Last week, Alaska Airlines experienced three flight diversions over the Pacific, all within a span of 48 hours, according to Beat of Hawaii.
While the cause of the diversions remains unknown, all three had additional details in common. Each of the diversions took place on Boeing 737-800 aircraft flying a route between Hawaii and San Diego, California.
What we know:
The first flight diversion occurred on Monday, August 8, when Flight 806 from Maui to San Diego turned around after about two hours of flying and landed in Honolulu.
Another one?
The second took place the next day, Tuesday, August 9. Alaska Flight 9201, which was traveling from Honolulu to San Diego, returned to Honolulu just under three hours after its original departure.
The next day:
The following day, Wednesday, August 10, Flight 895 from San Diego to Honolulu turned around and returned to San Diego a mere hour after take-off.
Flight diversions:
Flight diversions can be quite annoying, stressful, and an inconvenience for all passengers on board. Those occurring over oceans or other large bodies of water are even more terrifying, often leaving passengers imagining the worst-case scenario.
The effect on pilots:
Likewise, diversions are also stressful for pilots, and if they have chosen to divert the flight, it is because they have deemed it the best and safest option.
Diversion causes:
Some common causes of flight diversions are medical emergencies, inclement weather conditions, mechanical issues, and passenger disruptions, which we’ve seen an increase in during these days of pandemic-era travel.
In the end:
It is not clear what caused these Alaska Airlines diversions, but fortunately, all of the flights landed safely and all passengers aboard eventually made it to their destination.
Related: Unruly Passenger “Physically Detained”, London To L.A. Flight Diverted To Salt Lake City
