Photo: Brandon Farris/Shutterstock

Flight to Seattle Diverted to a Remote Alaskan Island on Christmas Eve

News
by Eben Diskin Dec 27, 2018

While on a long-haul flight from Beijing to Seattle on December 24, the 194 passengers aboard Delta Airlines’ flight 128 made a pit stop in the middle of nowhere, i.e. Shemya Island, Alaska. The flight diversion was caused by a potential engine issue, so no one was expecting to spend any time on the tiny, remote island that consisted solely of a runway strip in the Bering Sea.


The passengers probably weren’t too impressed by the frigid weather on Sheyma, which was 39 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds up to 27 miles per hour. Shortly after the flight landed, Delta sent a new plane with a team of mechanics, crew, and airport customer service, to get the passengers on their way.


The island is often used for emergency landings, or as a refueling station for commercial flights across the Pacific Ocean. Luckily, passengers did eventually reach Seattle around 10:00 PM the same day, so no Christmases were missed.

H/T: Travel & Leisure

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