Alaska Airlines flight diversion leads to a 30-hour nightmare for passengers
Jan 7, 2019, 8:31 pm
#1
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Alaska Airlines flight diversion leads to a 30-hour nightmare for passengers
Aaska Airlines faced a furious reaction from outraged passengers Monday following a weekend transcontinental flight that turned into a 30-hour nightmare journey.
Passengers boarded Alaska nonstop flight 1367 from Boston to Los Angeles on Saturday at 6 p.m., and waited almost two hours on the ground before takeoff in an uncomfortably hot cabin. Then just 90 minutes into the flight, they were diverted because of an electrical burning smell to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York.
Passengers boarded Alaska nonstop flight 1367 from Boston to Los Angeles on Saturday at 6 p.m., and waited almost two hours on the ground before takeoff in an uncomfortably hot cabin. Then just 90 minutes into the flight, they were diverted because of an electrical burning smell to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York.
https://www.seattletimes.com/busines...or-passengers/
Jan 7, 2019, 8:57 pm
#2
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30 hours: Delay, unscheduled landing for safety issue, wait overnight for plane, return to BOS. Get on another flight.
The news says Alaska will do a "deep dive" and I am sure they will determine what can be better.
The news says Alaska will do a "deep dive" and I am sure they will determine what can be better.
Jan 7, 2019, 9:37 pm
#3
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Was astounded to see this story. This was supposed to be fixed by the new tarmac regs. I still don’t understand how people arriving on a domestic flight can be prohibited from leaving a US airport. Does TSA and Buffalo PD guard the airport exits?
I gather maybe Alaska doesn’t have personnel at Buffalo but that is all the more reason that they need to have a sound plan in place when these emergency landings occur. Will be more interested to see what improvements are made than in the compensation (which I expect will increase from the initial offer of $1000 in funny money)
I gather maybe Alaska doesn’t have personnel at Buffalo but that is all the more reason that they need to have a sound plan in place when these emergency landings occur. Will be more interested to see what improvements are made than in the compensation (which I expect will increase from the initial offer of $1000 in funny money)
Jan 7, 2019, 9:50 pm
#4
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Numerous points throughout this story where AS, their employees, and their contract staff (unless something has changed, most BOS ground staff are contract) dropped the ball.
Jan 7, 2019, 9:59 pm
#5
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I don't understand why people stayed at the airport. If this happened to me, I'd leave the airport, get a hotel room, get a good night's sleep, then call AS about getting me on a flight home.
Compensation for the room etc could be dealt with after the trip.
Compensation for the room etc could be dealt with after the trip.
Jan 7, 2019, 10:05 pm
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as mentioned, the big issue was the diversion to an airport where AS has no presence; the late arrival into BUF probably meant minimal airport staffing in terms of TSA and baggage service, and minimal concessions availability
Last edited by jrl767; Jan 7, 2019 at 10:12 pm
Jan 7, 2019, 10:31 pm
#7
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AS is going to need to work on East coast diversions. The problems at Buffalo are understandable, what is not understandable is flying them back to BOS and having them wait 12 hours there.
Jan 7, 2019, 10:43 pm
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[M]aintenance technicians traced the electrical burning smell to a malfunctioning fan used to cool the seat back entertainment system on the Airbus A320. On Monday, Alaska was flying the plane back to a maintenance base on the West Coast.
Jan 7, 2019, 10:49 pm
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Sounds like they were waiting for a rested crew. Either the original one, the comandeered BNA-SFO crew, or another rotation. At least returning to the origin allows some to cancel their trip or reschedule it and AS ground staff to (theoretically) assist pax.
Jan 7, 2019, 10:51 pm
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Too bad they couldn't make it to DTW or PIT...
Jan 7, 2019, 10:55 pm
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Jan 7, 2019, 11:02 pm
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Not excusing their handling of the situation, but regulations likely required diversion to the nearest suitable airport, hence BUF. Haven’t flown AS out of BOS in quite a while, but in the past, ground staff was all contract.
Jan 7, 2019, 11:10 pm
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Jan 7, 2019, 11:12 pm
#14
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Was astounded to see this story. This was supposed to be fixed by the new tarmac regs. I still don’t understand how people arriving on a domestic flight can be prohibited from leaving a US airport. Does TSA and Buffalo PD guard the airport exits?
I gather maybe Alaska doesn’t have personnel at Buffalo but that is all the more reason that they need to have a sound plan in place when these emergency landings occur. Will be more interested to see what improvements are made than in the compensation (which I expect will increase from the initial offer of $1000 in funny money)
I gather maybe Alaska doesn’t have personnel at Buffalo but that is all the more reason that they need to have a sound plan in place when these emergency landings occur. Will be more interested to see what improvements are made than in the compensation (which I expect will increase from the initial offer of $1000 in funny money)
So I guess it is true flying Alaska from the East Coast can be a nightmare.
Jan 7, 2019, 11:13 pm
#15
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uh, that was the divert on Saturday (5 Jan)
it went BUF-JFK on Mon night and is currently scheduled JFK-LAX as AS1413 on Tue night
to that sort of generalizationLast edited by jrl767; Jan 7, 2019 at 11:23 pm