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-   -   Wrong seat, wrong flight, wrong destination (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta-air-lines-skymiles/1402022-wrong-seat-wrong-flight-wrong-destination.html)

davetravels Oct 31, 2012 3:12 pm


Originally Posted by DLFan2 (Post 19599379)
Listening to the old guy grumble for hours. . . . .

Surely, he's a regular in our forum!

;) :eek: :D

DMIrishFlyer Oct 31, 2012 4:22 pm


Originally Posted by davetravels (Post 19598799)
True, that "Dulles" and "Dallas" are WAY too similar. They should have named IAD - "Reagan", and left DCA - "National". It was perfectly fine - as is! :)

Don't most people still say National? I always sat National and honestly can't remember anyone saying "I'm going to Reagan..."

I agree - I detest when they rename perfectly well named places, I refuse to call Hartsfield, Hartsfield - Jxxxxxn, nonsense.

NOw if they changed it to be Hartsfield-DMIrishFlyer.... that would be OK.

Dovster Oct 31, 2012 8:53 pm


Originally Posted by sbjnyc (Post 19598918)
In your horse and buggy?

I never enjoyed traveling in a horse.

KenS Oct 31, 2012 10:00 pm


Originally Posted by jjdub86 (Post 19595096)
Every so often an FA will make the announcement before the door closes that this plane is going to (name of city) and to make sure that's your actual destination. I suppose they make these ad hoc announcements based on their own past experiences such as the ones described in this thread. Haven't seen anyone realize they were on the wrong flights after hearing these announcements, but guess it happens from time to time!

I haven't done this in a long time so things might have changed, but I used to fly SLC-FCA frequently. The boarding area (in SLC) was like a bus station and you walked through your "gate" into a corridor where everyone else ended up after walking through their "gate" then you'd follow the signs to your flight. I'm sure there was (is) frequent confusion in that scenario.

SJC ORD LDR Oct 31, 2012 10:25 pm


Originally Posted by MSPeconomist (Post 19590416)
Let's not forget the famous example of people thinking they were boarding a flight to Oakland (CA) and ending up in Ackland, NZ.

I remember the story of someone who thought she was flying LAX - OAK and ended up on an LAX - AKL flight. Nothing like going on a 13.5 hour flight instead of a 1 hour flight.

StayingHomeIsBetter Oct 31, 2012 10:56 pm

Only slightly OT, let's not forget those situations where every PAX on the plane ends up at the wrong airport.

For example, I remember this one, since I lived in Augusta at the time:
February 3, 1986 - A Piedmont Airlines 737, bound for Bush Field in Augusta, Georgia (AGS), mistakenly lands at Daniel Field (DNL). ... See also "Piedmont Airlines Flight Lands at Wrong Airport in Augusta," Associated Press, February 4, 1986.
IIRC, they had to strip the plane of everything non-essential to be able to take off again from the short runway.

Other examples are at: http://www.thirdamendment.com/wrongway.html

And, to keep this post DL-relevant, there are a few DL examples on the list... but none in the last 25 years. ^:D^

MSPeconomist Oct 31, 2012 11:00 pm


Originally Posted by StayingHomeIsBetter (Post 19602583)
Only slightly OT, let's not forget those situations where every PAX on the plane ends up at the wrong airport.

For example, I remember this one, since I lived in Augusta at the time:
February 3, 1986 - A Piedmont Airlines 737, bound for Bush Field in Augusta, Georgia (AGS), mistakenly lands at Daniel Field (DNL). ... See also "Piedmont Airlines Flight Lands at Wrong Airport in Augusta," Associated Press, February 4, 1986.
IIRC, they had to strip the plane of everything non-essential to be able to take off again from the short runway.

Other examples are at: http://www.thirdamendment.com/wrongway.html

And, to keep this post DL-relevant, there are a few DL examples on the list... but none in the last 25 years. ^:D^

Well, there was the Wisconsin flyover when the pilots forgot to land at MSP. Also a plane that landed on a taxiway rather than the runway, IIRC in ATL.

MikeMpls Nov 1, 2012 1:58 am


Originally Posted by MSPeconomist (Post 19592707)
I could envision someone confusing San Jose CA with San Juan PR. They're both destinations that start with San J something. And isn't there another San Juan in Central America?

Don't remember the exact details but a few years ago a woman headed for somewhere in Africa ended up at an obscure Norwegian airport.


Originally Posted by DiverDave (Post 19585558)
Perhaps the GAs have just as much trust in Delta IT as the flyers do. ;)

^


Originally Posted by MSPeconomist (Post 19602594)
Well, there was the Wisconsin flyover when the pilots forgot to land at MSP. Also a plane that landed on a taxiway rather than the runway, IIRC in ATL.

There's a web page in honor of "Wrong Wag Corrigan" that leads with the story about the NWA A319 that landed at Ellsworth instead of Rapid City.

Continental was known for landing on the taxiways a few times at EWR.

And my wife proudly landed her 757 simulator on a taxiway ... :D

MSPeconomist Nov 1, 2012 2:26 am

I was there. In fact, I landed on the grass at JFK. Seeing pictures of all the Sandy water at NYC airports made me remember my simulator experience.

Dovster Nov 1, 2012 5:01 am


Originally Posted by MikeMpls (Post 19603038)
And my wife proudly landed her 757 simulator on a taxiway ... :D


Originally Posted by MSPeconomist (Post 19603090)
I was there. In fact, I landed on the grass at JFK. Seeing pictures of all the Sandy water at NYC airports made me remember my simulator experience.

I have you both beat. On that same day I crashed my simulator into the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

FireEmblemPride Nov 1, 2012 8:29 am


Originally Posted by jjdub86 (Post 19595096)
Every so often an FA will make the announcement before the door closes that this plane is going to (name of city) and to make sure that's your actual destination. I suppose they make these ad hoc announcements based on their own past experiences such as the ones described in this thread. Haven't seen anyone realize they were on the wrong flights after hearing these announcements, but guess it happens from time to time!

Occasionally the flight attendants goof up. I remember being on a UA flight bound for SFO, but the flight attendant said "Orange Country," causing all pax to panic momentarily before the FA revised her statement. :D

njf1003 Nov 1, 2012 5:11 pm

Last time I was flying to PHL the flight attendent numerous times said we were going to PIT and every time someone else would gasp. She also kept messing up the flight number, but no one really pays attentions to those.

There's nothing like landing at PHL and here "Welcome to Pittsburg. The local time is..."

She did apologize saying her original schedule was going to take her to PIT.


Or my other favorite one at PHL on US in terminal F, they had the destination on the board as columbus, and it was supposed to be columbia, sc and when I asked the gate agent if this was the right one, she was like "can't you read it says right there Columbia!" and then I was like nope, that Columbus! she was "oh...." and went to find someone else to fix it...

DMIrishFlyer Nov 2, 2012 6:40 am


Originally Posted by FireEmblemPride (Post 19604337)
Occasionally the flight attendants goof up. I remember being on a UA flight bound for SFO, but the flight attendant said "Orange Country," causing all pax to panic momentarily before the FA revised her statement. :D

I've also heard a few FA's do it as a joke... on an LAX flight say something like "we expect to arrive at JFK on time at 10:54am...." wait for the collective gasp and then tell us it was a joke....

jascp Nov 2, 2012 2:22 pm


Originally Posted by DMIrishFlyer (Post 19585099)
This happened 2 weeks back, flying ATL to IAD.

A woman about 4 or 5 ahead of me was boarding and the scanner burped when her boarding pass was scanned. The GA tried it again, same result, so he went to his computer and came back to her, handed her the boarding pass and told her to board. Then he grabbed the phone, called someone and said something along the lines of I need Delta techs here, the scanner is screwed up.

So I get to the scanner, scans my BP and it burps, message on the screen says "already on board" - he looks at me and said, "but you already boarded...." (I swear:)) to which I reply "actually I'm didn't - i'm right here" - so he does another scurry to the computer, comes back and tells me to go ahead and board but asks me to do him a favor and have one of the FA's call him.....

I get on, tell the first FA I meet to call the GA, then head for my seat. I get to my seat and it has a handbag and a laptop case on it. I clearly see a boarding pass on top of the handbag with the same seat number as mine. The guy in the seat next to my seat tells me that she ran to the rest room.

So we both chat for a minute about how the seats got screwed up and I look at her BP more closely and see DCA on it...

Woman arrives back, I explain the situation, she gets a bit shirty BUT seems she doesn't realize there are two airports in DC (when I ask her which airport in DC she is going to she says "why does it matter") Right around this point the FA comes to get her telling her she is on the wrong flight.

No big deal, but I am really puzzled as to how a) she didn't check the destination or the flight number AND b) how on earth did the GA not spot the problem when she tried to board. Its not like the boarding system didn't tell him.

Just proves that you can have all the systems in place but if humans decide to ignore...


Many times I have wished to fly into a city nearby my ticketed one but Delta usually won't allow it without expensive reticketing. Now I know how to do it. Just board the plane for your city of choice but make sure it isn't full so you can keep reseating yourself until pushback.

I wonder what would have happened after the FA did the count and it was different than the scanner count?

Aren't those "burps" the same one when the gate lice try to jump the priority boarding calls?


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