Have you been on a flight that diverted?

[antycbr]

VA ATR service from SYD-PQQ became:

SYD-(2 missed approaches at PQQ)-(1 missed approach at BNE)-BNE-(rerouted in J on mainline VA)-SYD-PQQ.

Left home in SYD at around 7am and arrived in PQQ around 6pm. It’s 4 hours by road…

 

[Rangalad]

Have you boarded a flight and then landed at an airport that wasn't the intended destination?

I had a diversion about a decade ago on a domestic flight in Brazil. Took off from CGH bound for CNF, but after circling over Belo Horizonte for some time and being unable to land due to the weather, we ended up returning to Sao Paulo. Ultimately we didn't have enough fuel to make it all the way back to Sao Paulo though, so we diverted to Viracopos.

(From there, unfortunately the airline handled the situation really poorly. After a long wait and no communication, wee ended up getting put on buses - first back to CGH, and then to Belo Horizonte.)

Interestingly, I was crediting this flight to QFF and it credited to my Qantas account as a CGH-VCP flight, which short-changed me a bit. A missing points claim fixed that.

I've also had a Qantas SYD-AKL flight return to SYD after take-off due to a bird strike. That was handled much better - Qantas gave us some meal vouchers, found a new plane and we departed again a couple of hours later.

If you have a diversion tale, this thread is the place to tell it!

Abu Dhabi to Amman.

Due to a sand storm near Amman diverted to Aqaba, Jordan.

After about an hour on the ground, I asked if I could go onto the tarmac for some fresh air.

Two armed Jordanian military personnel escorted me from my seat, off the aircraft and allowed me to walk on the tarmac (only about 100 metres).

The aircraft finally received clearance to depart, arrived Amman about four hours late.

RJ then rebooked me to Munich and onto Vienna (final destination) will LH.

 

[drron]

Three diversions all on AA. first JFK-LHR became JFK-MIA-LHR as they had run out of spare crews in JFK as it was severely affected by weather. Got to LHR quicker than if we waited for the next JFK flight.
Second was CDG-JFK on a QFF award. Operations dramatically reduced due to a general strike in France' So put us on CDG-MIA-LGW.. Not only got us there but reissued ticket that QFF cancelled our award flights as didn't turn up for our non existent direct flight. On AA stock.
Third NRT-DFW-LGW became NRT-ORD-LGW as DFW closed due to blizzard and all flights out cancelled.

 

[RB001]

CDG-MIA-LGW

Perhaps LGA?
Seems a slightly circuitous way of getting to Gatwick. (despite your intention to get to New York!)

 

[sydney slug]

Son getting married in April this year, but needed to go to London for 3 days for the civil ceremony for just the parents before the full celebration/ceremony in Sri Lanka. 94 year old dad due to rendezvous with us in Colombo. Breakfast about to be served on the way back from London when pilot says "prepare the cabin for landing." Some older chap had a heart attack, we were going for Mumbai but did a uey and set down in Muscat. Poor bloke perished on approach. Sitting on the tarmac in a country Sri Lankan Airways don't fly to with a body that can't be moved till checked by the local police and no mobile coverage. Air Crew wear saris with a lot more showing that healthy in Oman, not only that they are all up against time rostered on limits. Staring down a relief crew being flown in much later today or everyone offloaded and crew back refreshed tomorrow.

Cops arrive. Ground staff (no agent, not sure who he worked for) manually go through all the paperwork for our continued journey. Widow and body leave via the back door (poor lady, she must have been in a terrible state) and crew get an extension so we take off arriving about 4.5 hours after schedule. Thankfully somehow got wifi and got my daughters to call their grand dad's hotel to tell him what was going on. Arrive eventually and he tells us he had a lovely day lounging by the pool.

2009 30 feet from landing at JFK in nasty weather we head skywards. hoping for a go around but the plane only goes 90 degrees left not 180. That can't be good. 20 minutes later pilot tells us we are heading for Chicago. Arrive there - in the line for a room I confidently ask for three rooms for our family of 5. You can have this one that is left or try another hotel. 20 or so in the line behind me. The floor of the bedroom was quite comfy and like a lot of American airport hotel rooms the wife and kids got to share 2 queen sized beds. But that's what dads do.