BA2021 Divert Gatwick / Cancun

[MarcJF]

I was on the BA flight today out of Gatwick to Cancun. A couple of hours into the flight the IFE went off, as did the lights and we made a 180 turn. There was then an announcement that due to fumes in the cockpit we were making an emergency landing in Shannon. Crew did an amazing job, i can't believe how many people were complaining about everything. Stuff happens, we got down safely, BA have given us a hotel and we'll try again tomorrow. THe Irish are lovely and welcoming, not planned but not the end of the world, which it could have been.

My question is about the pilot announcement. He said that due to fumes in the cockpit he was using the oxygen mask, wasn't currently incapacitated and that we had to get on the ground as quickly as possible. No issue with that, it's all true, but in being so honest does it risk causing panic? Maybe it's the way now a days open and honest.

[DaveReidUK]

My question is about the pilot announcement. He said that due to fumes in the cockpit he was using the oxygen mask, wasn't currently incapacitated and that we had to get on the ground as quickly as possible. No issue with that, it's all true, but in being so honest does it risk causing panic? Maybe it's the way now a days open and honest.

Was there panic on board ?

I would guess that anyone who would panic at the announcement you described is going to panic no matter what the pilot has said.

[Hotel Tango]

wasn't currently incapacitated may have been a little too honest! ;) But he probably didn't say it quite like that.

[MarcJF]

I wouldn't say there was panic at all, a lot of very concerned people as you might imagine. The 'not currently incapacitated' were the exact words used. There's no complaint from me by the way, the crew did a great job and BA have been very proactive in organising accommodation, transport and meals. I was just wondering why we didn't get a more general divert announcement or whether it's normal procedure now a days to tell passengers exactly what the problem is. I thought it risks creating more concern than ould otherwise be the case with a simple divert message.

[Kiltrash]

In the days of 'snowflakes and social media' it is a real problem what you tell the passengers, be it bus, train or plane, all with different levels of could this escalate to a crisis.

In the case of aircraft if the passengers cannot see what the issue is it would be a 'we have a problem with the aircraft that means we will have to divert to xx to get it fixed, and we should be there in yy hours'
If the passengers can see or smell etc the issue I would hope the truth will be forth cumming, ' You may be aware we have a problem with (fault) and we are diverting to xx Airfield and we will be there in yy hours.
Fact based all the time, no fluffing the problem please.
Like in Airplane the movie as they pulled the flight crew unconscious through the cabin, 'Does anyone know how to fly a plane?'