They took our passports and I was getting really worried. I had $100 in cash and my Visa card but no idea how to use the airport phones or who to ring."
After an hour's wait officials said they could leave on a plane to Sydney in half an hour.
Nine hours later Mr Dance and Mr O'Neill arrived back in Sydney to be greeted by officials from the Chinese and Taiwanese airlines and were given first class seats on the next Qantas flight to New Zealand.
A corporate car with chauffeur then drove them home to Katikati.