An unexpected U-turn on an American Airlines flight left passengers fuming.
An American Airlines flight from Dallas, Texas to Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea turned around 5 hours into its journey, returning all passengers from the airport it initially took off from. Passengers were provided with no explanation about why their journey was altered when the incident occurred on Sept. 7.
One passenger, 41-year-old Jimin Lee, took to Instagram to voice her complaints. In a now-viral video, Lee records her predicament as she enjoys refreshments on her flight.
"New fear unlocked: Your flight to Korea may go five hours and come back with zero explanation," wrote Lee in the caption.
According to Lee, airline staff explained the incident as having been caused by an issue with the toilets. The pilot also reportedly asked if any passengers were carrying a screwdriver which could have helped fix the issue.
"American Airlines needs a lesson in effective communication," Lee concluded.
In a statement provided to UNILAD, an American Airlines spokesperson explained that a maintenance issue caused the sudden re-routing of the plane.
"On September 7, American Airlines flight 281 with service from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Seoul (ICN) returned to DFW due to a maintenance issue. The flight landed safely and without incident at DFW, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team. We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans, and we apologize for the inconvenience." said the spokesperson.
