Return to Gate to Unload Passanger on Wrong Flight?
Jul 15, 2018, 5:53 pm
#1
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Join Date: Aug 2010
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Return to Gate to Unload Passanger on Wrong Flight?
On AA2560 MIA-SAL right now and returning to gate to unload passenger who meant to go to PHL! This is in top the flight already being delayed almost 1 hour because of maintenance. How does this happen? The Passenger is clueless and both GA and system obviously failed. I would have thought the flight would take off and AA would deal with the clueless passenger without inconveniencing so many others. Oh well. Will definitely write to AA about this.
Jul 15, 2018, 6:23 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,107
Why would they take off to a location where a passport (and potentially other documents) are needed with a passenger who most likely would not have those documents (unless their PHL was a connection to an INTL flight) and risk being fined?
Jul 15, 2018, 6:29 pm
#3
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Because checking passports with boarding passes was part of the boaridng process, everyone on the plane should have had a passport. I guess it just points the finger at a sloppy incompetent GA if they boarded without a passport.
Then again, its MIA, so I shouldn't be surprised. Crew will probably time out with a scheduled departure of 9:11pm now. Shows as diverted to MIA in the system.
Then again, its MIA, so I shouldn't be surprised. Crew will probably time out with a scheduled departure of 9:11pm now. Shows as diverted to MIA in the system.
Last edited by JDiver; Jul 15, 2018 at 6:56 pm
Jul 15, 2018, 6:39 pm
#4
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On AA2560 MIA-SAL right now and returning to gate to unload passenger who meant to go to PHL! This is in top the flight already being delayed almost 1 hour because of maintenance. How does this happen? The Passenger is clueless and both GA and system obviously failed. I would have thought the flight would take off and AA would deal with the clueless passenger without inconveniencing so many others. Oh well. Will definitely write to AA about this.
Obviously a giant screwup, but the above is why they didn't just fly the pax to SAL and deal with them later.
I will admit to boarding DFW-MSP instead of DFW-DTW at 6 am once. in my sleepy state I went to the wrong gate. I still do not know how the GA let me through. I was seated, had my jacket hung etc. and only realized when the pilot did his "welcome aboard AA 1234, nonstop service to Minneapolis-St Paul" speech. Odd.
Jul 15, 2018, 7:12 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2018
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The passenger shouldn't be called "clueless". We all deal with people that aren't experienced flyers each time we travel. The ONLY party to blame here is the airline. I'm curious as to how it was discovered she was on the plane. I'm guessing the PAX made an FA aware?
Jul 15, 2018, 7:17 pm
#7
Join Date: Apr 2015
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The passenger shouldn't be called "clueless". We all deal with people that aren't experienced flyers each time we travel. The ONLY party to blame here is the airline. I'm curious as to how it was discovered she was on the plane. I'm guessing the PAX made an FA aware?
Jul 15, 2018, 7:37 pm
#8
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Chicago, IL
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There is the lovely story -- quite possibly apocryphal -- about the passenger with very limited English who was to connect at LAX from Asia for his/her flight to Oakland. S/he board an Auckland flight instead and made inquiries when the flight was a couple of hours over the Pacific as to why the plane had not landed.
Jul 15, 2018, 7:52 pm
#9
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The passenger shouldn't be called "clueless". We all deal with people that aren't experienced flyers each time we travel. The ONLY party to blame here is the airline. I'm curious as to how it was discovered she was on the plane. I'm guessing the PAX made an FA aware?
Jul 15, 2018, 9:23 pm
#11
Join Date: Jul 2001
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There is the lovely story -- quite possibly apocryphal -- about the passenger with very limited English who was to connect at LAX from Asia for his/her flight to Oakland. S/he board an Auckland flight instead and made inquiries when the flight was a couple of hours over the Pacific as to why the plane had not landed.
Jul 15, 2018, 10:22 pm
#13
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Depending on the passenger's nationality and other details, a passport might not satisfy travel document requirements for entry. There could be conditions such as visa required, health requirements (yellow fever card depending on previous travel?), passport expiration date, onward travel documentation, etc. Having a passport might be enough for one international destination but not for all places served by AA.
Jul 15, 2018, 10:28 pm
#14
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At JFK T8, gates 1,2 and 11,12 have a common initial corridor, but split later on; the bp check is done in the terminal. So if two flts are departing from say 11,12 at the same time* it is easy for pax to take the wrong fork "in the road"; they have an agent direct pax to the proper gate at the fork. But once the agent was directing pax to the wrong planes...
*it would be better if they staggered departures from these gates.
*it would be better if they staggered departures from these gates.
Last edited by nrr; Jul 16, 2018 at 5:18 am
Jul 16, 2018, 6:19 am
#15
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At JFK T8, gates 1,2 and 11,12 have a common initial corridor, but split later on; the bp check is done in the terminal. So if two flts are departing from say 11,12 at the same time* it is easy for pax to take the wrong fork "in the road"; they have an agent direct pax to the proper gate at the fork. But once the agent was directing pax to the wrong planes...
*it would be better if they staggered departures from these gates.
*it would be better if they staggered departures from these gates.
I once encountered a similar situation at Dulles on a united flight. They were boarding Charleston, WV and Charleston, SC from the same gate, which then split out to the tarmac where you would walk to either plane. Made for some interesting confusion since both planes were going to "Charleston"