An American Airlines flight ended up exactly where it started, leaving passengers with a “new fear unlocked.” After spending nine hours on the plane, passengers found themselves back at the same airport from which they had departed.
Recently, there have been numerous travel horror stories, including some involving cruise ships. This particular incident ranks among the worst, as passengers left Dallas, flew for five hours, and then returned.
On September 7, passengers on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, spent a total of nine hours in the air, only to return to their starting point.
Jimin Lee, a passenger on the flight, captured the experience on her smartphone. She shared a video on Instagram, showing herself enjoying a snack and drink as the plane turned around. In her caption, Lee wrote, “New fear unlocked: Your flight to Korea may go five hours and come back with zero explanation.”
Lee mentioned that airline staff cited a problem with the toilets, and the pilot humorously asked if anyone had a screwdriver to help fix the issue. She criticized American Airlines for poor communication, showing the plane’s flight path on her screen.
The flight path revealed that the plane had crossed the US and part of the Pacific Ocean before being forced to return. Frustrated by the lack of information, Lee resorted to eating Flaming Hot Cheetos, though she craved “a ramyun and a strong drink.”
The video concluded with the plane landing in Dallas, where the pilot announced “clear skies” for landing. Lee summed up the experience: “Nine hours later we’re back in Dallas. Lost for words.”
The Instagram video attracted many comments. One person noted, “If there is an ounce of anything potentially going wrong or messing up when doing a leg over the ocean, pilots will be more cautious than normal. This is totally normal.” Another suggested, “They should have just landed in SFO, or LAX instead of going all the way back to Dallas. Makes no sense, probably didn’t want to pay for the hotels.”
An American Airlines spokesperson explained: “On September 7, American Airlines flight 281 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 for inspection by our maintenance team. We never want to disrupt our customers’ travel plans, and we apologize for the inconvenience.”
The airline confirmed that the flight departed again the next day on a replacement aircraft.
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