Aviation trip reports thread.

[Butts]

How long have you been stuck on the tarmac?

On Wednesday BA Flight due to leave GLA at 0840 took off around 1135 due to Fog at LHR resulting in ATC restrictions down there.

We had boarded at around 0900 and the Captain had come off the plane prior to this and explained at the gate we may be in for a long wait before take off . It could have been worse at one time our projected leaving time went as high as 1300.

The Bridge remained attached for the first hour and at that time people were given the option to get off if they wanted to. Once the doors are closed and we are ready to depart ATC may give us an earlier slot.

To say it was exciting would be an understatement - however luckily I was in CE and they ameliorated the delay by cracking the bar open a couple of times.

A lot of people (including me) had connecting flights and when we got to LHR Flight Connections was like Piccadilly Circus.

I swerved that and was straight out for a couple of well deserved Bensons

Luckily my original itinerary had a three hour layover and my Venice Flight was an hour late due to the carnage so I was back airside in plenty of time to join it. .

 

[DanNCL]

Just over two hours on the tarmac is the longest for me, the total delay of the flight was much longer.

I was travelling from Newcastle to Heathrow. Newcastle Airport had to close and the inbound aircraft diverted to Teesside.

BA transferred the passengers from Newcastle to Teesside by coach to board the plane. I was on the first coach. BA hadn’t got enough coaches to move everyone (needed 3, only had 2) so once we got to Teesside and onto the aircraft, we then had to wait whilst one of the coaches went back to Newcastle to collect the remaining passengers, bring them to Teesside and for those passengers to clear security again before we could leave.

Scheduled departure from Newcastle had been 20:00. We eventually took off from Teesside just after 01:00.
Definitely unusual getting to Heathrow at 02:00, I’d never seen Terminal 5 so empty!

 

[CBlue]

Four hours sat by the repair hangars at Luton Airport on a Wizz A321 originally bound for Ljubljana, as they couldn't find spare buses. Unfortunately they couldn't start repairs until everyone had got off the plane!


We had only made it as far as Frankfurt before turning back due to a fault.

Eventually buses arrived and we spent a further hour queuing up through passport control, finally learning from airport staff that the flight was cancelled.

 

[route101]

Only one I can remember with a big delay was a morning shuttle down to LHR from GLA due to weather. Was a few hours.

 

[jbqfc]

4 hours at Las Vegas in what is the worst thunder storm and rain i have ever seen

John

 

[swt_passenger]

8 hours at Ascension. Bad weather expected in whole of southern England. Diverted to Stansted with a refuelling stop at Edinburgh. Chaotic. Mid 90s.

 

[RailWonderer]

Ascension

Where's that?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Where's that?

Middle of the Atlantic, about half way down. Where the red balloon is on this screenshot.

 

[Watershed]

The worst I've had was a 3 hour delay - after landing - whilst waiting for the flight crew and ground staff to argue the toss over whether it was safe to attach the airstairs...

 

[Spamcan81]

Can't recall how long we were delayed but back in 1999 I was on a United 777 waiting to depart Chicago when officials came on board to remove a passenger and then there was the wait while their luggage was found and removed from the hold. All rather interesting if somewhat frustrated at the delay.

 

[cactustwirly]

Roughly an hour or so at Verona last year whilst there were ATC issues at Gatwick. The plane was boarded and door closed in the hope of an earlier slot

 

[Harpers Tate]

(1) Landed at East Midlands from somewhere Spanish (forget where - may have been Tenerife?) on a TUI flight. Several "bright" pax had decided that they would take it out of the crew that their preceding cruise (same TourOp) had given them food poisoning or something. (Like the aircrew have anything whatsoever to do with it; idiots).

So the captain quite properly declared a plague ship. We landed on time and reamined away from the terminal while they recruited a Doctor to come and certify us safe to land. Where he came from, I don't know, but it took 2 hours plus. At which point, we alighted, were told we could voluntarily see him if we wanted to, but otherwise could go.

(2) Not "on the tarmac" as such - but interesting). On one trip consisting of 4 flights, 3 of them had some sort of "incident".
(a) Leaving Manchester for Orlando (Virgin Atl.). Started take-off on the runway, got so far down and suddenly, anchors on, and taxied back to the gate. Apparently it was a faulty fault warning on the reversing flaps. Took 2 hours before we tried again. For this part - yes, we remained on board.
(b) Side trip from Orlando to Jackson MS on a domestic low cost carrier SouthWest. It's a 50 minute flight. We arrived in Jackson early and descended. We were within a few feet of the runway when I noted throttle back on and we climbed. Thunderstorm and gusty winds. No second attempt was made; we diverted immediately to Birmingham AL - another 40+ minutes away. Refuelled and headed back to Jackson - >2 hours late. (Aside: to give SouthWest their due; during those extra 40-odd minutes, they had arranged alternate routings for many of those who intended to change at Jackson for elsewhere and they alighted at Birmingham).
(c) Return trip from Jackson to Orlando. Just a minor delay in boarding due to heavy rain.

And finally - not me, and again, not stuck on board, but:

A relative was a Virgin Atlantic Captain operating mostly out of Heathrow. He was signed for Airbus types. The inaugural direct flight from Manchester to some new destination in the USA was to be an Airbus and they had him down to travel to Manchester to fly it. As is customary, the airport Fire Crews were to do a water arch to welcome the incoming flight after landing. Except that they made a boo-boo and doused it in fire retarding foam. Which killed it of course, stone dead. And so his sole task that day was to inform passengers in the Terminal that they wouldn't be going anywhere soon.

 

[mlambeuk]

2 hours at Leeds Bradford, due to French ATC strikes. Plane was locked down in the hope that we would get an earlier slot. Was heading to Spain.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Not me but my wife and daughter. They were travelling back to the USA on the day the liquids thing hit. 9 hours at Manchester airport. Slept on the floor at Newark airport - arrive into Kansas City 20 hours late.