Peterpack

Medical emergency or otherwise

Have you ever been on a flight which had to detour dramatically, possibly even return back to where it came from for an emergency

even though other peoples lives may be at stake, people would be pissed

Doc Savage

If you read some of the threads here, most people are pretty understanding about medical diversions.

Tchiowa

I have been on diverted flights a couple of times. Frustrating, yes. But pissed because someone's life was at risk? No.

kochleffel

I would never be angry about a diversion for a medical emergency.

I might feel differently if we were landing at, say, Bangor to offload a drunk (although I'd probably be happy to have the drunk off the plane). On the other hand, I am not an expert and I would not necessarily be able to tell a drunk passenger from one with a psychiatric emergency.

ajGoes

I spent much of the four hours or so on an LAX-CLE flight wishing the pilot would divert to offload a psychotic passenger. She had been extremely agitated from before boarding to seating herself (in my seat, which I didn't try to reclaim) and throughout boarding, to the point that the FAs asked the captain to consider deboarding her. He sat with her for ten minutes or so and decided she could take the flight. It was miserable for everyone around her, and the cabin crew had to work minus one FA who sat with the lady for the whole flight.

annieway

Not diverted when in flight, but on the runway waiting to take off, the captain announced that we had to go back to the gate because a passenger wanted to get off the airplane. He explained that if a passenger insists on getting off, they have to let them off.

So we returned to the gate and the passenger got off. The captain then announced that there would be a further delay because the passenger refused to say why she had wanted to deplane. He explained that this is a security issue if someone gets off and refuses to say why - makes sense to me.

Eventually, about 15 minutes later, the pilot announced that the passenger had finally explained that it was a medical issue and we went on our way.

I was surprised that the captain was so open about what was going on but I appreciated being informed. I honestly can't remember which airline it was because I've been on so many recently.

Efrem

Landed in Las Vegas en route from LAX to somewhere in the eastern U.S. for a medical emergency. Took 10 minutes to get the passenger off the plane, 20 minutes to replace the oxygen canister they had used in flight, and 30 minutes to complete the paperwork documenting that they had done that. Nobody was upset at landing, people pretty much understood that replacing the canister was a good thing, but lots of us (including the pilot) were a bit miffed at how much paperwork had to be done.

Redhead

Been diverted for medical reasons twice - never angry. You just hope the person is ok

Had to return from the runway to the gate one in LHR due to a wild drunk - yes, I was angry that time. Both at the drunk and the gate agent for letting him board

HawaiiTrvlr

Diverted for mechanical on a flight from DFW to Hampton Roads VA (this was in the 1997 or so). We had only been in the air a few minutes when the pilot said we were landing at the closest airport (Shreveport LA) because there was a cargo hold light that was on. We landed and it turns out that the baggage crew hadn't tighten the handle or something. We, of course, had to wait to take on more fuel and left after being on the ground for 30-45 minutes.

TommyD2

Been diverted a few times, mostly weather, but a couple of medical.

One I remember best was when flying from Brussels to Newark. Got diverted to Shannon for someone's medical issue.

Still the only time I've been in Ireland.

MSPeconomist

Medical diversion to Ottawa several years ago on AMS-MSP. I had a front row seat view of some of the procedures, including the fact that the ill passenger was from a country that normally required an advanced visa for Canada. The plane made a distinct turn from the flight path which looked quite dramatic on flightaware.

Another time my flight diverted from takeoff position on the runway (after being in line behind about twenty aircraft) back to the gate to offload about twenty rowdy drunks who were off duty local police officers.

Mechanical diversion to Shannon on JFK-CDG flight. We arrived into CDG 27 hours late and missed the next day's connecting flight, which forced a transfer to Orly.

LAX2Anywhere

One mechanical diversion. Flying from LAS to ORD on United. Suddenly channel 9 switched from Tower Communications to light jazz. A while later the pilot informed us we were diverting to Denver due to an engine problem. Was able to listen to Channel 9 again on approach to Denver - the pilot was asked if he was declaring an emergency and his reply was "not at this time" and we landed without incident. Found out while waiting for a new plane that the engine temperature had crept up close to the point where the engine would have to have been shut down.

Gringa

How does a GA not notice 20 rowdy drunks? One I could imagine but not a gang. Are there repercussions to the GA in a situation like this since it's an expensive proposition diverting planes back to the gate?

MSPeconomist

At the gate, the GA did come on board to tell them to settle down and behave. This was after some passengers complained about them standing up and shouting to their "friends" seated fifteen rows back.

However, I think you could equally ask why FAs didn't report the behavior to the pilots (if it wasn't already obvious to them during boarding) and why the captain even left the gate with these idiots on board.

closetasfan

I was on a flight where a person suffered three seizures on a flight but the flight was not diverted, which I discussed on FT and a lot of people thought were odd.

Only been diverted once, and oddly enough, I was diverted further than my original destination, which most of FT also thought was odd