Timeline Of How United Stranded And SLOWLY Rescued Hundreds In Goose Bay Canada

Thanks for a great summary of the event! This is truly an informative report!

My question: "Will United use this timeline and this blog post to better prepare them for their next diversion to Goose Bay? Maybe it is time to hire an airport manager at YYJ, too!"

Carfield

I haven't flown United in years and certainly wouldn't after this debacle. The issue isn't that it happened it is the poor response by UA. They are a horrible Airline and I remember when they were one of the best

I've got say this provides a heck of a lot more clarity than anything I've seen or read from mainstream news sites. Given the circumstances, it sounds like this could have been a hell of a lot worse of an outcome. That doesn't diminish the extremely shitty job United did, but kudos to the pilot for being able to land that plane safely!

UA is refunding the 'flight leg' plus a (likely unusable) $500 voucher or 25,000 miles? UA is totally pathetic here.

On top of stranding passengers in a freezing cold environment (while putting up their own crew in a hotel), UA dispatch was totally incompetent in getting a replacement plane out there. At some point doesn't an airline do the 'right thing' and charter a plane if they have stranded hundreds of people? And then zero communication from UA with the passengers?

Sad day for United Airlines. Can't trust their maintenance, (aging) airplanes or customer service.

@Jay, is that a pack of gums or condoms on the beer cans 🙂 ?

ha it's actually a Labrador magnet for my girls. we collect magnets from cities we visit, so figured it fitting to have a memory of this weekend

This is a great report, thanks for sharing.

While it's understandable that mechanical issues occur (and I'd certainly want an aircraft with an inoperable rudder on the ground rather than in the air), it seems like United really sh*t the proverbial bed with their lack of communication and general disorganization.

Not one person got on the telephone and tried to make their own hotel reservation? They said all hotels are full, but maybe the Cost $$$$ was the issue for United. I was there a few years ago, and I seem to remember quite a few B&B's.

I don't quite know how, but at a quick glance, I read the title as United stranding and slowly rescuing hundreds of geese in Canada.

Every affected passenger deserves a free first class ticket to any destination at any date in the future.

Proof that the poster suffered greatly at the hands of United, to the point of losing his mind: He believes that Molson Canadian is "fine Canadian beer."

All those feeling entitled - how about being thankful for being alive? Just putting things in perspective!

I had a similar experience in January of 2001 on American from LHR to BOS.

The flight just past Ireland lost an engine. Hours later it lost the APU and we basically glided into Goose Bay (the old German Army Base side.)

The closest Canadian customs agents were hours away and we sat on the plane - they arrived about 0400 local time and the terminal had been "closed for the season." We were processed on the aircraft and but on a school bus that took us to a restaurant close by.

The restaurant folks were great - the AA folks - not so much.

About 1100 hours the replacement aircraft arrived but there was an issue with crew rest - so we waited 18 hours at the restaurant. We were warm, we were able to order food and beverages.

When we went back to the airfield we were placed on the aircraft sent up from New York and finally landed in Boston at about 1000 hours the third day.

Immediately on the ground in Boston American was a disaster. We were given a toll-free number to call to get a refund. I was so overtired that I just took the number and a cab home.

They only wanted to refund the travel portion of my return ticket - not the entire value.

It took about three months of going back and forth - but I was able to get a full refund (I did not charge back via the credit card - which I should have.)

I also received a lifetime complimentary membership in the Admiral's Club, some miles and two round-trip tickets system wide in First (the class I paid for - although at first they offered domestic coach.)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/united-airlines-flight-diverted-to-happy-valley-goose-bay-twitter-erupts-1.3113036

Canadian readers have a different perspective. Read the comments from this CBC story to see that Canadian readers view the passengers as "spoiled brats."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfou...upts-1.3113036

The fact is that there are only two small motels in Goose Bay, not enough for everyone (check www.tripadvisor.com). However, there are some b&b, and those pax who wanted to go on their own should have been given the option to do so.

@Daniel Krueger: I would say that is extraordinary compensation on top of a full refund.

why did the replacement aircraft have to go back to EWR?? was it because it had been in a foreign country and therefore couldn't proceed directly to LHR, or had to refuel, or what?

It cannot proceed to LHR because after the 5 hours delay, it would arrive in LHR during curfew.

Wow, sad and a very well documented story...

Shouldn't it be "UA 2063 departs FOR London carrying the passengers of UA 958" on Sunday, June 14, 2:18 AM?

Euro -- Good catch. Fixed. Thanks.

I've been on flights forced to land in Newfoundland & Labrador or Nova Scotia enroute to Europe more times than I can remember. Halifax, Gander and St. John's have all been unintentionally visited by Yours Truly. It's happened on multiple carriers (LH/AC/VS among them, for starters). For multiple reasons (health issues on board the most frequent). It happens *every day* people. When aircraft (which are machines, sometimes with issues, carrying people, sometimes with issues) are following flightpaths over remote territory that's what you are going to get. The airports which just happen to be under those flightpaths do the best they can when these random visitors arrive.

But if anybody thinks that UA - and every other carrier, btw - should have people on the ground in every potential diversion airport and there should be ample minimum 4**** accommodation standing by just-in-case, they clearly don't understand how the real world works.

i don't know any PAX who thought we should have 4* accommodations. even those in first and business understood it was midnight with no other options. we were a bit frustrated by lack of heat and blankets, as those seem to be necessities at a regular emergency airfield (one employee said it happens at least once a month). but, we were happy to be on the ground and just anxious to continue our trip.
where it got sticky is when UAL gave no information and our original plan to continue from YYR to LHR was scrapped with a 3+ hour layover way back in EWR.

Totally reasonable for pax to expect communication from United. Not really understanding the animosity towards pax. They seem grateful to be safe & alive, as anyone would in that situation, just wanted to be informed of what was going on. UA seems almost hostile toward their pax at times, it's not very reassuring.

I think @Apu just came up with United's new slogan: "Just be thankful you reached your destination alive!"

@txp

Read enough of this site and you will see plenty of anti-American rhetoric right here. In another post, some guy wrote a full page blasting me for being American because I criticized his comment. And I'm not even American! Seems like the de jour to thing to do is go off on a hinge about Americans even when there's nothing to go off on a hinge about.

Saw some reports that attempted to shame the crew for not bunking with the pax (a la, "Funny that the company found hotel rooms for the crew...while the poor pax have to sleep rough in military barracks")

As if the crew would be required to camp with a bunch of disgruntled passengers. Get a brain, people.

Kettles these days...

Just think how this story could have played out if United had consistently communicated with the pax instead of leaving them in the dark (and for some, it seems, the cold): "Skilled United pilots save a damaged aircraft and all abroad from possible catastrophic situation." It would be kudos to the airline for the expert pilots' actions (and maybe later we'd get into whether United failed to detect any rudder problems during maintenance). Instead, the story is that United dumped a bunch of passengers on some army cots and said "we'll get back to you at OUR earliest convenience." Would it have really put them out so much to let passengers know when their trip would continue, and maybe make sure the heat worked? Don't think so, and regardless it would have more than paid for itself in reversing the bad PR.

I was on the flight and received only $269. I can't believe other passengers received more compensation.