A man who was denied boarding for a flight is expressing gratitude after learning the plane he was unable to catch crashed, killing all 62 people on board.
Adriano Assis, a hospital worker, recounted his experience of running late to catch Voepass Airlines flight 2283 from Cascavel to São Paulo on Friday morning. Assis said he arrived at the Cascavel Regional Airport around 9:40 am, an hour and 16 minutes before the scheduled 11:56 am departure, but found no agents at the check-in counter.
By the time Assis made it downstairs to the check-in area at around 10:30 am, a long line had formed. When he reached the counter at 10:41 am, just 15 minutes before the flight was set to board, the airline staff refused to allow him to check in, citing the 1-hour cutoff.
Assis argued with the staff, but they stood firm in their decision. Tragically, the flight Assis had hoped to make crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 58 passengers and 4 crew members on board.
Still at the airport, Assis saw the news of the plane crash. He later returned to the check-in area to hug the staff who had denied him boarding, thanking them for saving his life.
“The staff saved my life by not letting me board that plane,” Assis said. “I’m grateful they were doing their job, even if I was upset at the time.”
Assis was not alone – 10 other passengers who were waiting at the wrong gate also missed the ill-fated flight. Some of them have also come forward to express their gratitude for not being allowed to board.
The ATR 72-500 turboprop plane crashed in a residential area of Vinhedo, São Paulo, shortly after departing Cascavel. Authorities confirmed there were no survivors. Brazil’s President Lula da Silva expressed solidarity with the victims’ families, and the state of São Paulo has declared three days of mourning.
While the cause of the crash remains under investigation, the tragic incident has left Assis and the other passengers thankful to be alive, even as they mourn those who perished.
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