KOTA KINABALU: Kuhim Ugat and his wife Lamuin Salimun were excited about going to Paris on an all-expenses-paid trip.
The couple had done last minute packing and slept only at 1am and Ugat was up before the alarm rang at 4am.
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“I guess I was too excited,” said Ugat.
But it all turned to heartbreak when they arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport to find their flight to Kuala Lumpur was cancelled.
They were scheduled to fly to Kuala Lumpur and on to Abu Dhabi, before arriving in Paris.
Almost all flights in and out of Sabah were cancelled for a second day in a row.
“It is devastating, we were so looking forward to this trip,” said Ugat.
The couple said although this was not their first trip abroad, “Paris is something else.”.
“It would have been like being in a different world,” said Ugat as his wife nodded in agreement.
They were among 10 recipients of a week-long free trip under the Amway Leadership Seminar programme.
“This is an annual treat for best achievers. Last year, we went to Alaska and Santorini in Greece,” said Kristany Ubud.
She and her husband, Kadmil Gungat, are now waiting for word from the company if their trip, scheduled from April 19 to 25, is still on.
“Alternatively, we could go on the second wave, which is leaving on April 26 to the same destination,” she said.
Another winner, Shyrel Geoffrey, said she had a bad feeling about the trip from the beginning. It was her second cancelled trip.
Last year, she had to call off her flight to Istanbul after war broke out in the region.
Another traveller, Haslina Sabri, was forced to change her wedding reception plans after her flight to Kota Baru in Kelantan, was cancelled on Thursday.
“We had our wedding in January at my hometown in Tuaran.
“I was supposed to fly yesterday at 5pm for another reception at my husband’s hometown this weekend.
“I came back to the airport today to try my luck at finding another flight, but luck was not on my side,” she said.
If all attempts fail, Haslina, a teacher, said she had told her in-laws to go ahead with the reception without her.
“My family is flying there tomorrow.
“If they succeed, then their presence will make up for my absence,” she said.
