London-bound passengers stranded in Canada military barracks as flight crew rests in hotel

[aceplace57]

The airlines just seem to continue to get worse and worse. I’m so thankful my job rarely requires me to travel. I drove to the last computer conference my employer sent me to. I’ll take a 4 hour car trip *any day *over arriving at an airport 2 hours before my flight. I’m curious how much passenger flights have dropped since 9/11? I know the business class flyers have no choice but endure it.

I flew quite a bit in the 1980’s. Back when the airlines still made customer service a priority. We used to take shopping trips to Dallas. Check in at 5:30AM, leave Little Rock at 6 AM on a quick shuttle. Spend the day shopping, having a nice meal, watch some live music and come back that night. Took similar day trips to Nashville. Good times.

London-bound passengers stranded in Canada military barracks during nightmare...

Passengers flying from Chicago to London spent nearly 24 hours in a frigid military barracks after their plane was diverted to the eastern corner of Canada.

But while the unhappy passengers shivered through the Friday night, the United Airlines crew relaxed in a local hotel.

“The crew must rest in order to continue the flight,” United tweeted at least one of the passengers who blasted the airline on social media. “You can rest on board the aircraft knowing they are in charge.”

One passenger narrated video of a line of customers dragging their bags along a dirt path after departing the plane on Friday night.

“Here we are walking on a trail somewhere in Canada,” the passenger said in footage obtained by ABC News.

[Procrustus]

Do you ever fatigue of constant outrage?

[Helena330]

Keep in mind that you only hear of the outliers. There are thousands of flights every day that go off without a hitch. I spent quite a lot of time commuting Chicago-Seattle for a couple years. It probably averaged out to two or three times a month. There was only one time my flight was diverted and that was due to weather in Seattle. We sat in Portland for about 45 minutes then were on our way.

[aceplace57]

@Procrustus

Do you ever fatigue of constant outrage?

Outrage? All I said was I’m glad my job doesn’t require me to fly. I decided years ago that I prefer car trips if the distance is less than 400 miles from my home. I enjoy car trips. That’s my personal choice. YMMV

I’m posting a new story about some paying passenger’s miserable experience. Make of it what you will. I’m not angry, I’m not outraged, I’m not even annoyed. I wasn’t on that flight.

[bump]

@Procrustus

Do you ever fatigue of constant outrage?

I think he’s like an outrage extrovert; the more outraged posts he posts, the more outraged he gets.

[aceplace57]

Note to self. Never again post any negative story on the Dope. Least I be accused of outrage.

geez. give a guy a break.

[PastTense]

Their tickets were going to be refunded.

Passengers flying from O'Hare to London stranded in Canada

[aceplace57]

I think it’s going to take a lot more than a free ticket to make these people feel better about the situation. That’s a lost day of their life they’ll never get back.

They eventually flew on to London, arriving more than 30 hours late.

[beowulff]

@aceplace57

I think it’s going to take a lot more than a free ticket to make these people feel better about the situation.

Shit happens.

[Little_Nemo]

I think most people would prefer to drive rather than fly if they can drive there in just four hours.

[aceplace57]

The airlines recommend arriving two hours early. So that’s 4 wasted hours, plus the lost travel time driving way out to the boondocks to the airport. Parking and riding a shuttle bus to the terminal. The terminal at Dallas is huge. They have rolling walkways to get people around. Most of the flights I take require a connection at Dallas.

A person can *easily *cover 300 miles on the Interstate during that wasted time and without the frustrations. I do fly when its necessary.

[El_Kabong]

The plane put down in Goose Bay, Labrador, due to an apparent mechanical fault. The whole area has a population of about 7000, and the Canadian Air Force base there is the main reason there is an airport with a long enough runway to handle large jets to begin with. Hotel rooms are not exactly thick on the ground there.

Say what you want about a decline in airline service, and maybe the crew should have stayed with the passengers as a gesture of solidarity, but I would rather spend an uncomfortable night in a military barracks than eternity at the bottom of the North Atlantic. YMMV.

[Claverhouse]

If anyone had a good night’s sleep, I’d rather it were the flight crew than myself.

[Muffin]

What, cuddling up for a night with a fine Canadian military specimen not good enough for you?

[DinoR]

The planes got an issue so they stop before flying for hours over water. I can support that if my butt is on the plane. They are in a town of under 8000 with limited hotel space. Not everybody is getting a hotel room so the crew who has to keep the plane in the air gets the rooms instead of a passenger lottery for them. Again, I can support that if my butt is going to be on the plane over water for hours.

The airline provides accommodations and food that are spartan but basically the best available to accommodate the rest. THE HORROR!!!

[aceplace57]

ABC’s video is worth a look. The interviews with passengers and their weariness is more apparent when you hear them talk. It appears that a lack of communication caused much of the frustrations. People will put up with a lot if they are kept informed and feel that the situation is being handled by people that care and are trying the best they can.

Customer relations goes a long way. Mechanical problems will occur, and hotel rooms will be in short supply, all that can be dealt with. People who show some compassion and go the extra mile to help make all the difference.

Passengers on Diverted Flight Stuck Almost 24 Hours in Canada

[GusNSpot]

Why go out on a flight that they knew they did not have time to complete?

Staying at the departure point until a relief crew could be rounded up would be way better than stranding passengers in a bad place… IMO…

At least they could put up the people in a decent place.

I wonder if the pilots had to go due to company pressure even knowing that they were going to have to do the stop due to flight hours running out?

Real strange decision even for a company trying to get by with a lack of pilots due to unforeseen circumstances.

I feel there is more to the story…

Could they be scheduled so tight that stronger headwinds ( by a lot ) which were not forecast and they found out too long after departure???

Big Iron drivers??? Is there any exception rule for this kind of instance?

I have wet my pants in the past because of winds that were not supposed to be there so I know it happens but …

[Eyebrows_0f_Doom]

@aceplace57

Note to self. Never again post any negative story on the Dope. Least I be accused of outrage.

geez. give a guy a break.

You promise?

[dofe]

I’m not sure what the airline could have done in this case. Sometimes shit happens, as beowulff so eloquently put it.

[chizzuk]

@DinoR

The planes got an issue so they stop before flying for hours over water. I can support that if my butt is on the plane. They are in a town of under 8000 with limited hotel space. Not everybody is getting a hotel room so the crew who has to keep the plane in the air gets the rooms instead of a passenger lottery for them. Again, I can support that if my butt is going to be on the plane over water for hours.

The airline provides accommodations and food that are spartan but basically the best available to accommodate the rest. THE HORROR!!!

They should have diverted way down to Halifax. I’m sure it has more hotels and is a bit warmer, and that way when they crashed, the recovery team would be more familiar with the sea floor thanks to fishing out the charred bits of Swissair Flight 111 there a few years ago.