How many diverted flights have you been on ?

[Davo70]

Just wondering whether I've been fortunate to have never been stuck on a flight which has had to divert due to weather / other reasons.

I fly 20 - 30 domestic sectors / year between state capitals and have done so for the last 5 years. The closest I've come to diverting was a flight to PER when dodgy crosswinds resulted in two go-arounds (fortunately landed on 3rd attempt).

Interested in how often it's happened to others and where you found yourself (and for how long).

 

[Commuter]

I think mine has been about 3 out of 300 sectors or so over the last 3 years (about 150 Australian domestic, 150 overseas/international).

They were all very minor diversions though - two to an alternative local airport with CAT III, one was a fuel diversion due to weather-related congestion at the destination aerodrome. That's all that I can remember. None was of any major consequence.

 

[oz_mark]

Been on a medical diversion, also known as PER-HKG via PER

 

[NM]

These are all I can think of:

• BNE-SYD became BNE-BNE when we missed the curfew and returned to BNE.
• MIA-LAX became MIA-MIA-LAX following a mechanical problem just after take-off, returned for a change of aircraft.
• MEL-PER became MEL-ADL-PER due to refuellers strike in MEL.
• MEL-BNE became MEL-OOL-BNE due to BNE runway closure following a disabled aircraft stuck on the runway at BNE.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Don't wish it on yourself; I had similar thoughts about 3 years ago and then it happened.

Jan 2006 PER-ADL-BNE became PER-ADL-MCY due to a thunderstorm over Brisbane. Sat on the aircraft for 2 hours then they got us a bus, about a 5 hour delay.

Only mention PER-ADL as it was the same crew, I was returning from holidays so it wasn't any problem but would have been a major problem if it was the start of the holiday.

 

[serfty]

Once circled Lake Eildon for 90 minutes or so between SYD and MEL waiting for a storm to pass through central Victoria.

The closest I've come to diverting was when a 727 freighter ran off the runway at BNE:

• Possible delays at BNE today - FlyerTalk Forums

 

[coyote25]

ONce I was on a MEL-CBR flight and after circling for 2 hours we got diverted back to Melbourne to refuel. Sydney and Canberra both had a fog problem.

When they got back to Melbourne I left the flight since I had missed my meeting. It caused all kinds of problems as they didn't want me to leave. In the end about 7 people left the flight.

I'm not sure what happened regarding the fare for the round trip sky cruise since it was a work ticket but I have a feeling we didn't get billed (since I didn't have to explain why I cancelled the work travel plan).

 

[trooper]

Put me on the "never.... yet" list.

Like some others here the closest I have come was a multiple attempt type arrival.....on a B1900 flying CHC-HKK... We got in under the solid overcast on the third attempt.. Pilot said if we hadn't made it that time he would have gone back to CHC...

 

[tuapekastar]

On or around Australia Day 1974, a SIN-BNE became a SIN-SYD after a little excess precipitation in BNE. Overnighted in SYD and were able to land in BNE the next day.

 

[Warks]

In over 20 years of flying and maybe 1000 flights (who keeps count?) it hasn't happened but I know plenty who have had that experience, often due to fog.

Had a go around at LHR after 14 hours (was it really that long?) from LAX. A fire engine charged across the strip (so the pilot told us) when we were on final (and I really mean final!) approach. I would have said less than 200m off the ground but I may be delusional.

Got stuck in OOL in a storm once when DJ wouldn't do anything and left us to rot for the night. QF bussed its pax to BNE. Thus began my eternal enmity!

 

[flyboysp]

I've been on only one diverted flight. It happened in late December last year, where i was on a LAX-SYD flight that diverted to NAN for a medical emergency which then turned into a MX issue. The crew ran out of hours so i was put up in a hotel in NAN for a night , and flew out on a 744 the next morning.

Now this may soubd strange, as long as i am time or money critical, a diversion does not worry me. I kind of like it.

 

[Dave Noble]

Ive had a few

Had a ORD-LGA divert to Detroit due to electrical problems
Had a CAI-SIN divert to DXB due to a windscreen cracking
Had a MIA-LON divert to gander due to engine problem
Had a BNE-SYD return to BNE due to weather
Had a flight to LHR divert to LGW due to weather ( that was the one diversion that was pure benefit to me )
Had a ORD-LHR divert to BOS for a medical problem
Had a LGW-TUN return to LGW due to some unspecified problem

Think there's a cpl more but can't remember them off top of my head

Dave

 

[Mal]

BNE-SYD turned into BNE- (somewhere around NTL) - BNE (refuel) -SYD due to storm activity in Sydney.

 

[JohnK]

The only one I can remember is an ATH-JFK flight on TWA in October 1990 that ended up being an ATH-LHR-JFK flight. We waited in LHR for ~3 hours and we were not allowed off the aircraft. Not very exciting and I do not want to go through that again. Apparently something wrong with one of the engines. Well at least that is what we were told.

There have been a few times where the aircraft has started to taxi and then returned back to gate due to some minor malfunction and a few times circling airports due to severe thunderstorms.

 

[kpc]

My first and only F experience (which was on SQ from Fra to Syd via Sin) was diverted to Mel minutes before landing due to fog in Sydney. Unfortunately, the plane parked in some obscure corner at Mel, til the fog cleared in Syd, and then we headed back to Syd. I was quite disappointed we could not get off the plane at Mel as I had dreams of a nice hot shower at the SQ F lounge in Mel:evil:

 

[v8Statesman]

The only one I have had is a PER-NRT that turned into PER-DRW-NRT because they couldn't refuel the 767 in PER due to some issue with pumps.

 

[Natt]

this thread.. it brings up memories .. and not good ones

lets just say flying into Hobart in winter used to be a real pain

I remember a really lovely night where I was meant to be in Hobart at about 9pm but ended in launceston .. and being transferred on a bus.. 2 am .. yuck!!

I am still scarred.. one of the reason I avoid flying out of melbourne on a winters morning

to be fair .. in March I did about 9 internal flights in malayia with zero delays

and I was even recognised by the air asia staff ..eek

 

[Commuter]

I suddenly remembered being on a 747 which had an engine failure and did a return-to-departure port. This was many, many years ago though. A total non-event, except that it caused about a 12-hour delay while they fixed this offending engine

 

[Flashback]

Now this may soubd strange, as long as i am time or money critical, a diversion does not worry me. I kind of like it.

I'm the same, if I'm not in a super rush it's no bother really.

I've had 2 now:
PER-BNE (returned to PER 30 minutes into the flight, due to a burning smell down the back); this was frustrating as instead of flying in J for a dinner service and enjoying the flight, it instead turned into an overnight flight; waste of J as I would have been sleeping in a nice bed instead! :evil:
BME-PER (got onto the plane (fully booked) to find out the seat was broken. Given it was a Saturday and I was in no rush to go home, I agreed to overnight it (they put me up at the Cable Beach Club Resort ) and fly back home the next day in J instead of whY).

 

[taswegian77]

In recent memory I can remember 3 clear occasions where we were diverted.

LAX-MEL became LAX-SYD-MEL due to fog in MEL. I was supposed to attend a wedding that afternoon and just got there in time.
BKK-MEL became BKK-ADL-MEL due to once again fog in MEL. Not so bad spent about 45 mins on board re-fueling and then headed to MEL.

My most serious one was a BKK-MEL that became a BKK-DPS-MEL due to one of the two engines switching off over Indonesia and would not restart. JQ flew another plane up from SYD that caused a 18 hour delay but we were put up in decent digs and I can honestly say I slept like a baby on the trip back from DPS due to many reds in the pool. This one is also my scariest as being down to 1 engine is not a nioe thought. Also my only time on TV, got 10 seconds of fame on 7.