4 travelers missed doomed Air France Flight 447

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-05 13:47

Relatives hug during a mass for victims of Air France flight 447 that was reported missing on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, at a church in Rio de Janeiro, Thursday, June 4, 2009.[Agencies]

PARIS – A reservation mix-up, an overbooking and a Brazilian cabbie's passion for soccer are all that saved some would-be passengers on Air France flight 447 from the fate of 228 others who lost their lives in the mid-Atlantic.

The survivors say their relief is overshadowed by the immense sense of loss they feel for those who didn't make it.

"It feels miraculous and sad at the same time," said Amina Benouargha-Jaffiol, who tried to get on the flight Sunday night, even enlisting a diplomat friend to try to pressure Air France to let her and her husband on.

"Of course, at some level we feel lucky, but we also feel an enormous sadness for all those who perished," she said.

For some it was a simple matter of arriving at Rio's airport late; for Andrej Aplinc, it was because he got there early.

The 39-year-old Slovenian sailor and father of two was spared because his cab driver was in a hurry to see a soccer match.

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