Unexpected LAS Stopover
 

The notice below pertains to my recent flight from BOS-SFO. At LAS, 13 passengers were allowed to deplane instead of going on to ticketed destination. Just curious if anyone knows how this could be permitted.

Dear ,

We would like to make you aware that flight VX351 to San Francisco (SFO) will have a planned Tech Stop at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) due to the strong, en route headwinds on your flight route today.

We look forward to welcoming you on board Virgin America and hope you will enjoy our RED Entertainment System, savory snacks, signature drinks and fabulous inflight team members.

We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience and thank you for choosing Virgin America.

Cheers,

Virgin America Guest Services Team

No reason to prohibit it. It is a domestic flight, and as long as they didn't have checked luggage, no biggie.

On a diversion, I've had the opportunity to "leave, but you're completely on your own" or "stay and we'll get you there, eventually."

Only place this becomes problematic is on international where there are CBP issues and positive bag match still applies. E.g., one pax deplanes and the entire aircraft is processed.

Is it possible that their ticketed destination was LAS? While not a great routing, it's not that rare for someone to fly BOS-SFO-LAS. I know I have flown IAD-LAX-LAS a couple of times. I would have loved a technical stop at LAS!

One time we had to land at OAK due to cirling SFO for too long late one sunday night. They let half the plane off at some far end of their airport and we all hopped in cabs into SF.

[QUOTE=spinmeister;22544454]The notice below pertains to my recent flight from BOS-SFO. At LAS, 13 passengers were allowed to deplane instead of going on to ticketed destination. Just curious if anyone knows how this could be permitted.

Dear ,

We would like to make you aware that flight VX351 to San Francisco (SFO) will have a planned Tech Stop at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) due to the strong, en route headwinds on your flight route today.


This happened to me also two weeks ago on a Sunday night VX BOS-SFO. They inserted a refueling stop in Chicago due to headwinds and I learned about it as I boarded, although it was known a couple of hours before. The flight status text I got did not mention the unexpected stop, just that the plane was expected to leave on-time. Given the late-Winter storms, and the conditions that day, it all seemed plausible. If I recall correctly, the door was not opened, no one got off, and we refueled and left. But it turned a 6.5 hr nonstop into a 9+ hr one-stop...Not fun...If it happens again, I might push to take the next NS.

Your trip sounds a little more dubious IMO:td:. Although close, LAS does not seem directly on the way between BOS-SFO (DEN or MDW does). the fact that people got off in LAS, and the fact that VX d/not fly directly to LAS from BOS. What did they do to the plane in LAS? Anything? Are you sure the 13 who got off were ticketed to SF?

Thanks for bringing this up. We should keep track of these. I would hate to see it become a trend.

Is fuel much cheaper at LAS than at RNO or SLC? Seems like SLC or RNO or even BOI would be more enroute, and LAS quite a bit further out of the way. Or is it only because VX already serves LAS? Seems like it was planned well in advance, and they ought to be able to make arrangements in BOI, SLC or RNO.

I thought VX's practice was to "buy" people off flights that would need tech stops. Is this a change of practice or an irregularity?

Maybe they noticed they had 13 pax going to LAS and it was cheaper to stop there than to buy off enough pax to make it nonstop?

[QUOTE=Pilot05;22545856]The door must be opened and either jetway or airstair attached at at least 1-exit per FAA regulations, and they should have also done the safety video again upon push back from LAS.

As for your flight, it looks like everything yesterday and today made it through without stopping, albeit with an extreme Northern route. It is possible they had a flight plan filed for a more Southern route, hence the LAS stop, but then were able to change it.

"Making arrangements" is never as good as being in a city that you already service, for you and for the airline. What if there was a minor mechanical issue? Happens all the time - you've been waiting for takeoff plenty of times with mechanics in the cockpit, having to sign off on paperwork. What if some other unforeseen delay causes the crew to go illegal and your quick stop in BOI turns into VX having to fly a crew in from somewhere? If any passengers need any sort of processing, there's no agent to help (and this can be as "simple" as someone vomiting on the ground and needing to disembark).