Samoa Airways passengers have taken to social media to express disappointment following the cancellation of Saturday's flight from Sydney to Apia due to bad weather.
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Florence Palamo said on Facebook that passengers including the elderly were forced to wait all afternoon as the 11:30am flight OL856 was delayed twice before being cancelled.
She said passengers were made to traipse from gate to gate and then to fend for themselves overnight.
She said the airline did not provide any food or water.
Samoa Airways said the flight departed at 2pm Sydney time the following day.
The airline's Dwayne Bentley said the cancellation would affect the scheduling of more than twenty flights this week and impact the travel plans of more than 3000 passengers in Australia, New Zealand and Samoa.
Flights should return to normal scheduling by this weekend, he said.
In a statement on its website Samoa Airways said the incoming plane had had to be diverted to Canberra due to bad weather in Sydney.
"Despite the Airline's best efforts for special dispensation to operate out of Sydney back to Apia after the curfew, unfortunately this was not possible and as a result, Samoa Airways' Boeing 737-800 aircraft and crew had to make an unplanned overnight stopover in Sydney."
"The Airline apologises for the inconvenience caused as a result of the disruption which was caused by unsuitable weather conditions and reminds customers to ensure they have travel insurance coverage for unforeseen situations and emergencies," the statement said.
