Qantas Longest Flight Diverts Twice...
Intro
QF9 and QF10 have been two flight numbers that have fascinated me throughout the time that they have operated. The flight numbers resemble one of the longest flights in the world and the Qantas' longest direct flight. This is the Perth-London and vice versa.
Passengers flying from London to Perth were in for quite the adventure the other day, as the flight was diverted not only once but twice!
Let's get into the details!
What Happened
For the first ten hours of the flight, everything seemed to be moving right along schedule, barring an hour delay out of London Heathrow. However, about 10 hours into the flight, while the plane was over India, a medical emergency occurred. Medical emergencies happen all the time, and of course, someone's life comes before anything else. The decision was then made to divert to Bengaluru as it seemed like the best option.
The plane was on the ground for about 2.5 hours, presumably due to the flight deck trying to coordinate the issues surrounding the crew timing out. A flight plan was then filed for the 787-9 to head over to Singapore instead of Sydney due to the crew hours. The flight lasted a total of 4 hours and 37 minutes.
This specific move from Qantas was smart, as Singapore is a big base for the airline. Instead of waiting it out in Bengaluru or attempting to fly somewhere else, Qantas sees a minimum of 4 flights operating through Singapore daily, allowing for options to re-book passengers to their final destination.
My Thoughts
Firstly, I hope that the passenger who needed medical assistance is doing well and is in good health now. With that being said, I think Qantas handled this complicated situation the best they could have. I am sure that as the plane was in the air to Singapore, Qantas was attempting to find re-booking solutions so that everybody could get to their intended destination. Props to Qantas here!
Final Thoughts
Just yesterday, Qantas flight 10 diverted not only once but twice when heading to Perth from London. As a passenger, I can definitely feel how this must have been frustrating, but the calls that the cabin crew and flight deck made seem to have been the right ones!
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