Juneyao Airlines has promised to enhance communication at local airports after several passengers missed a flight while waiting at the airport lounge.
Seven passengers, including five resting at a lounge at the Pudong International Airport, found out that their delayed flight had taken off without them last Friday.
"We realize there has been some lack of communication between the airline and VIP lounges at the airport," the airline said in a statement.
Flight HO1331 was schedule to take off from Pudong Airport for Japan's Okinawa at 3pm but was delayed until 5pm due to heavy fog, the airline said. The boarding gate was also changed to D230 and D228 from the original D86.
Two passengers who were waiting at the original boarding gate D86 also missed the flight. The passengers were put on another flight on Saturday.
The five passengers who were at the No. 66 VIP lounge, which is owned by the airport authority, paid the lounge with their credit cards, the airline said.
"The lounge does not have any cooperation with the airline, so the passengers could not be informed when the aircraft was ready for take off," the airline said.
"My wife and I checked with the airline's hotline at least 10 times during the four-and-half hour wait, but they did not tell us the scheduled departure time," one of the passengers, surnamed Meng, said. They planned to travel to Okinawa for the holiday.
"Our holiday trip turned out to be a full-day visit to the airport lounge," he complained.
Another passenger said the airlines had agreed to put them on another flight the next day, but the new schedule meant they could only stay in Okinawa for a day.
"The trip was meaningless and I preferred to go home," he added.
