Grounded Qantas travellers frustrated at delays

The travel plans of thousands around the world have been disrupted. Photo / AP

British tourist Chris Crulley, 25, said the pilot on his Qantas flight told passengers while taxiing down a Sydney runway he had to return to the terminal "to take an important phone call". The flight was then grounded. "We're all set for the flight and settled in and the next thing I'm stunned. We're getting back off the plane," the firefighter, who lives in Newcastle, said. . "It's a nightmare." Qantas offered him up to A$350 ($456) a day for food and accommodation, but Crulley expected to struggle to find a hotel at short notice in Sydney.

'A lot of frustration'

Australians Len and Christie Dunlop were stranded at London's Heathrow Airport when their flight to Sydney was grounded. The couple, who have lived in Leeds for four years, said they would have to catch up with fewer friends when they return to Perth for a friend's wedding. "We've got dinners and lunch booked every day, so now we've missed two or three days worth of catching up with friends," Len Dunlop told ABC television. "It is just a lot of frustration."

'Jumping queues'

Jane Hooper, who is trying to get home to Sydney from Adelaide says she was in a Qantas service queue for an hour yesterday before being put on a waiting list. "If I don't get that it will probably be Tuesday before I can get a flight." The wait clearly frustrated people, with some jumping queues.

'Deadly serious'

Douglas Phillips and his wife, Diane, were among about 400 travellers at Los Angeles International Airport scrambling to find another way to Australia after their Qantas flight to Melbourne was halted. Phillips said they were awaiting takeoff when the pilot said all Qantas flights had been grounded. "At first everyone thought they were kidding for some reason, but then we realised they were deadly serious," said Phillips, of Dover, Delaware. They managed to secure a spot on a Virgin Australia flight to Sydney. They expected an eight-hour layover there before finally getting to Melbourne, nearly three days late.

On the ground

108 aircraft affected
22 airports around the world
447 flights cancelled
68,000 customers affected since grounding on Saturday night
36 international and 28 domestic Australian flights were in the air when the grounding was announced
A$20 million a day the estimated cost of the grounding
10th biggest airline in the world
35,000 workers employed
1000 jobs to be lost under a restructuring plan
A$250m annual profit
* Qantas domestic and international services remain grounded until further notice
* Jetstar and QantasLink still flying
* Jetconnect operated flights across the Tasman unaffected
* Virgin Australia is putting on extra services
* Virgin alliance partners Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and Delta Air in talks to put on extra flights on some international and domestic routes
* Unions involved are the Australian Licensed Engineers Union, the Transport Workers Union and the Australian and International Pilots Union
* Prime Minister Julia Gillard travelling from Perth by government jet to get back to Canberra for this week's sitting of Parliament
* Charter flights expected to be organised for other MPs.

- AAP, AP