Hawaiian Airlines flight turns back 3 times before it’s cancelled
Hawaiian Airlines flight turns back 3 times before it’s cancelled.
A Hawaiian Airlines flight, with 207 passengers on board, turned back three times to Los Angeles International Airport before it was cancelled on Friday (Feb 1), according to local media reports.
Flight HA33 departed for Maui three times and returned after all three attempts due to “separate and unrelated faults with different systems”, the airline said in a statement, according to KITV4 news.
All passengers were given refunds and a US$100 credit for a future flight, according to the KITV4 report which cited the airline.
The passengers were also given hotel rooms as well as dinner and breakfast vouchers, and were accommodated on other flights.
Two of the returns were after the plane had taken off, while one was before, according to another report by KTLA5 news.
“We understand our guests’ disappointment and deeply regret their travel plans were disrupted,” a statement from the airline said, according to KTLA 5.
The airline attributed the caution to the over-sea flight being classified as an extended-range operation (ETOPS), CNN reported.
“These flights have more rigorous safety requirements because of the greater distance between suitable airports,” the airline said in a statement cited by CNN.
“When there is an abnormality on an over-land flight it can, and often does, continue to its destination. However ETOPS flights operate to a more stringent safety standard. Our aircraft have redundant systems, yet our standard is to respond to any indication of abnormalities with an abundance of caution,” the airline added.
