[QUOTE=spinmeister;22544454]The notice below pertains to my recent flight from BOS-SFO. At LAS, 13 passengers were allowed to deplane instead of going on to ticketed destination. Just curious if anyone knows how this could be permitted.

Dear ,

We would like to make you aware that flight VX351 to San Francisco (SFO) will have a planned Tech Stop at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) due to the strong, en route headwinds on your flight route today.


This happened to me also two weeks ago on a Sunday night VX BOS-SFO. They inserted a refueling stop in Chicago due to headwinds and I learned about it as I boarded, although it was known a couple of hours before. The flight status text I got did not mention the unexpected stop, just that the plane was expected to leave on-time. Given the late-Winter storms, and the conditions that day, it all seemed plausible. If I recall correctly, the door was not opened, no one got off, and we refueled and left. But it turned a 6.5 hr nonstop into a 9+ hr one-stop...Not fun...If it happens again, I might push to take the next NS.

Your trip sounds a little more dubious IMO. Although close, LAS does not seem directly on the way between BOS-SFO (DEN or MDW does). the fact that people got off in LAS, and the fact that VX d/not fly directly to LAS from BOS. What did they do to the plane in LAS? Anything? Are you sure the 13 who got off were ticketed to SF?

Thanks for bringing this up. We should keep track of these. I would hate to see it become a trend.