LAX-Maui flight...over 7 hours in the air, and right back where it started

[Gil Bang 26,050]

What was supposed to be a nonstop journey from Los Angeles to Maui, Hawaii, turned into a dizzying nightmare Friday after the plane turned back three times before the flight was ultimately canceled.

 

Hawaiian Airlines Flight 33, headed to Maui’s Kahului Airport, took off twice, each time landing back at Los Angeles International Airport after flying for hours. When the plane tried to depart for the third time, it was forced to return to the gate and the flight was canceled, according to media reports.

Hawaiian Airlines did not respond to a request for comment Sunday, but Alex Da Silva, the airline’s senior manager, told CNN that the plane returned multiple times because of unrelated systems issues, although the airline did not say what the specific problems were.

An image from flightradar24.com, an online tracker, shows that during one of the flights, the plane looped back after less than an hour and spent another hour returning to the Los Angeles airport.

During another attempt, the plane flew for 5.5 hours, circling repeatedly over the Pacific Ocean without ever getting past Channel Islands National Park, just off the California coast. The plane landed back at the airport after meandering for nearly 2,500 miles.

 

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A statement to CNN said that the flight, which had more than 200 passengers, was classified as an “extended-range operation” and that such flights have “more rigorous safety requirements” because of the longer distances entailed. The airline added that its standard “is to respond to any indication of abnormalities with an abundance of caution.”

 

“Safety is our top priority, and we apologize for the inconvenience to all our guests. … We understand our guests’ disappointment and deeply regret their travel plans were disrupted,” the airline said.

The airline also said in response to a tweet from an unhappy flyer that passengers will receive refunds as well as a $100 credit for future flights. That passenger, who said he’s a musician, said his band was supposed to perform in Maui on Saturday night and criticized the airline for “putting faulty planes in the sky TWICE.”

[Spankytoes 1,743]

Non-story. A $100 voucher is fair

[AustinMT 952]

45 minutes ago, Spankytoes said:

Non-story. A $100 voucher is fair

No, it’s not. Not even close.

[Spankytoes 1,743]

I see we didn’t major in sarcasm

[Bone3421 716]

So was the 2500 miles all trips added up or just the one flight...because LA to Maui is 2490 miles on the google lol

[Landomatic 3,813]

And do you get the miles for the full 2,500 or just the 2,490 it was supposed to be?

[Spankytoes 1,743]

4 hours ago, Landomatic said:

And do you get the miles for the full 2,500 or just the 2,490 it was supposed to be?

That was what I was thinking. With a mileage multiplier added, it's a hell of a haul. 

[Your Mom 4,855]

Extended-Range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards.  It's a set of rules and procedures for flying twins beyond 60 minutes from an airport.  There are certain things that are allowed to be broken on a plane and still be considered airworthy for normal domestic ops but not for ETOPS.   I have no idea why they'd fly around for 5 without diverting back but it would be reasonable to fly around for a while within an hour of LAX to try to sort out a problem to try to maintain ETOPS.  5 hours seems a bit excessive without knowing more details.

[wild_turkey 3,185]

There are certain things that are allowed to be broken on a plane and still be considered airworthy for normal domestic ops

That’s great to know.

[Your Mom 4,855]

Like an extra oxygen bottle or fire extinguisher for example. 

[ernest_t_bass 1,196]

Or a wing

[Clackles 276]

Anybody check flightaware to make sure they weren’t just drawing a big “extended-range” dick over the Pacific?

[CoTex 1,162]

This is like a modern day kon- tiki, with stewardesses.

A riveting tale.

[Landomatic 3,813]

28 minutes ago, Clackles said:

Anybody check flightaware to make sure they weren’t just drawing a big “extended-range” dick over the Pacific?

Was @Thujone flying the plane?