A planeload of passengers traveling from LA to Sydney for the New Year saw their celebration hopes dashed when the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in remote American Samoa, a chain of islands between Hawaii and New Zealand.
More than 300 United Airlines passengers stranded on scenic Tutuila Island for about 21 hours were reportedly given a tour of the island, sipped beers on the beach and enjoyed a fast food feast from McDonald’s.
Before catching another flight back to Sydney early Sunday, the plane’s pilot – who was reportedly forced to circle the island’s hourly hours as the runway has no lights – even bought the weary traveler shots in a show of apologies.
The plane, identified as United Flight 839, landed at Pago Pago Airport around midnight on Friday but was diverted to the islands, which are an American territory, at 6:22 a.m. Friday due to a mechanical problem, flight officials said.
More than 300 travelers were stuck in the picturesque Pago Pago (pictured), where passengers spent 21 hours taking a tour of the island, drinking beer and eating fast food
“Today’s flight was diverted to Pago Pago to fix a mechanical problem,” the airline said in a statement on Friday.
“We are using our facilities, including available hotel options, to accommodate our customers and will be flying to the island on a new aircraft so they can complete their trip to Sydney soon.”
Stranded in what most would consider paradise, passengers on the wayward flight reportedly found themselves without food when they landed in Pago Pago, the island’s capital of Tutuila.
Passengers’ relatives were quick to tweet to provide real-time updates on the situation, with many saying those on board were being looked after by locals, who thankfully gave travelers a warm welcome.
Passengers’ relatives were quick to tweet to provide real-time updates on the situation, with many saying those on board were being looked after by locals, who thankfully gave travelers a warm welcome. However, some blamed United for allowing the incident to happen
“My daughter is now stranded,” one man wrote at 7:22 p.m. Saturday, 13 hours after the strange flying saga began. “They (passengers) showered at the hangar, got (a) tour of the island and (drank) beers on the deserted beach.”
A few hours earlier, a woman had written that her family – including her young granddaughters – had also flown. She also said the Samoan people would help the passengers, but questioned why the airline isn’t the one dealing with the problem.
She added that a replacement flight is expected in the early hours of New Year’s Day – meaning passengers would still miss the world-famous fireworks celebrations off Sydney Harbour.
“My son and granddaughters were on that flight,” the woman wrote at 4:42 p.m. Friday.
Passengers (pictured at Pago Pago Airport on Saturday) had to spend almost a full day on the remote island between Hawaii and New Zealand
“I just spoke to him and he said the Samoan people (sic) have been incredibly generous (as they always are) and everyone is being looked after before their flight tomorrow morning.”
Tagging United at her post, the concerned mum asked the airline: “Why the silence?”
Another added that she also heard from a family member on the plane that local people as well as the flight crew were helping out the passengers.
“My daughter was on the flight too, she said the islanders and crew were great at looking after everyone. Thank God everyone is safe.’
As the traveler’s woes unfolded in real time, relatives continued to shed new light on the strange incident, including how the plane was forced to spend hours circling the runway early Friday before landing because the runway was not enough lights for the plane – a Boeing 787 – to land safely.
The situation was made even more dangerous by the fact that the runway at Pago Pago International Airport, also known as Tafuna Airport, is only 10,000 feet long – just 1,000 feet more than the 10,000 feet required to receive such a large aircraft.
The father of a stranded passenger was quick to point this out.
“I’m grateful the runway is getting 10,000 as their Boeing 787 needs 9,000 feet,” he wrote around 7:30 p.m. Saturday — still more than seven hours before a lifeboat was chartered to rescue the group.
Another parent of a passenger revealed that the plane was grounded because it “lost one of its two engines” and that “the plane had to orbit Pago Pago for an hour until daylight because the 10,000-foot runway had no lights.” Has .
“They had to circumnavigate the island by sunrise,” he wrote. “We are blessed and the pilots and crew handled the situation well. The children and passengers were well looked after by the islanders.’
He later reported that his daughter had a “quite an adventurous day” on the flight and was given “a tour of the island” and footage courtesy of one of the plane’s pilots.
Pago Pago is the capital of American Samoa, located approximately 2,573 miles from Hawaii in the heart of Polynesia.
Located in the South Pacific, it is an unincorporated US territory, making it a popular destination for those seeking a passport-less tropical island getaway.