A routine 13-hour flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong wound up extending to more than 35 hours due to an early morning delay on June 19.

Nearly 400 passengers sat stranded in a Cathay Pacific plane in San Francisco for more than seven hours, waiting for takeoff. They boarded flight CX873 just after 3pm Hong Kong time on June 19 for a 4.20pm departure, and arrived in Hong Kong at 3.15am on June 21.

News reports in the United States focused on passenger accounts of poor treatment during the seven hours on board. Many claimed they were not served food or refreshments, and that the air conditioning broke down.

But Cathay Pacific said service had continued as normal and that passengers were provided with hot meals and refreshments.

The airline announced seven hours after passengers boarded that the aircraft was having technical problems. It has been determined the hydraulic system was defective and needed a replacement part, a spokeswoman said.

She said the airline did its best to accommodate the stranded passengers, offering hotel, meal and transport vouchers in San Francisco until the next flight was available, and also arranging new connecting flights and accommodation for passengers.