Nearly 200 passengers slept on a 5-star hotel's lobby floor after a 17-hour flight delay because the crew timed out, reports say

A group of people slept on the floor of a hotel lobby after their flight was delayed for 17 hours.

The Independent reported that almost 200 passengers were affected.

A flight from Rhodes, Greece to Bournemouth, England was supposed to take off on Saturday. The outbound flight to Rhodes was late and the crew had reached the maximum number of hours allowed.

Due to a technical issue which needed repair, the outbound flight from Bournemouth to Rhodes was delayed and the crew were not allowed to work overtime. The flight had to be delayed in Rhodes.

A source told Insider that Tui arranged for passengers to stay overnight in the lobby of the Rodos Palace, a five star hotel 20 minutes away from the airport.

If customers wanted to source this themselves, welfare vouchers and a good will gesture, they were given an alternative rest location.

A family decided to stay in the airport overnight.

If passengers wanted to find their own accommodations for the night, the airline would give them 180 Euros, or $183 at the current exchange rate. The passengers on the flight were given holiday vouchers and they were entitled to compensation.

The flight left Rhodes at 2p.m. local time and arrived in Bournemouth at 5p.m.

On top of soaring summer travel demand, airlines are having a staff shortage. More than 150 Qantas passengers slept in an airport terminal because their flights were diverted.