CO9 EWR-NRT Turns Around Over Alaska, Returning to EWR

[Matt Molnar]

This morning's EWR-NRT flight 9 turned around over Alaska due to severe ash problems out of Mount Redoubt. New Destination: EWR! Imagine flying 12 hours and landing back where you started? Gets better...the initial departure was delayed about 8 hours! 20 hours of your life you'll never get back, and no idea when you'll be able to get to Tokyo, unless you go the long way via Europe. Scheduled departure time was 11:30am...13 hours later they're over the Midwest heading back.



Flight 7, IAH-NRT, met the same fate...turned around and went back to Houston...total time over 12 hours.

[PhilDernerJr]

Were those 777s?

We also experienced some issues due to the ash, but sent our plane south and rested the crew from Alaska. Ash is some serious stuff.

[Matt Molnar]

Were those 777s?

Yup.

[njgtr82]

I think that map is wrong, it departed EWR at 7:39 pm tonight, theres no way it made it all the way to the Aleutian islands. The total flying time was only a little more then 6 hours, on top of the 8 hour delay departing.

[NYCMedic]

Were those 777s?

We also experienced some issues due to the ash, but sent our plane south and rested the crew from Alaska. Ash is some serious stuff.

NAO980 PANC-PHNL..... Excellent job setting this up Phil. Even with the stress of Howard!

[njgtr82]

Looks like they're going to IAH this morning, likely for fuel then to take a more southern route like flight 7 is from IAH today

[Ychocky]

This is stunning, what a waste of a day for the folks on board.

Check out reply #10 on this page: http://scienceblogs.com/eruptions/2009/ ... k_thre.php



lol

[Matt Molnar]

This is stunning, what a waste of a day for the folks on board.

Check out reply #10 on this page: http://scienceblogs.com/eruptions/2009/ ... k_thre.php

lol

Nice, thanks!

Turns out it's not Mount Redoubt to blame, but a volcano in the northwestern Pacific on an island between northern Japan and Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

[Mateo]

This morning's EWR-NRT flight 9 turned around over Alaska due to severe ash problems out of Mount Redoubt. New Destination: EWR! Imagine flying 12 hours and landing back where you started? Gets better...the initial departure was delayed about 8 hours! 20 hours of your life you'll never get back, and no idea when you'll be able to get to Tokyo, unless you go the long way via Europe. Scheduled departure time was 11:30am...13 hours later they're over the Midwest heading back.



Flight 7, IAH-NRT, met the same fate...turned around and went back to Houston...total time over 12 hours.

Um.. they flew almost directly over Redoubt, which is about 100mi SW of Alaska. Is something in the Aleutians erupting?

[EDIT: looks like I was typing while you were correcting. In penance, here's the bulletin -
ATCSCC ADVZY 060 DCC 06/17/2009 VOLCANIC ACTIVITY BULLETIN
MESSAGE:
FVXX22 KNES 171758 WSI UKS:171805
VA ADVISORY
DTG: 20090617/1757Z
VAAC: WASHINGTON
VOLCANO: SARYCHEV PEAK 0900-24
PSN: N4814 E15450
AREA: KURIL.IS
SUMMIT ELEV: 4908 FT (1496 M)
ADVISORY NR: 2009/024
INFO SOURCE: GOES-11. GFS WINDS. TOKYO VAAC.
ERUPTION DETAILS: ASH SEEN OVER NW PACIFIC
OBS VA DTG: 17/1730Z
OBS VA CLD: SFC/FL320 N4339 E17529 - N4259 W17441
- N4040 W17121 - N4043 W17249 - N4203 W17627 -
N4252 E17506 - N4339 E17529 MOV ESE 60KT
FCST VA CLD +6HR: 17/2330Z SFC/FL320 N4335 E17730
- N4247 W17107 - N4032 W16908 - N4044 W17052 -
N4154 W17337 - N4247 E17658 - N4335 E17730
FCST VA CLD +12HR: 18/0530Z SFC/FL320 N4328
W16616 - N4001 W16549 - N4017 W16750 - N4144
W16813 - N4232 W17935 - N4326 W17926 - N4328
W16616
FCST VA CLD +18HR: 18/1130Z SFC/FL320 N4422
W16259 - N4110 W16159 - N4035 W16430 - N4238
W16646 - N4217 W17724 - N4322 W17643 - N4422
W16259
RMK: LINE OF ASH STILL SEEN OVER NW PACIFIC. NO
HYSPLIT DUE TO BAD VERIFICATION OF VA
TRAJECTORIES. SEE FVF301 RJTD FOR INFORMATION
ON ERUPTION AND VA WITHIN TOKYO VAAC. ...LIDDICK
NXT ADVISORY: WILL BE ISSUED BY 20090618/0000Z
EFFECTIVE TIME:
171827 - 180000
SIGNATURE:
09/06/17 18:25

[Idlewild]

Why go all the way back to EWR? Wouldn't ANC, LAX or ONT be better? Unless, a whole slew of Asian bound flights had to turn around and filled up all the west coast airports. Or is the ash going to make those north-west routes impossible for awhile?

[cancidas]

Why go all the way back to EWR? Wouldn't ANC, LAX or ONT be better? Unless, a whole slew of Asian bound flights had to turn around and filled up all the west coast airports. Or is the ash going to make those north-west routes impossible for awhile?

EWR is home base, and they also have a plane-full or pax to put up. they're better staffed for that at thier own stations, and can more easily get the hotel rooms in thier own back yards than in some foreign city. if there was any chance that the plane got anywhere near the ash itself i'd want my maintence to take a look at it just in case. that's also easier to do at your home mx base.

[Idlewild]

Why go all the way back to EWR? Wouldn't ANC, LAX or ONT be better? Unless, a whole slew of Asian bound flights had to turn around and filled up all the west coast airports. Or is the ash going to make those north-west routes impossible for awhile?

EWR is home base, and they also have a plane-full or pax to put up. they're better staffed for that at thier own stations, and can more easily get the hotel rooms in thier own back yards than in some foreign city. if there was any chance that the plane got anywhere near the ash itself i'd want my maintence to take a look at it just in case. that's also easier to do at your home mx base.

I admit to playing armchair tycoon in this response so here it goes: It would seem that all the hotels near EWR would be booked solid as a matter of principal just because it's in the Metro area. Isn't CO also part of an alliance (I forget if it's Skyteam or Star now) and wouldn't their partners be obligated to help them out at one of the western side airports, maintenance and hotel wise? I would think also that CO has a pretty big presence on the west coast. Like I said I'm being an armchair, and I'm asking these questions out of sheer curiosity than for argument's sake.

Does anyone know the trajectory of the ash?

[PhilDernerJr]

Now, Delta 9856 is flying a different route to avoid the ash....making the over 16 hours!

http://www.delta.com/flifo/servlet/Delt ... quest=main

[Idlewild]

Now, Delta 9856 is flying a different route to avoid the ash....making the over 16 hours!

http://www.delta.com/flifo/servlet/Delt ... quest=main

They also say no meals or movies in first or coach. I guess they gotta make weight for mileage.

[PhilDernerJr]

There has to be meals on for them on a 16 hours flight.