Colo1K

During the “Summer From Hell” (was it 2000?) I was on a trip that required two UAL flights to get home. The first flight was completely smooth and uneventful. My connecting flight just happened to be on the same aircraft from the same gate. I waited at the gate between flights.

I was in 1st class on the 2nd flight and watched/listened as the pilots deliberately delayed the departure and killed about 90 minutes. Eventually the captain announced that the flight was cancelled because the aircraft, on its immediately prior incoming flight, had been in very severe turbulence and that FAA rules required that every inch of the airframe be carefully inspected before it would be allowed to fly again. United paid to put all of the passengers up that night.