tryathlete

Just heard from a reliable source that last week-- Tuesday I think-- UA 835 ORD to PVG was forced to return to ORD after experiencing GPS/Transponder inop (not sure-- the fellow who told me is not a "techie") before entering Russian airspace. Apparently Russia did guarantee safety without the system functioning. They landed back at ORD, put everyone up in a hotel, and left the folloing morning at 7AM to compete the journey. Imagine 28 hours if seat time with only a short night's sleep had to be a bit uncomfortable especially for thoes in E-.

Anybody on that ride?

FriendlySkies

Perhaps it was this flight?

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/U...626Z/KORD/ZSPD

drklain

GPS inop doesn't make sense. Those planes were flying based on INS and VOR position updates well before GPS made it to the UA fleet. They may have since added it to the MEL (minimum equipment list), but I doubt it.

Now the transponder on the other hand would be go-no go. There are backups but depending on what the failure was, it could cause real issues and limitations. For example, if the altitude input to the transponders was lost, they would be unable to fly in certain airspace. If they lost all transponder output, that would be real issue as well...

United777Heavy

When I went to check-in at the gate, I was told of the delay and and I was handed a form envelope that I had to fill out my name, mileage plus # and other flight info and was told to mail it in or give it to the FA on the flight... I gave it to someone in the RCC at SFO.

does anyone know what that was, and what it does?

I imagine it was for some sort of compensation, but what type?


HKG to SFO - 01/29/10 - 1240pm departure time delayed to 730PM departure time.

young707

may be this has to do with all the canceled flight into and out of Washington DC? I saw it on TV Dulles IAD was closed for a long period of time due to heavy snow storm the last couples of days.

c.l.i.a

Might be for some sort of compensation for the delay.

flyinbob

Most likely it was for all the ORD and HKG flights that week that were delayed for mechanical. I know one was delayed about 30 hours, others 8-12. This was before the weather issues.

LarryU

The HKG to SFO flight was delayed by seven hours on 1/29?

It was also delayed by a similar duration the day before, on 1/28. However, I was spared that ordeal due to the fact that my connecting flight from SIN was canceled so I could not get to HKG at all. Fortunately UA reaccommodated me on the flight to NRT.

dgcpaphd

You wrote that you were handed an envelope and told to mail it or give it to the FA on the flight. You did not say what you did with the form.

If you mailed the form or gave it to the FA and you have not heard back from United by this time, you will not hear from them unless you contact them again (assuming you submitted the form).

If you did submit the form, then go to this site -

https://secure.unitedmileageplus.com/CPR.jsp

and fill it out. Give all the pertinent details of your flight.

Late last year I had a three plus hours delay due to a mechanical. I filled out the form but nothing happened. I later filled out the form at the above web address and within a day or two I was e-mailed a $350.00 electronic Goodwill certificate redeemable at United.com.

Good luck in hearing back from United.

United777Heavy

ok, I didn't know really what that form was for. I don't assume what I get or don't get. I did give the form over to a young lady at the RCC in SFO.

dgcpaphd

Like I wrote, you might want to go to the web address I cited and fill out the form. If you were delayed seven hours because of a mechanical, you will be compensated. All it takes is to fill out the form so that the information about your flight can be verified.

Jimbo

I was on UA 891 today LAX to NRT. The flight departed normally at around 11:45 AM. About 45 minutes into the flight, a PA announcement was made asking if there was a doctor on board. About 75 minutes into the flight, the pilot announced that the flight was likely to be diverted to SFO or PDX because a flight attendant in the F cabin had gotten hurt (I don't know how, I was sitting in the C cabin on the 777 and could not see the forward cabin.

The plane continued its regular flight path (to the northwest) for another 45 minutes or so, when the pilot announced that the flight was returning to LAX. The pilots had to jettison fuel because the plane was too heavy. We landed at LAX around 3:30 PM. The flight was rescheduled to depart at around 5:00 PM, along with a new crew. The flight would now be arriving at NRT around 9:45 PM. Because I knew I would miss my connection to BKK, and did not want to overnight in NRT, I called the 1K line and got rescheduled for the same flights on 2/15.

At first I wondered why we did not divert to PDX, which was the closest airport at the time the medical emergency was declared, but I guess it made sense to return to LAX, because an immediate relief flight crew was available to get the plane back to NRT. I feel bady for all those other pax that will be forced to miss their connections. I also overhead a Japanese FA comment that pax deplaning and staying in Japan would likely miss train service into Tokyo due to the late arrival.

Hopefully, I'll have better luck tomorrow.

MP Premier

Wow, tough luck but rescheduling for tomorrow is probably the best solution. Hope the FA wasn't too badly hurt and will recover soon.

Thanks for sharing. BTW, how do you like international C?

Bart

Jimbo

Since UA891 is a 777, which has not yet been upgraded, Intl C on that aircraft isn't all that great (though it sure beats the back of the bus). I am looking forward to my connecting flight UA881 NRT-BKK, because its on a 744 and therefore features the upgraded C cabin.

sipples

They might miss train service with a 9:45 p.m. arrival. (It's tight.) But there's an 11:05 p.m. express bus from Narita Terminal 1 to the Tokyo City Air Terminal, and from there it's a short taxi ride to any point in central Tokyo. Also, we're talking about Japan, and there's plenty of warning of a late arrival. The ground staff generally have a good Plan B (or two) lined up for arriving passengers, such as rooms at a nearby Narita hotel and/or a chartered bus into central Tokyo.