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View Full Version : Disappointed holiday makers?


KelvinD
22nd Dec 2015, 13:50
Just noticed on Planefinder; LH514, Frankfurt to Cancun made a U turn over London and is headed back, presumably, to Frankfurt. Still at 33,000' and 500kts so I guess the aircraft is OK. Forgot the Blue Riband perhaps?
Whatever, I am sure there will be a plane load of disappointed holiday makers.

KelvinD
22nd Dec 2015, 14:01
Update: They seem to have found the Blue Ribands and are heading back. Having made another wide U turn over the Straits of Dover, now overhead Gatwick looking to rejoin their original track. Odd!

Doors to Automatic
22nd Dec 2015, 14:36
I think it was just a hold over Dover - after 3 circuits them seem to be heading back to FRA.

Hotel Tango
22nd Dec 2015, 14:55
Frustrating but it happens. I was once just over 2.5 hrs into a flight to YVR when we had to turn back. So, 5 hours after departure I was back at the starting point! It was well handled by the airline (KLM) and we were very quickly off again with a replacement aircraft and crew. They'd had sufficient time to organise everything as we made our way back.

KelvinD
22nd Dec 2015, 15:08
I see they are approaching Wiesbaden now, on their way back home. You do feel for the poor sods who may have saved all year for a nice Xmas in the sunshine in Mexico.
Many years ago, I was travelling Jeddah/LHR/New York and was on a VC10 flight. The flight was delayed to allow for people who had been on a BA 747 flight to the US which had turned back somewhere over the South West with one engine fewer than it should have had.
The sad thing that day was the date: Christmas Eve!
Still, even after taking a couple of bodies from that flight, the VC10 left with a grand total of 27 people on board, including the crew!
A brilliant flight!
Oh, and to make it better, the young lady sat behind me prior to leaving Heathrow tapped me on the shoulder and insisted I join her for the trip.

MATELO
22nd Dec 2015, 16:08
Full emergency response and surrounded by emergency vehicles on landing at Frankfurt.

AndoniP
23rd Dec 2015, 10:09
Oh, and to make it better, the young lady sat behind me prior to leaving Heathrow tapped me on the shoulder and insisted I join her for the trip

I hope you made use of a spare row of seats for the flight? :E

Rwy in Sight
23rd Dec 2015, 10:54
Not sure how conveniently a row of spare seats would be. I would be thinking of some other place on the aircraft.

ATNotts
23rd Dec 2015, 14:50
Not half as disappointed as they would have been had they carried on regardless to Cancun and fallen into the middle of the Atlantic ocean! :D