Leaving a diverted flight

[UniFoxOs]

Hi, in view of the weather (I note a flight from Chennai to LHR has recently landed at EMA), and knowing that a friend of a friend, who lives in the vicinity of EMA is on the way (supposedly) from Africa to LHR, I wondered what the position would be if her flight was diverted to EMA and she wanted to leave there. Would the airline insist on bussing her to LHR to complete her journey? The GF thinks they would, as someone on a flight she was on had this experience some years ago, but it seems unreasonable to me.

UFO

[hellsbrink]

Hard one to call. If you had been cleared though immigration then I guess the airline would be happy having at least one less person to cart all the way to London especially as that person would not be chasing compo or whining about the diversion. Otoh, they could insist that everyone goes to LHR. Guess it would depend on the airline, etc.

(Just thinking out loud)

[angels]

Don't know about the UK but when I lived in Singapore I was on a flight which was diverted to Johor Baru airport in Malaysia because of ****e weather over Changi which stubbornly refused to budge.

I only had hand baggage and they put steps up to the plane so I asked if I could get off. They let me off, I went through immigration (who were quite surprised to see me) and got a cab over the Causeway back home.

Much quicker than hanging around in JB (sic)!

[Shack37]

What would the airline do if you simply jump in a taxi and disappear? If you refuse to board the bus to LHR will you be manhandled on to it. Will the airline ground staff call the police and what will the charge be? Refusing to be kidnapped?

Assuming baggage has been released I think it should be up to the passenger to make alternative arrangements as they wish. It would be courteous to inform ground staff of your intention so they don't waste their time looking for you.

s37

[UniFoxOs]

Assuming baggage has been released I think it should be up to the passenger

That was where I thought there could be a problem - the airline could arrange for it all to be trollied direct from the aicraft to a truck to follow the bus, and wouldn't want to prat about trying to get one suitcase out and hold everybody else up.

UFO

[The SSK]

Whenever I've been diverted, baggage reclaim has been carried out at the airport of actual arrival. Gives you something to do while waiting for a bus to be organised.

[wings folded]

Had actual experience of this many, many years ago.

Was supposed to meet a passenger at Gatwick, which was reported closed due to foul weather. Most flights were diverted to Stansted.

Quick phone call to company Ops confirmed the diversion. Picked up amazed but admirative Pax at STN (no mobiles in them days to let me know!!)

STN closer to home than LGW by a good 200 miles round trip.

Took the trouble, and I think it is important, to mention to ground staff what we were doing. They were grateful - said it would have complicated their head count on the bus had we not alerted them.

All baggage re-united with Pax at STN, I think for customs reasons. We can't have uncleared baggage roaring up and down the M11 can we?

[Rainboe]

Not a hard one to call at all!

If you had your baggage and were being transported on by other means, then they would be glad to have you voluntarily off their hands (BUT, see below). However, if passengers were staying onboard, bags not offloaded, and they were hoping to get airborne to transport everyone to the original destination, then you will have trouble getting off. It would mean baggage being offloaded to get your bag as they cannot continue without you and your bag still aboard- probably impossible to get your bag off in a real diversion/chaos scenario. I would hold you onboard. By selfishly demanding to get off, you would probably be preventing everybody else getting to their destination at all! How could you claim unlawful detention when you purchased a ticket to the original destination? I would be happy for the passenger to risk total bankruptcy taking it to the High Court when they had bought a ticket to the original nominated destination anyway. It comes down to: 'are the needs of the individual more important than the needs of the large group of people?'. I think under these circumstances, you would get scant sympathy from a Court, as well as a massive legal bill depriving you of all your assets, if indeed you want to risk it for a principle and a minor inconvenience.

I'd be amazed anybody would want to risk everything they have for such a stupid (and selfish) principal- but it would be entertaining watching them try it on!

Scenario- carrying large group of Italian pax Nairobi-ZRH-LHR for transfer to Rome. ZRH fogged out- divert to Rome. Great joy for Italian pax! Not so.
1- BA had no traffic rights Nairobi- Rome. No passengers allowed to be landed
2- Italian Immigration would not entertain allowing anybody off at all!

So factors that can affect this jumping off flights are: airline traffic rights and Immigration rules. Sounds unreasonable, but it is not the airline that sets the rules! To prevent the airline contravening the regulations, I would have no hesitation in summoning the Police to deal with recalcitrant passengers determined to 'jump ship' against regulations.

[VAFFPAX]

Consider our situation in August last year:

DUB-LHR flight delayed. The option to cancel existed, EI offered to put up all the pax at DUB for the night, but pointed out to the pax who insisted on continuing that they would be diverted to LTN.

Baggage was offloaded at LTN. Pax who had to be transferred to LHR were asked to wait for the bus, whereas those who wanted to continue into London on their own were free to do so.

S.

[Shack37]

Rainboe

I'm assuming you refer to my previous post here. If you were not, please ignore my response.

What would the airline do if you simply jump in a taxi and disappear? If you refuse to board the bus to LHR will you be manhandled on to it. Will the airline ground staff call the police and what will the charge be? Refusing to be kidnapped?


Where does this post suggest a passenger should insist on disembarking? I was merely mentioning that I would think it odd if, after disembarking and collecting luggage, any staff member would try to prevent a passenger from taking a taxi home because he/she lives near to the diversion airport. I would find it odder still if they tried to force a passenger on to a bus if he/she did not want to board it.

s37

[VS-LHRCSA]

It depends on the circumstances.

If EVERYONE is disembarking, claiming bags and continuing by coach, then fine, if one pax decides to make their own way.

If the aircraft is staying put, waiting for a chance to fly on, fully loaded, then no, a single pax wanting to get off would not be allowed to.

Eg: TLV-LHR diverted to LTN, while waiting for fog to clear at LHR. The aircraft remained fully loaded. Many pax wanted to offload themselves at LTN because it is closer to their homes but they were not allowed to for reasons of security and the fact that offloading their bags would delay everyone else.

[L337]

I would think it odd if, after disembarking and collecting luggage

How are you going to get your luggage?

Are you going to insist that the whole aeroplane is unloaded so that you can get off?

[hellsbrink]

I think he means when everyone disembarks, luggage goes to Arrivals, everyone goes through customs/immigration (if necessary) and the buses are outside the terminal, L337

[Juud]

Nice explanation Rainboe, but how did the egoistical headmaster get mixed up in it?

[henry crun]

Juud:

[Rainboe]

Shack, read again

If you had your baggage and were being transported on by other means, then they would be glad to have you voluntarily off their hands (BUT, see below). However, if passengers were staying onboard, bags not offloaded, and they were hoping to get airborne to transport everyone to the original destination, then you will have trouble getting off.

I have been involved in several situations when passengers have demanded to get off. I'm afraid the 'egotistical headmaster' act is the only one to pull! The Italians could not speak English. They were at their final destination! Why could they not get off? We were left to hold them on board, physically. They had to carry on to London and transfer and fly back to Rome. Not our fault. Condsider a diversion in a full 737 of skiers wearing their hot jackets- handling agent unable to handle to 4 hours. We had people demanding their 'right' to disembark- 'you can't detain me!' and other rubbish like that. The answer was 'we have no stairs- good luck with the jump. We will tell the authorities and the French Police will detain you, and they beat people up for fun'. I explain as well as I can, but every flight has one self appointed 'lawyer' knowing his rights, someone who knows the chairman of the airline and will 'drop you in it', many enraged people who apparently suffer misery every time they fly, and several crying cases of human misery.....for a 3 hour delay. Sometimes you have to be sharp back. I find the egotistical headmaster guise is the best for putting across the information plainly and clearly with 'this its the limitation of what you can do under this situation- don't push it'. And another thing I have learned in aviation- never apologise if it ain't your fault, because then you have admitted you are to blame. It stands you in good stead!

[Shack37]

I think he means when everyone disembarks, luggage goes to Arrivals, everyone goes through customs/immigration (if necessary) and the buses are outside the terminal, L337

Thanks Hellsbrink, that's exactly what I meant. If it was not clear to some I will try harder next term.
s37

[Rainboe]

You don't seem to be able to comprehend my quote above from post 8. Are you quite clear that those who have been through Immigration correctly and wish to proceed with their already delivered baggage are wished a fond farewell?

[Shack37]

You don't seem to be able to comprehend my quote above from post 8. Are you quite clear that those who have been through Immigration correctly and wish to proceed with their already delivered baggage are wished a fond farewell?

I think this was the whole point of my post. I'm glad it finally got through.

s37

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by Shack37

I think this was the whole point of my post. I'm glad it finally got through.

But in my experience, this is probably an academic question. In this sort of diversion, my experience is that passengers and baggage are usually both kept on board. It may be that the diversion airport doesn't have enough handling facilities to unload all the diverted aircraft, doesn't have enough baggage belts to deliver luggage, doesn't have enough check-in facilities to accept check-in of those who wish to reboard their aircraft to continue to the original destination, etc. And that's before the occasions when the diversion airport doesn't even have immigration or customs facilities available.

On one occasion, an exception was made for three members of a family who were allowed off the aircraft so long as the fourth member of the family stayed on board with the baggage.