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The Condor airline flight
“With strong winds, take-offs and landings at Heraklion Airport on Crete were only possible to a limited extent,” Condor said in a statement. “Despite several attempts to land in Heraklion, the flight was unfortunately unable to operate as planned and had to be diverted several times including a night stop in Thessaloniki before finally returning to Zurich.”
According to Business Insider, citing data from Flightradar24, the flight circled off the coast of Crete half a dozen times before U-turning to land in Athens.
The outlet reported that the plane made four stops and endured an overnight stay in Thessaloniki during the 32-travel time. The plane also stopped in Athens a second time and in Kos before returning to Zurich.
Zurich Airport where the Condor airlines flight departed from and eventually returned to.
Condor said that the flight made "several stops," including a night stop in Thessaloniki.
The airline also said in its statement that, “Refreshments and drinks were served for all guests by the crew in the galley,” however, according to Metro, some passengers complained that they weren't given many refreshments and some reportedly vomited during one of the attempted approaches to Heraklion.
When asked about the claims, the Condor spokesperson told PEOPLE, “Drinks were served for all guests by the crew in the galley, the hotel accommodation was organized by Condor,” noting that guests can contact customer service for “refund and rebooking options.”
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Passengers also claimed they had to pay for their own hotels, per the outlet, and upon landing in Athens for the second time, were given the opportunity to disembark ahead of the final return to Zurich, but without their checked luggage. (PEOPLE)