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Ever been on a Flight which had to Detour for an emergency ?

Ever been on a Flight which had to Detour for an emergency ?

Old Jun 28, 2016, 8:58 am
  #46  
 
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Talking Bird Strike

I was on AA 713 on 04/21/16 which hit a bird on takeoff.

We left LAS right around the scheduled time of 12:55am.
I was in F. Right after takeoff the FA brought us our drinks - everything seemed normal.

After about 30 mins, the captain announced that we must've hit a large bird on takeoff, that the windshield was cracked, and we couldn't continue onto CLT with the windshield cracked. He said we'd divert to PHX and we'll have to burn off fuel since we're too heavy to land.

So we took a leisurely trip to PHX, circling for well over an hour until we were able to land around 3am.

By the time we landed, AA had another A321 fueled up and ready for us.

After we landed and parked, we walked to another gate and boarded our new plane. We took off shortly after 3:45am and continued to CLT. A few of us joked that we hope we get another segment credit, but we didn't because they kept the same flight #.

Of course, we landed much later than planned. Many people missed their connections. Luckily for me, I had a long layover, and I still made my connection.

IMO - AA and the pilots did a great job handling this.

I found a breif news clip on the flight too... Bird Strike News Link

Last edited by skydve1; Jun 28, 2016 at 10:03 am Reason: Spelling...
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 9:47 am
  #47  
 
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Two stop trip with a Medical Emergency

Third post here. I like reading about others' experiences. I am happy to share mine.

In March, my family and I were traveling from SFO > SNA > IAH > MID on United. The flight from SNA to IAH had a medical emergency on board and was diverted to ABQ. Our connection in IAH would be about an hour, and the delay of the diversion (45+ min) meant we probably would miss the connection, due to the time needed to deplane, walk to the other gate, etc.

When trying to determine the delay, the United app and on board people were no help. So we had to wait until leaving the plane in IAH to see whether or not we had to spend the night there, as there is only one flight a day to MID.

To my surprise, when we arrived and asked about the flight to Merida, the gate people said the plane we had just arrived on was the same one we would be taking. So while we arrived only slightly later than normal, we weren't stuck in Houston for 24 hours.

Couldn't have worked out any better. ^
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 9:48 am
  #48  
 
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Diverted on a charter flight from LGW to Puerto Plata because of a medical issue. So we backtracked to Bermuda and off loaded the passenger, refuelled and we were on our merry way within an hour. Trouble is the crew said that the bar had been sealed to land at Bermuda and they couldnt open it again.
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 10:48 am
  #49  
 
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On CA flight MXP-PVG, supposed to land at 0600 but diverted to NKG as the airline claimed low visibility at PVG, funnily enough other flights were all landing normally at PVG.
Around noon we were finally allowed to get off the plane but no one knew what to do with us. Those who had connecting flights were rerouted on flights leaving from NKG instead and those seemed to be the luckiest ones. The rest were told that CA can bus us to the train station but we would have to pay for our own train tickets to wherever we were going. Needless to say this wasn't acceptable and after a few hours they finally produced buses to bus us to SHA and PVG. By the time I got to SHA (didn't want to waste a couple more hours going to PVG) it was 1900!
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 11:00 am
  #50  
 
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Originally Posted by Pack1620
Here's the best part.....According to the gate agents/phone agents someone has to go in and "deboard" your name form the aircraft in the system. I believe they told me the Flight Attendant does it but I'm not sure I buy that but whoever was in charge of it didn't do it for half of our plane.
Same thing happened to me on a MIA-JFK flight diverted to ROC because of a massive snow/ice storm. We landed in ROC at midnight, were given hotel vouchers and we were all given tickets to either JFK or LGA the next morning. Only to show up at the airport and find out that me and my sister were not actually allowed to fly as we were in the system as landed in JFK. Turns out, no one on our flight was "deboarded". Luckily, we showed up at 5am for our 7am flight. We didn't have confirmed seats until 6:50am.
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 11:55 am
  #51  
 
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LAN Colombia BOG-BGA

The airport at Bucaramanga, Colombia is located on the top of a hill. We were approaching in dense fog and at the last minute the pilot pulled up sharply with engines roaring at full thrust and continued the steep ascent for the next 15 minutes till we were above the fog, mountains and clouds at cruising altitude and then returned to Bogota. The crew was visibly unnerved. We waited on the plane for around two hours before taking off again for Bucaramanga. Before that, there were passengers who insisted to de-board and exited the plane. My wife's brother who was waiting for us at BGA said they heard the approach and then the thunderous roar of the engines as the landing was aborted. I had my step-daughter who works for LAN check the record of what happened and all that was recorded was a diversion to Bogota due to fog.

Last edited by Viajero Perpetuo; Jun 28, 2016 at 12:08 pm
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 12:11 pm
  #52  
 
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Originally Posted by ellyse
On CA flight MXP-PVG, supposed to land at 0600 but diverted to NKG as the airline claimed low visibility at PVG, funnily enough other flights were all landing normally at PVG.
What would cause an airline to intentionally divert incurring all the costs from the diversion and delays when there was actually no reason to divert?
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 12:20 pm
  #53  
 
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DL sometime around 2006. ATL-LGA was delayed 3 hours, finally took off. About 2/3 of the way there (probably close to 11pm at this point), we diverted to PHL b/c all NYC area airports (JFK, LGA, EWR) were closed due to severe storms and high winds. Sat on the ground a couple hours before they announced LGA was open. BUT flight crew had timed out so we were waiting for a new crew. Finally on the ground at LGA around 3:30am. Line for cabs into the city was LONG. Finally got in a cab around 4:30am and just as we crossed the Triborough bridge, cabbie hit a huge pothole and blew out both tires on the passenger side. He wouldn't call us another cab, but we got lucky and a cab driving by picked us up. Got to the hotel at about 5:30am with meetings to start that morning at 8am.

DL in 2011. Flying DEN-MSP-ORD and on the second segment, noticed that we were flying straight past ORD, then past downtown, and out over the lake. I knew something was up, although no announcements had been made. This was NOT the usual holding pattern. Halfway out to Michigan, pilot turned us around and finally made an announcement that the landing gear was stuck and wouldn't fully deploy. Came in for an emergency landing, complete with emergency vehicles lining the runway. My wife was freaking out. Fortunately, nothing came of it, other than the delay and having to be towed to the gate.
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 12:23 pm
  #54  
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I can't vouch for the accuracy but back in the '80s and '90s, I've heard of passengers getting dumped far away from their destination with no onward transportation. Sometime in '88/'89 someone going to GEG was dumped quite far away (as in SEA or LC far). She claimed the airline (probably NW) said that was the end of their obligation. Another friend said either her or a relative was flying from RNO to SJC. The flight (QQ?) diverted to somewhere further (LAX) where they were dumped.
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 12:35 pm
  #55  
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MCI-ABQ, diverted to Durango, CO. We were told we were being diverted because Air Force One was landing at ABQ at the time. But when we landed, police boarded the plane and removed a passenger. Once he was off, the captain said the smoke detector in the lav had gone off and the FAs identified the person as having been smoking in there.

Since we were the only aircraft at Durango (a Southwest 737 in a place where Southwest doesn't fly), I'm not sure if AF1 was really causing a bunch of diversions or if we diverted because of the smoke alarm.

I've been on a few weather diversions over the years as well. Most uneventful: nothing you can do but sit there and wait until the weather clears. But one last year was interesting: flying DEN-LBB on a little UA regional jet, we were on initial approach to LBB when we turned 180 degrees and kept descending without any commentary from the pilot. I could see the massive thunderstorms and could tell they were right on top of LBB, so no complaints there!! Once we landed, the FA had no idea where we were. Abilene? Lubbock? Amarillo? (It was Amarillo.) Of course there were no United personnel at Amarillo, so I knew from experience nothing was going to happen fast. The instant we deplaned, I rented a car and drove the two hours. I later noticed that the flight was listed as canceled, so I'm guessing the plane went back to Denver and I have no real idea what happened to the rest of the passengers on the flight.
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 6:57 pm
  #56  
 
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March or April 2005, LH flight from PDX-FRA. My first, and so far, only, international flight (not counting a couple of trips to Canada). About three hours in, an announcement for any physicians on board to aid an ill passenger. It turns out we had half a dozen. An hour or so afterward, there's an announcement we are diverting to KEF to offload the ill passenger. I didn't get to deplane, but I did see Iceland, if only from my window seat.

We get into FRA about five hours late, and I have missed my connecting flight to AUH. Nice LH rep directs me to a shuttle to an overnight hotel, just outside the gates of Rhein-Main AFB. I thought it was quite American-looking, and later found out it had started life as quarters for USAF personnel in transit.

Back to FRA the next day. I have several hours to wait for my flight to AUH, I'm very thirsty, and there are no water fountains in the terminal (or, at least, none I could find). I had no Euros, and the credit card terminals were all down. I happen by a LH desk, and see the same nice lady who handled my shuttle and hotel arrangements the day before. I told her of my situation. She invited me to be LH's guest in the first class lounge (I was on a very cheap economy ticket). Score!

FWIW, I found everything about LH superior to any U.S. carrier I'd flown on.
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 8:14 pm
  #57  
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On a UA 747 from LHR to SFO. Somewhere over Greenland I could feel us descending and the moving map stopped working. A good twenty minutes later the Captain announced a pressurization issue limiting us to IIRC 14000 feet. He said we had to fly low and slow. We couldn't make it all the way to SFO so we were diverting to ORD - which took as long as flying all the way to SFO.
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 9:43 pm
  #58  
 
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Weather diversions:
  1. ATL-(STL)-ORD
  2. DFW-(ICN)-HKG
  3. SFO-(LAX)-SAN

Mechanical diversions:
  1. MCO-(MCO)-CLT

I've never had a medical diversion but a few "Is there a doctor on board?" moments. Diversions cost a lot, and airlines don't take them lightly so I don't think angry or upset would cross my mind.
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Old Jun 28, 2016, 11:17 pm
  #59  
 
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A medical emergency a few years ago on an AA LHR-LAX flight gave me an opportunity to stop in the most northern airport I have ever visited - Iqaluit. I'm not exactly sure what the emergency was, FA's asked for any available medical personnel and fairly soon after that they made a decision and we quickly descended for landing. Pax was offloaded - he appeared conscious so hopefully it worked out OK - but we had to stay for several hours while they went through some inspections and paperwork since we landed heavy. Later as I researched the "where the heck was I" question I got to learn about the relatively new Canadian territory of Nunavut.
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Old Jun 29, 2016, 12:19 am
  #60  
 
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Originally Posted by GrumpyAnalyst
I have been diverted only once (it was 1989) in >30 years of flying (Maybe I am lucky.) I was flying ORD->LGA on UA, after a 3-hour weather delay, on approach, we started a holding pattern. When I asked why we were holding I was told (I kid you not...) "We are below 10,000 feet, the pilot is not allowed to make any announcements". After about an hour we were told (by the captain) that we were diverted to EWR because LGA was closed.

On landing, we learned an airplane had skidded off the runway at LGA. I didn't mind being over five hours late. I didn't even mind being diverted to EWR (I had a meeting nearby anyway.) What I minded was the stupidity of the UA FA.
Was the FA the stupid one?

U.S. FAR 121.542:
a. No certificate holder shall require, nor may any flight crewmember perform, any duties during a critical phase of flight except those duties required for the safe operation of the aircraft.

[]

c. For the purposes of this section, critical phases of flight includes all ground operations involving taxi, takeoff and landing, and all other flight operations conducted below 10,000 feet, except cruise flight.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterile_Cockpit_Rule)
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