The first sign of trouble came after we boarded our flight at Tokyo's Narita Airport, expecting to take off for Hong Kong at 6.20pm.
The captain announced we would be significantly late due to the weather in Hong Kong.
It was the start of a long series of delays caused by Typhoon Vicente that would lead to my staying the night at Hong Kong airport with crowds of other stranded passengers.
We eventually took off at 8pm and arrived three hours later after a turbulent landing as the aircraft battled strong gales. From the window I could see the rain hitting the runway. We had arrived at a bad time.
The Observatory raised the typhoon signal to 9 before we landed, and then to 10 at 12.45am, halting the luggage delivery service because the 100km/h winds made it too dangerous for the baggage handlers to work outside. Dozens of people waited like me near the number 12 conveyor belt for more than two hours.
Passengers from Taichung got their luggage during a short reprieve, but the passengers on my flight were not so lucky.
There were only a handful of Cathay Pacific and airport workers on hand to keep us informed.
