Originally Posted by danwer930

Hi everyone,

I'm currently aboard AA 969, an L-US A321 from LAS to JFK. Shortly before pushback, the pilot came on to let us know that we would be stopping in Omaha to refuel the plane. He attributed this to four things: the current construction closure of a major runway at JFK, some weather at JFK, the gas required "to fly at the altitudes required to keep the flight smooth", and the fact that the plane was full. He said the options were either the refueling stop or to take 30 people off the aircraft to lighten it, so he opted for the refueling stop.

Does this seem a little weird to anyone? For comparison, there are two Jetblue A321's also making this exact same trip today, including one (B6 #648 ) that left just after our scheduled departure , did not stop for refueling and arrived in JFK on time per FlightAware. And I'm not positive but I think it was a non-Mint aircraft so likely comparable passenger load.

Why would our flight have all these conditions that necessitated an eastbound fueling stop (and concurrent delay), when the exact same plane on another airline did not? Would love if anyone could help this make sense!

Thanks,
Daniel