File this under breaking, and sure to be breaking further.
A little past 7:05pm California time it was reported by the Guardian as well as KSL-TV that AF 65, which is Air France’s A380 flight between Los Angeles and Paris, was diverted to Salt Lake City International Airport because of “security concerns.” KSL-TV, a local Salt Lake station, is reporting a bomb threat.
Just now CBC Nova Scotia reports that an Air France flight from Washington to Paris has just been diverted to Halifax, and the passengers have just been deplaned. While CBC reports no reason has been given for the diversion, presumably it also involves a bomb threat or other credible security concern.
Air France flight from Washington to Paris diverted to Halifax. Passengers are being removed from flight. No word on why flight diverted.
— CBC Nova Scotia (@CBCNS) November 18, 2015
This is certainly scary all around, but hopefully these turn out to be empty threats versus real, tangible and credible security threats to these particular flights.
This hits a bit close to home to me since I have often flown AF 65 and also have flown between Washington and Paris on multiple occasions. Are any OMAAT readers on these flights and have experiences to share?
Stay safe, everyone, and be well.
The plane did indeed park far away from the terminal... we were bused to the customs/immigration area, which was turned into a holding room. I have to say a big shout out to the Delta SLC ground staff, the SLC airport staff, the Boarder Patrol, and the FBI for handling this in a calm and compassionate manner. There were countless Delta and airport staff roaming around with food, coffee, blankets, etc. And kudos to the...
The plane did indeed park far away from the terminal... we were bused to the customs/immigration area, which was turned into a holding room. I have to say a big shout out to the Delta SLC ground staff, the SLC airport staff, the Boarder Patrol, and the FBI for handling this in a calm and compassionate manner. There were countless Delta and airport staff roaming around with food, coffee, blankets, etc. And kudos to the Air France 65 crew for taking care of everyone so well.
The plane was parked on the large de-icing staging area near the E gates, one picture on ksl.com shows it out past the Skywest E gates. The KSL reporter also mentioned the pax were taken to the International Arrivals area to be interviewed, that's between the D and E gates. There's a lot of tarmac space out there plus it's on the long runway side of the airport.
Had a thought to drive up to...
The plane was parked on the large de-icing staging area near the E gates, one picture on ksl.com shows it out past the Skywest E gates. The KSL reporter also mentioned the pax were taken to the International Arrivals area to be interviewed, that's between the D and E gates. There's a lot of tarmac space out there plus it's on the long runway side of the airport.
Had a thought to drive up to the airport to take a look at SLC's first A380 arrival but decided against it...didn't want to rubberneck and sensitive situation.
@Thomas
Good point. Then the pax would have been bussed back to B (WN) or E (OO) where the remote stands are. There's a decent restaurant on the lower level at B.
@ziggy A blog doesn't strictly have to give its opinions, and frankly I don't mind these articles. Most of us don't, in fact. And besides, if you don't like it, you can just gloss over it as you scroll.
@ Owen
well with a bomb treath, I am quite sure it was not even close to the terminal. As per flightradar24 and few photoa I saw on twitter it was parked on a remote stand, deboarded by stairs.
I'm curious how SLC de-boarded the whale jet.
The jetways are all single-level and the gates are sized for 737s. There are a couple gates where DL sends 767s to CDG and AMS daily.
Flightaware says the flight got back off the ground at 00:30. Delta's usual 767 flight to CDG left at 17:46.
@SDFamily Why are you looking to a Miles & Points blog for anything to do with flight safety following the tragic events in Paris? Every single news outlet is covering these stories and every single one of them has better connections to the authorities than any miles & points blogger - isn't that enough? All bloggers can do is come out with an opinion on what's going on....no new facts, no new insights and certainly...
@SDFamily Why are you looking to a Miles & Points blog for anything to do with flight safety following the tragic events in Paris? Every single news outlet is covering these stories and every single one of them has better connections to the authorities than any miles & points blogger - isn't that enough? All bloggers can do is come out with an opinion on what's going on....no new facts, no new insights and certainly no new advice....do we really need more uninformed opinions?
Thanks, Nick, for posting something relevant. The vast majority of travelers are worried about their safety and security (one would hope). This is the first mention of this event in this blog. :(
Best of luck, sad way for SLC to get its first A380 visit...
I was shaken as we were landing... They wouldn't say anything other than we were diverting. I was actually much better once I learned it was just our flight, and the af55, and not a nationwide shutdown like 9/11. (I was a student in NYC then, and those fears came back)
Plane is cleared to fly, and they will be reboarding us momentarily
@JR Lander: Wow, thanks for this on the spot reporting. I'm glad you're OK. Are you shaken? What did the pilot say as you landed in Salt Lake?
Safe journey.
Sub
Crew is now reboarding aircraft to prepare for departure. We still aren't yet cleared for departure. People are being given the option to change their itinerary.
I'm sitting at SLC, waiting to reboard AF65. Nothing other than what the news has reported is known. People are in good spirits, though a bit shaken. They are refueling the plane, and apparently flew another AF crew in. Certainly scary... They abruptly stopped meal service, and started a rather rapid descent.