Unread email saves family of 10 from boarding missing AirAsia flight QZ8501

An Indonesian family reportedly missed boarding Flight QZ8501 after they failed to read an email from AirAsia advising them of a change in departure time.

Ari Putro Cahyono and nine members of his family would have boarded the Singapore-bound flight on Sunday had it not been for the unread message.

Ari said he and his relatives had arrived at Surabaya’s Juanda International Airport at 5:30am – 10 minutes after QZ8501 departed.

The flight was originally scheduled to depart at 7:20am.

“I did not read the email notifying the change of the departure schedule,” said Ari as quoted by kompas.com.

The operator had offered Ari the chance to board the next flight, but he refused after being informed at the airport that air traffic control had lost contact with QZ8501 at around 6.30am.

“My family and I then decided to cancel the trip,” he said.

Details of the family’s lucky escape emerged after the vice-president of Indonesia said there is a “huge possibility” that Flight QZ8501 has been in an accident.

Jusuf Kalla told a televised press conference: “It has been 10 hours, there is a huge possibility there has been an accident. The government is concerned and expresses its deepest condolences to the families of victims.”

The search for the vanished AirAsia plane recommenced at first light today after search and rescue operations were suspended on Sunday evening due to darkness.

The Airbus 320-200, which was carrying 155 passengers and seven crew, lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control at 11.17pm (GMT) on Saturday.

It was flying from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore.

Source: mirror.co.uk