Delta Flight Diverts to LA After Pilot Falls Ill, Adding Eight Hours to Travel
A Delta Air Lines flight on its way to China had to reroute over 2,000 miles, landing in Los Angeles after one of its pilots became unwell, thereby extending the travel time for passengers by eight hours.
Delta Flight 389 departed from Detroit at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, with an expected arrival in Shanghai 16 hours later.
Five hours into the flight, while the aircraft was positioned just south of Alaska, the crew made the decision to divert to Los Angeles, Delta’s West Coast hub, which required a three-hour flight south and west.
Although Los Angeles is not the nearest airport to the flight’s original route, its status as a significant hub allowed for a quicker replacement for the ailing pilot, according to the airline.
The aircraft remained on the ground at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for over three hours while a new pilot was arranged to continue the journey to China, based on FlightAware data.
After the necessary delays, Flight 389 resumed its journey at 7 p.m., embarking on the remaining 13-hour flight to Shanghai.
Taking into account the ground wait time, passengers spent more than 24 hours traveling, significantly longer than the standard 16-hour duration.
"The flight landed safely and taxied to the gate," a Delta Air Lines spokesperson stated. "We apologize for the travel disruption experienced by our customers."
Delta Air Lines has not responded to inquiries for additional details.
Though such incidents are relatively uncommon, there have been notable cases of aircraft being required to divert or make emergency landings due to pilot medical emergencies.
In one instance last year, a Southwest Airlines captain became incapacitated during a flight from Las Vegas to Columbus, resulting in a passenger who also had piloting experience stepping in to assist the co-pilot.
Additionally, a similar occurrence in 2022 saw an inexperienced passenger land a small plane in Florida after the pilot experienced a medical crisis mid-flight.
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