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BA196 Diverted for the convenience of VIP pax?

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BA196 Diverted for the convenience of VIP pax?

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Old Jul 4, 2022, 3:26 am
  #1  
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BA196 Diverted for the convenience of VIP pax?

On 03 July, BA196 IAH-LHR diverted to YYT (St. John’s, Newfoundland). Per Expertflyer, appears to say that the diversion was due to VIP passenger convenience.

Im sitting at YYT and the BA 777-300 is sitting on a side taxiway a good distance from the terminal.

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Old Jul 4, 2022, 3:31 am
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Don't be misled by the VIP bit. Overwhelmingly the reason will be someone fell ill on the aircraft and YYT has a superb process for getting people off the aircraft and into the nearby hospital with the minimum of fuss. So if the Medilink people advised an offload, a captain would normally hope to be in the vicinity of St. John's NL. It's a bit unusual to be overnighted, usually they can turn around in around 90 minutes there.
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 3:36 am
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Given the "dogs in danger of freezing in the hold" thread had a similar diversion code, I wouldn't take the reason too literally.
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 3:41 am
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VIP = Very Ill Person?

Gallows humour aside, I think this is more likely the result of limited reasons available to list for a diversion rather than a plane full of passengers genuinely being diverted for one person’s convenience, no matter how important they are. If medical, hopefully the person got the treatment required and makes a full recovery.
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 7:22 am
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What status do I need to get to request a convenience stop?
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 7:39 am
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Originally Posted by lorcancoyle
What status do I need to get to request a convenience stop?
Only available to a very select group. The ‘MI when Mile High’ club, not a club anyone would wish to join …….
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 7:39 am
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Originally Posted by lorcancoyle
What status do I need to get to request a convenience stop?
Stroke, heart attack, something along these lines.

I doubt, however, that many will partake or ask for a status match!
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 11:03 am
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Originally Posted by Jon MilnerMatthews
I think this is more likely the result of limited reasons available to list for a diversion
If there were only limited reasons available to list as the cause of a diversion, why would one of them be "COMMERCIAL PUBLICITY / PASSENGER CONVENIENCE, VIP" and them not have a diversion reason for medical emergency? That seems very unlikely to me.
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 11:21 am
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Originally Posted by Steve M
If there were only limited reasons available to list as the cause of a diversion, why would one of them be "COMMERCIAL PUBLICITY / PASSENGER CONVENIENCE, VIP" and them not have a diversion reason for medical emergency? That seems very unlikely to me.
Of the 8 IATA delay codes available relating to passengers and baggage, this does appear to be the only one appropriate to explain a delay due to medical offloading.


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Old Jul 4, 2022, 12:22 pm
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Consider that a Medical Emergency falls within the 'Passenger Convenience' part of the IATA code rather than the Commercial Publicity bit.

Passenger Convenience being "not dying in a metal (or composite) tube at 35,000 ft', although as the Notes might suggest, actual death could also fall within this category
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 12:38 pm
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Were the SAS on exercise there?
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 1:36 pm
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Originally Posted by southlondonphil
Consider that a Medical Emergency falls within the 'Passenger Convenience' part of the IATA code rather than the Commercial Publicity bit.

Passenger Convenience being "not dying in a metal (or composite) tube at 35,000 ft', although as the Notes might suggest, actual death could also fall within this category
If the death has already occurred, and an onboard healthcare professional travelling has declared it so, then it’s likely we’d continue to our final destination.
We would divert to offload a very sick person, we would likely not divert to offload a body.
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 2:14 pm
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If someone were in a bad way and in such need of hospital to necessitate a diversion, I’d suggest they probably are the most important person at that time, certainly in terms of decisions being made. VIP therefore seems apt in any case.
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 2:20 pm
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Originally Posted by lorcancoyle
What status do I need to get to request a convenience stop?
Buy yourself a crown
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Old Jul 4, 2022, 3:42 pm
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Originally Posted by irishguy28
Of the 8 IATA delay codes available relating to passengers and baggage, this does appear to be the only one appropriate to explain a delay due to medical offloading.


These all read as pre-departure delays. Does the system not allow for anything after taking off?
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