ANA 175 LAX-NRT turn around

[tony.wheeler]

ANA 175 LAX-NRT on Tuesday 26 December 2017 turned around after 4 hours because a United passenger was discovered on board. How did the passenger board and why did the flight turn around? Why not just take the passenger to NRT?

[msbbarratt]

Ooops! No doubt there's a lot of people having to find the answer to your first question (the "how").

Presumably the second part is related to whatever advance passenger information that the airlines have to give to the destination authorities; turning up with an unannounced passenger might attract a fine of some sort. I don't know if Japan requires such information, but that'd be my guess.

I do wonder though if the "return" counts as having left the USA or not; they're returning with a whole plane load of people whom the authorities weren't expecting.

[DmitriD]

Somehow this pax got past the gate staff as well as the cabin crew who check boarding passes at the doors. I am sure that many things have changed since I was airport staff but in those days we had to keep the stub of the boarding pass and keep them in piles for 20 so that we could count the boarded pax if the system went down (often). If the flight was full then you might even get a double seating error at the gates.

WRT the cabin crew at the door, distracted maybe?

[Super VC-10]

Chrissy Teigen live tweets diverted LAX flight after 'unauthorised' passenger discovered | Metro News (http://metro.co.uk/2017/12/27/chrissy-teigen-live-tweets-diverted-lax-flight-passenger-figured-wrong-flight-7185856/)

[Basil]

Chrissy Teigen - who he? ;)

[Super VC-10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrissy_Teigen

[kristofera]

Re. the turnaround: What if it was an UMNR pax?

[G-CPTN]

Why the security on landing?

[atakacs]

This leaves a lot of questions open... Was it a mistake? A hidden stowaway? Regardless of the specifics and wonder about the turn back after 4h... What was the rationale here?

[DaveReidUK]

It may be significant that United have a flight departing LAX-NRT at the same time as the ANA flight.

I believe that both airlines codeshare on the route, so the UA flight will also have an NH flight number that will likely appear on the departure boards, and vice versa.

Still no excuse for the gate staff letting the individual board, though.

[Euclideanplane]

Dumb question: in case the passenger was supposed to travel LAX-NRT anyway, then what would be the problem with simply carrying on with the flight? I never saw immigration care about who was on which flight exactly.

[b1lanc]

This all sounds very strange - NH175 4 hours into flight to Tokyo returns to LAX after unauthorized pax discovered - allegedly boarded with a United ticket? Assuming there has to be more to the story.


Tokyo-Bound Plane Returns to LAX After Crew Discovers ANA Passenger Boarded Wrong Flight, Airline Says | KTLA (http://ktla.com/2017/12/26/tokyo-bound-plane-heads-back-to-lax-after-airline-thought-unauthorized-person-boarded-flight-police/)

[FullWings]

I operated a flight where having been airborne for a while we found a passenger who was trying to get to a different destination with a different airline. Tracing back in the later wash-up, just as he presented his ticket at the gate, which was next to the one he should have used, the agent collapsed and in the ensuing commotion the passenger carried on to the aeroplane. By another coincidence, the same seat number was free (out of only a handful of spare seats) and what seemed like his name on the ticket was actually his original destination.

A very diligent crew member picked up that something was not quite right during the flight and examined his ticket, finding out he was meant to be about 2,000 miles away. His English was very limited and he appeared blissfully unaware of the error (and enjoying his Premium seat) so we arranged for a connecting flight to take him back to where he should have landed when we got to our final destination. To this day I think he never worked it out, although the flight was four hours longer than it should have been...

what would be the problem with simply carrying on with the flight?I wondered about that too - it could be a directive from a higher power as one would assume that the crew had asked for guidance in the matter?

[gearlever]

I simply don't get it.

Flying 200+ passengers for 8+ hours due to ONE wrong boarded pax?:ugh:

[mikemmb]

......... What on earth has our "civilisation" come to when this is the solution?

The men from Mars must be looking down and deciding that now is the time to invade!

[jackieofalltrades]

I wonder why they didn't divert to a closer airport such as Seattle or San Francisco, both of which are regular destinations for All Nippon and so would have ground staff capable of handling the plane.

[Phalconphixer]

Damn good job Chrissie Teigen (who?) was on the flight or the whole stupid non-event might have passed off unnoticed...
This from abc News...
More details emerge about Chrissy Teigen's 8-hour 'flight to nowhere' - ABC News (http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/model-chrissy-teigen-live-tweets-bizarre-hour-flight/story?id=52004939)

[kevleyski]

The question is why the aircraft had no choice but to turn around 4 hours into the flight?

[tech9803]

I'm guessing there was a security imperative to return immediately.
If his checked luggage inadvertently went on a different flight perhaps that set off alarm bells.
Security procedures aren't known for their flexibility.

[PastTense]

Two brothers booked on different flights somehow got on the same Tokyo-bound plane, creating a bizarre case of confusion that forced the aircraft to return (http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/12/26/teigen-tweetstorms-flight/) to Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday night, several hours after taking off, a U.S. government official told CBS2 Wednesday.

Nippon Airways (ANA) Flight 175 departed LAX at 11:36 a.m. Tuesday. About four hours into the flight, the plane made a U-turn over the Pacific Ocean and headed back to LAX.

“During the flight, the cabin crew became aware that one of the passengers boarded the incorrect flight and notified the pilot,” ANA said in a statement to CBS2. “As part of the airline’s security procedure, the pilot in command decided to return to the originating airport, where the passenger was disembarked.”

However, a government official told CBS2 that two brothers bound for Tokyo had been booked on different flights: one had a boarding pass for the ANA Flight 175, and another had a boarding pass for a United Airlines flight. ANA and United have a joint venture.

When the brothers tried to change seats, attendants noticed the problem....

LAX police were initially told to be ready for Flight 175’s return before it was discovered there was a mix-up that was ultimately straightened out, police said.
Passenger Aboard ?Incorrect Flight? Forces Plane To Return To LAX, Airline Claims « CBS Los Angeles (http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/12/27/passenger-incorrect-flight/)

[Passenger 389]

I'm guessing there was a security imperative to return immediately.
If his checked luggage inadvertently went on a different flight perhaps that set
off alarm bells.

If checked luggage on a different flight was the main concern, wouldn't the first imperative be to turn that OTHER plane around - the one carrying his checked luggage yet with no corresponding passenger aboard?

Perhaps had no checked luggage. Or was removed from the other flight when he failed to board it. Either way... the checked luggage issue doesn't seem grounds for turning ANA Flight 175 around.

But, as you say, "Security procedures aren't known for their flexibility."

[atakacs]

I'm afraid that 24h after the fact this story still doesn't make any sense...

How did he end up on the wrong flight? Headcount, anyone?
How did they spot the issue 4 hours into the flight?
Why did they turn back?

This is really a weird one...

[b1lanc]

The brothers had 'similar' names but apparently not identical names and were both heading to Tokyo but on different airlines. I'll guess the brother in question was booked on UA32 which is scheduled to depart about an hour earlier.

Maybe a simple explanation but from a security perspective, if he had luggage on UA32 which was already in the air I would have expected that aircraft to divert as well. Either way you're correct - very strange and something doesn't quite add up.

Maybe he just didn't want to fly UAL - they've had a tough year

[givemewings]

Headcount? On a widebody? not these days.

Most airlines have the barcode scanners to do that job, in 13 years I only ever did a headcount on planes under 50 pax, when remote boarding or when there were unaccounted for pax and the numbers didn't add up.

On a widebody, at a modern airport jetbridge with barcode ticket scanners, the responsibility is on the gate staff to match the count.

The crew at the door do check tickets yes, but with the way pax rush on like stampeding cattle and snatching the stub away barking their seat number, you're lucky to get a proper look. Personally I used to get a hold of the boarding pass and not let go til I could properly check it, but not all crew are that assertive. There could also be cultural issues or inexperienced crew in the equation too.

[ExSp33db1rd]

Maybe the two guys weren't "Bad Boys", but it just proves that the real "Bad Boys" can do whatever they want to do whenever they want to do it, meanwhile we "honest injuns" have to put up with all the so-called "security" nonsense that makes flying such a drag these days.

[DaveReidUK]

Damn good job Chrissie Teigen (who?) was on the flight or the whole stupid non-event might have passed off unnoticed...

After ANA had bribed the other 200+ passengers not to talk about it, you mean ?

[atakacs]

Headcount? On a widebody? not these days.

Ok - thought it was part of SOPs... I guess was another century.

Somehow they still managed to board more passengers than expected, which shows some quite splopy ground procedures.

Still, I don't quite understand how they came to the realisation that they had the guy on board after 4h (unless he volunteered the information) ? And still don't understand why they would turn back. If anything I would have expected the other flight with his unaccompanied luggage to divert. But why this flight ?

After ANA had bribed the other 200+ passengers not to talk about it, you mean ?

Do you have any specifics to that effect ?

[wiggy]

I think if you read back a bit you’ll see there might just have been a bit of ;) in that comment about bribery....

[Hotel Tango]

The men from Mars must be looking down and deciding that now is the time to invade!

I beg to differ. I think they have decided that the way earthlings act, planet Earth must consist of strange and dangerous gasses and best be given a wide berth!

[golfyankeesierra]

And why is there any security issue at all? LAX has central security; afaik all passengers go through the same security regardless of destination, and all other people on airside will have been screened as well; no problem that the passengers was intended on another flight.
So probably the issue is immigration at Japan.
Now if it had been the other way around (unintended passenger on it's way to the US) hell would break loose, perhaps that influenced the decision.
A taste of one's own medicine? ;)

[RatherBeFlying]

One elderly couple ended up in Sydney Nova Scotia on their way to Australia. Really the middle of nowhere unless you are connecting to St Pierre et Miquelon:}

A boy not much over the UM age in San Diego boarded a flight to Auckland instead of Oakland with some assistance from the Kiwi accent:p

[Preemo]

The boy was 22 apparently.
Oakland, He Said, but He Went to Auckland Instead - latimes (http://articles.latimes.com/1985-04-02/news/mn-19265_1_customs-officials)

[EEngr]

Oakland, He Said, but He Went to Aukland InsteadI've seen Oakland. He should have kept quiet, stayed in NZ and counted his blessings.;)

[lapp]

Headcount? On a widebody? not these days.
Seen that many times. Most recent was, I think, boarding a Thai Airlines intercontinental flight. They used handheld tally counters.

[Basil]

Must be more to it or company insisted.
I once carried out a totally unnecessary en-route diversion because company insisted.
I knew they were such prats that they'd have made a huge issue of it if I hadn't..

[A Squared]

Well, it is, after all, their airplane.

[Basil]

Well, it is, after all, their airplane.
True, but we knew much more about the current situation and the diversion was more hazardous than continuing to destination.
Had it been my previous big airline there would have been no problem. Trust me; this lot had got themselves into a crew politics hole.
As is said: No names, no pack drill ;)

[saffi]

I once boarded a flight from Montego bay to Kingston with a friend. We had been travelling for around 40 hours and were unaware of a hour's time difference from previous airport and arrived at the gate an hour early. bags were checked and a security guy dropped an expensive camera just in front of us. I guess that's why they didn't really look at our boarding passes. On board I found my seat occupied and thought I was getting an upgrade because the flight was overbooked but they kicked us off because we were on a flight back to the US. My friend's seat was free and if mine would have been too I think it would have taken at least an hour before I would have realized I was on the wrong plane.... These days boarding passes are scanned...

[Anilv]

I wonder why they didn't divert to a closer airport such as Seattle or San Francisco, both of which are regular destinations for All Nippon and so would have ground staff capable of handling the plane.

If they had landed anywhere else in the states they would most likely not be able to operate to Japan because of flight hour limits. Going back to base meant that the chances of getting a crew together would be better.

I'm not saying that the decision to return was correct.. for some countries it can be a nightmare (Eg Indonesia, India, Nigeria....) but I would have thought Japan was ok as they have good relations with the states.

Anilv

[Long Haul]

My best guess (and it's just a guess) is that one of the brothers bought a refundable ticket on UA,checked in to get past security, and then cancelled his reservation. The other brother then maybe printed his boarding pass twice so they both could use it. When the second one went to board, the scanner beeped that he already had gone past, which was probably dismissed as a glitch since there he was standing there with his passport matching the last name on the boarding pass. I don't know why they returned, but one advantage of doing so was that they could be arrested, since the "crime" occurred in the US before they boarded.

[megan]

A story back before the days of security, when Continental flew the Pacific with DC-10's.

Boarded the aircraft at Honolulu bound for Melbourne, the welcome aboard announcement was made "for the flight to Sydney". Immediately all hands went up crying "we're going to Melbourne". Announcement made "you're all on the wrong aircraft, you should be on the one parked next to us". Much kerfuffle for a period of time until it was decided we were on the correct aircraft. Always wondered if the crew got their respective aircraft mixed.

[Koan]

Remember this one? They did not make a gate change announcement in French. How do you spell San Francisco in French?

https://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2017/05/04/french-woman-flew-united-san-francisco-boarding-pass-said-paris-airline-says-oops/