All seemed to be going well on our flight to Funchal until shortly before landing the pilot informed us that landing at Funchal airport is sometimes tricky and that about 20% don't land first time round. He also mentioned that today the winds were particularly strong. These comments did not inspire confidence in us. Shortly after this announcement our flight descended and seemed to nearly land then after wobbling somewhat soared off once more into the sky. After much circling the pilot announced "bad news everyone, Funchal airport is now closed due to heavy winds". Shortly after we landed at nearby Santa Porto island for refueling and for the crew to plan what to do with the 155 passengers on board. The co-pilot made his way down the plane telling us all that it would all be OK but given it is Boxing Day, there is no one around to come up with a plan! Several hours later we were informed that we would be taken to Lisbon for the night so 1.5 hours later and 9 hours after take off we finally disembarked at Lisbon airport. The good news was that we were put up in a very nice Marriott Hotel and arrived in time for a complementary dinner buffet and free glass of wine. This was enough to make us feel happy and to reflect on today's adventure.
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