Posted on 12/26/2017 7:51:58 PM PST by SamAdams76
A flight that was four hours into its course, bound for Tokyo's Narita Airport Tuesday, had to return to its origin of Los Angeles International Airport after an 'unauthorized person' was on-board.
The flight from LAX to Tokyo is about 12 hours long. The total time for the flight to take off and return was just over eight hours.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
The only circumstance I can imagine is that the authorities were not confident that the Japanese would return the individual in question. Still, even that does not justify inconveniencing a planeload of passengers.
It happened to me. Way past 9/11 and at a high security threat airport. I just walked off the flight and got on another airplane. There was no follow up by the airline. That they did not shut down ops tells me this was not a rare event.
That would make zero sense. A no-fly type would have plenty of time to dump the airplane before it reached either Tokyo or LA. If that were the case, it would make far more sense to have diverted the plane to Alaska or Hawaii.
I was referring to the plane flying for four hours before anyone noticed the problem, and having to return to LA. I don’t think that happens very often.
Adak
So? The somebody gets put on the next plane from Tokyo to LA. And the rest of the pax go on their way!
It's more likely the person was somebody the US wants but the Japanese are unlikely to extradite. Still, no justification for inconveniencing the rest of the pax! Even if the destination were Moscow and the passenger was named Eddie Snowden!
Hawaii and Alaska are nowhere close to the flightpath from LAX to Narita. Commercial aircraft fly along what are called great circles - the shortest path between 2 points on the earth.
https://www.greatcirclemapper.net/en/great-circle-mapper/route/RJAA-KLAX/aircraft/67.html
The LA to Tokyo route takes a plane up the west coast of the US, Canada and Alaska, then down the east coast of Russia. Four hours in they would be closer to Alaska. Wonder why they didn’t divert, drop the person and then continue.
Wow
Maybe NK?
If that's what happened, the rest of pax should sue the pants off the airline. Absolutely no justification for turning the flight around in that case.
Back in the early 1970's I was taking finals at the University of Oklahoma. As soon as my finals were over, I was going to fly home via LAX. When my last grueling final completed, I went to the dorm and hitched a ride to the airport, only to find that the Oklahoma City airport was shut down. They were busing all outbound passengers to Dallas. While I was in line for the bus, I realized that my flight was for the next day. I had become confused from the endless finals (I was taking 20 hours of engineering courses when 12 was considered a full load).
When I got to the door of the bus, I confessed to the airline employee that my ticket was for the following day. The guy asked me if I wanted to go. I told him I did and he told me to get on the bus. I flew standby out of Dallas that night.
Al Franken?
?Any idea what’s up here ?
BTW Happy Holidays
I do miss your Charlotte MS updates.
Merry Christmas...
You know, Japan is very strict on entry by people not allowed. Is there anywhere else they could have gone, if Japan demanded such a person not be allowed in their country?
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Adak? I don’t think the runway is long enough. It would handle C-130s or P-3... smaller airframes or larger capable such as C17 or a C-141 (perhaps). Also, since the Navy buttoned up operations it is probably less capable than ever.
I doubt that any of those people would be aboard a flight carrying ordinary people; private jets carry them.
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