Passengers on board United Airlines Flight 179 from New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport to Hong Kong International Airport were faced with multiple travel nightmares this weekend. First there was a medical emergency that prompted an unplanned landing at a military base in Canada late Saturday; then passengers couldn't leave the plane after it was on the ground, according to a statement from United.
Flight 179 was diverted to Goose Bay Airport, a military base in Canada's Newfoundland, where "medical personnel met the aircraft at the gate and the customer was transported to a local hospital," United said in a statement Sunday.
Because the plane landed so late at night, there were no customs personnel available. The passengers had to spend the night in the plane for more than a dozen hours. The cabin had heat and power while it was on the tarmac. United said in a statement they had sent a relief aircraft to transport customers back to Newark.
Some passengers on the jet tweeted pictures of the incident and reported that a cabin door broke "on the ground" at the military base, possibly because of the frigid temperatures there, well below zero.
Flight 179 was diverted to Goose Bay Airport, a military base in Canada's Newfoundland, where "medical personnel met the aircraft at the gate and the customer was transported to a local hospital," United said in a statement Sunday.
Because the plane landed so late at night, there were no customs personnel available. The passengers had to spend the night in the plane for more than a dozen hours. The cabin had heat and power while it was on the tarmac. United said in a statement they had sent a relief aircraft to transport customers back to Newark.
Some passengers on the jet tweeted pictures of the incident and reported that a cabin door broke "on the ground" at the military base, possibly because of the frigid temperatures there, well below zero.