A recent transpacific All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight was a bit more eventful than most passengers were probably hoping for, after a diversion became necessary…
Continue reading: Transpacific Flight Diverts After Man Tries To Open Emergency Exit
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
What was gained by diverting to Seattle rather than having the police meet the 'plane in Houston?
Passengers were certainly more inconvenienced by diversion than continuing.
Early reports is that the 2nd unrelated passenger was arrested but not the first crazy passenger.
It seems that it was not such a dire emergency to land in Boise.
Has anyone followed up on these various medical episodes (trying to open doors, spraying on other passengers etc) to see if there are any common causes.
Alcohol per se doesn't seem quite enough of an explanation.
Is it side-effects of melatonin, piriton, or other pills that passengers are taking to help them sleep?
Or forgetting to take prescription medicine that keeps E.g. paranoias in check due to the disorientation of flying?
I don’t think leaving a pax zip-tied for another 3 hours in the custody of civilians is a good idea.
From where they were, SEA was the best option. ANA has no existing operations in BOI so had the flight been unable to continue in a timely manner, that would have complicated matters for the passengers immensely. Spending what maybe amounted to a few extra extra minutes airborne seems reasonable to land somewhere you know you can get the ground support you need.
What about Denver, with ANA's Star Alliance partner United to help out if necessary?
Why do you need to divert when the person is restrained?
What is the threat that is not contained?
I am "in the business," and have repeated over and over that I have observed people who are obviously impaired, either due to mental illness or intoxicating substances, and everybody just kind of "looks the other way."
An out of control person in an hermetically sealed metal tube at 35 000 feet. What could possibly go wrong?
People are not entitled to be a danger to themselves or others.
But, there is always the risk of a gate agent or flight attendant now having another pretext to go on a power trip.
Avoiding lawyers if anything should go wrong. This is 'Murrica we're talking about.
Well to be honest, 6 hours into any flight longer than 7 hours would drive anyone to wanting to get off...
Bingo! JA934A is technically owned and operated by Air Japan. Basically you can only get into ANA as cabin crew if you're newly graduated and young enough. If you come from another airline, gave birth, you're tier-two riff-raff and Air Japan is the organization that'll take you. Different contracts and presumably lower pay. Air Japan is also where you might see non-Japanese pilots.
ANA's been doing this for years - Air Japan is a strategy where they reduce their cost base. From where I live, the HND flights are ANA mainline and NRT flights are operated by Air Japan. This cost-cutting was so successful intra-Asia that ANA now openly, brazenly does this on the most lucrative US flights like these.
But I would question if there's a little difference in competence in things like language skills and IRROPS and incidents like these. The last time this happened where a white guy bit a flight attendant, was also on a flight operated by Air Japan. That's for you to consider; I am personally not giving ANA my business 😉
Unbelievable story — it’s hard to imagine someone managing to open an emergency exit mid-flight. Huge credit to the crew for handling it safely. Aviation security is more critical than ever.
Agree. They should have at least knocked him unconscious which would be best for other passengers and the unruly person.
Seriously "if anything should go wrong"?
What can a restrained person do to make things go wrong?
A toxic fart that incapacitate the pilots?
They were just as close to Salt Lake City as they were to Seattle, and that was in the direction of Houston. They didn't divert to the nearest major international airport, they diverted to the nearest one where they had a base. Which probably made operational sense, while costing some fuel and further delay for passengers.
I did notice a drop-off in quality for my ANA flights operated by Air Japan like on CGK.