Passengers were left scratching their heads as their plane pulled a surprise U-turn after a 9-hour flight, landing back where they started. The fiasco had one passenger thanking God for Cheetos.
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Passengers on a recent international American Airlines flight were stunned when the plane turned around five hours into the journey without any explanation. One bewildered traveler captured the unexpected turnaround in a viral Instagram video.
“New fear unlocked: Your flight to Korea may go five hours and come back with zero explanation,” the first caption over the footage reads.
Jimin Lee, 41, posted the footage of the redundant flight, which occurred on Sept. 7 aboard AA flight 281 from Dallas, Texas, to Seoul, South Korea, per the Daily Mail.
In the clip, Lee showcased footage from a headrest screen that displayed the aircraft’s flight path as it journeyed across the contiguous United States and part of the Pacific Ocean, before making a turn and returning to Texas.
“Just relax and enjoy the rest of our flight,” a flight attendant’s voice echoed over the intercom. At that moment, Lee felt as though her “soul had left” her. To make matters worse, the crew offered “zero explanation” for the abrupt decision to abort the flight to Incheon International Airport, as noted in her Instagram post.
“The only explanation they gave was the pilot saying the right side of bathrooms were not working,” Lee later told The New York Post.
The Beleaguered Passenger Kept Her Zen on the 9-Hour Plane Flight with Hot Cheetos
The stressed flyer discovered her in-flight zen through snacks, posting footage of her devouring Flaming Hot Cheetos. In the clip, she also admits that she daydreamed about instant noodles and a nice stiff drink.
Meanwhile, American Airlines issued a statement to The Post about the return to sender flight.
“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. 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,” the airline said.
The flight returned to Texas nine hours after takeoff due to a mechanical issue with the lavatories. The airline arranged overnight accommodations for passengers near DFW Airport. A replacement aircraft departed for Korea the following day, Sept. 8.
However, it seems Lee successfully reached Korea on a different flight. Follow-up clips reveal her savoring the sights and delicacies of the East Asian country.