Originally Posted by
divemistressofthedark
Actually, was just going to comment on this thought:
"Considering the situation a three hour diversion to Yeager is pretty remarkable."
Was just telling a friend that I'm not sure I'd ever move to an area without WN, and not the least reason is the fact that, anecdotally, I feel my chances of a significantly delayed flight are an order of magnitude less.
To be fair to other airlines, while that's definitely good, it's not 'an order of magnitude' better than others. I was in a similar (though far less scary!) situation on NW a few years ago (midflight mechanical diversion to a small nonserved airport) and they got us going with a five-hour delay. Plus, the time from landing to dispatch of the replacement aircraft was similar -- it's just that NW sent us a plane from MSP to New Hampshire, whereas WN just had to send one from BWI to West Virginia.
As for compensation, we were offered a choice of $100 voucher or 12,500 miles -- these guys will get more for their emotional distress given that the masks deployed, but a free RR roundtrip is probably where it'll start. Some people may push for more, and WN may or may not give it to them...