After being on the ground in Los Angeles for nearly 6 hours, the flight continued to Honolulu.
An American Airlines flight bound for Honolulu diverted to Los Angeles on Friday, according to airline officials. The flight was operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The flight departed from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and flew more than three hours before landing at Los Angeles International Airport. The aircraft rerouted due to an alleged unruly passenger.
Details surrounding the incident
American Airlines Sr. Specialist of Global Communications, Brian Metham confirmed the incident in a statement to Simple Flying.
“American Airlines flight 692 with service from Phoenix (PHX) to Honolulu (HNL) diverted to Los Angeles (LAX) due to a disturbance in the cabin involving an unruly customer. We thank our crew for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.” – Brian Metham, American Airlines Sr. Specialist, Global Communications
FlightAware data shows the Boeing 787-9, N841AN operating as American Airlines 692, pushed back from the gate at Sky Harbor on Friday at 11:14 MST, three minutes earlier than scheduled. It followed its typical flight path west, crossing over Southern California at a cruising altitude of 38,000 feet, and turned back toward the coast approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes into its journey.
At approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, the aircraft began its descent toward Los Angeles. It flew on the north side of the airport on its approach. Flight 692 landed at LAX at 13:41 PST on runway 25L.
Sky Harbor Airport officials also confirmed flight 692 was diverted but referred all other inquiries to the airline.
Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying
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Continuing on to Honolulu and beyond
The flight was scheduled to depart Los Angeles for Honolulu International Airport at 14:45, according to FlightAware, but did not depart until 19:39. It is unclear what caused the delay. It is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu Friday at 22:42 HST, nearly six hours after its original scheduled arrival.
The diversion also impacts N841AN’s next leg, flight 102 to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The aircraft was scheduled to depart Honolulu at 20:30 Friday but is now pushed back more than four hours. FlightAware data shows the flight will leave Honolulu at 12:45 Saturday and arrive in Dallas at 11:57 CST. The aircraft’s following leg, flight 1559, will not be impacted as it is scheduled to depart Dallas/Fort Worth at 14:04 on Saturday to Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Phoenix’s dominant airline
American operates from Phoenix to Honolulu daily, competing with daily flights from Southwest Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. During most of the year, the carrier utilizes the Airbus A321NEO, but during the holiday season and peak travel periods, the route gets upgraded to a larger widebody aircraft. Before the 787 and A321NEO pairing, the airline flew the route almost exclusively with Boeing 757s inherited from now-defunct Tempe-based US Airways.
Before merging with US Airways in 2013, American only served Phoenix from Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles (American Eagle-operated flights), Chicago, and Miami. The airline, which is the largest carrier at Sky Harbor, has continued to increase its domestic and international footprint in Phoenix. Earlier this month, American launched new nonstop service to Monterrey, Mexico, the time Phoenix has had a nonstop flight to the Mexican city in 19 years.
Source: simpleflying.com
