Stranded Sapporo passengers return to Hong Kong amid row over HK$300 compensation
Group of 40 travellers caught in Hokkaido snowstorm call for better consumer rights after rejecting ‘grossly inadequate’ offer
The last of more than 2,000 Hong Kong travellers who were stranded in snowbound northern Japan over Christmas were on their way home on Monday night amid criticism from some that an offer to compensate them for the chaos was “grossly inadequate’’.
A group of 40 angry Hong Kong Airlines passengers rejected a HK$300 “goodwill gesture”, accusing the airline of poor communication and inadequate provision of essential items like food, water and blankets during their ordeal sparked by the worst snow storm Japan has seen for more than half a century.
The Hongkongers were among 6,000 travellers affected as 96cm of snow fell in Japan’s Hokkaido region at the weekend, shutting down New Chitose Airport, which serves the city of Sapporo. A backlog of flights left airlines scrambling to organise extra services. Hong Kong carriers scheduled at least a dozen additional flights.
Journalist Huw Griffith, 41, coordinating the efforts of 40 disaffected Hong Kong Airlines passengers, said: “If there was some sort of decent penalty for airlines behaving inadequately and for not dealing with the situation, it would concentrate the mind a little bit.”