EWRCabincrew From United States of America, joined May 2006, 5522 posts, RR: 57 Reply 1, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 3626 times:
Maybe an issue with the Accra airport? Try checking the DL website for flifo on DL's ACC flight or the DAK/JNB flight.
Edit that. Just checked the DL website. DL 166 diverted to COO. Apparently an issue at ACC. It arrived ACC at 1528 local time.
Sitting right here about 100 yards from ACC airport, I cannot for the life of me imagine why they decided to do that. Every other flight has been in and out of here today without hassles. If this kind of visibility is an issue for Delta, they are going to get totally screwed when Harmattan is in full swing.
FoxBravo From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 2806 posts, RR: 5 Reply 3, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 3452 times:
Even more interesting, today's return flight (DL167), which is now scheduled to leave ACC in about 15 minutes at 5:10 pm local, is showing a scheduled diversion to SJU en route to JFK, with a scheduled arrival in NY at 1:15 am. Ouch--long day for those passengers!
EWRCabincrew From United States of America, joined May 2006, 5522 posts, RR: 57 Reply 4, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 3421 times:
Quoting FoxBravo (Reply 3): Even more interesting, today's return flight (DL167), which is now scheduled to leave ACC in about 15 minutes at 5:10 pm local, is showing a scheduled diversion to SJU en route to JFK, with a scheduled arrival in NY at 1:15 am. Ouch--long day for those passengers!
I was thinking that might be a glitch in DL's site. I think that DL 166 continues to SJU from JFK. Maybe it is just showing the final destination, as opposed to the enroute destination. I find it hard to believe that DL would send that plane to SJU non-stop. Although SJU is closer by 600 or so miles.
B747-437B From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 3368 times:
Its probably a payload issue. Temperatures today are stifling and the later afternoon departure may affect the ability to lift the full load of pax and cargo.
FoxBravo From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 2806 posts, RR: 5 Reply 6, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 3353 times:
Quoting EWRCabincrew (Reply 4): I was thinking that might be a glitch in DL's site.
Yeah, that crossed my mind too (and for the sake of the passengers, I hope it is!). However, DL doesn't fly JFK-SJU. Perhaps there are unusually strong headwinds or other weather conditions requiring a fuel stop, although if that were the case there would be less out-of-the-way places to refuel, such as TFN or PDL. On the other hand, DL has operations at SJU and fuel (as well as a new flight crew if necessary) would be more readily available.
In any event, the flight is apparently now boarding for a 2:10 am arrival at JFK (and still showing a diversion via SJU).
Edit: Thanks, Sean--the heat would also explain it.
FoxBravo From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 2806 posts, RR: 5 Reply 8, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 3263 times:
B747-437B From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 3263 times:
Quoting WorldTraveler (Reply 7): The return crew could be close to timing out if they waited at ACC for the arrival.
Actually, that is probably closer to the truth. The unrealistically scheduled 90 minute scheduled turn in Accra means that the outbound crew is at the airport before the inbound touches down. A diversion means that the clock would be ticking by the time the aircraft gets back to Accra.
EWRCabincrew From United States of America, joined May 2006, 5522 posts, RR: 57 Reply 10, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 3236 times:
Quoting WorldTraveler (Reply 7): The return crew could be close to timing out if they waited at ACC for the arrival.
Would be more of a pilot issue than f/a issue, I think. F/a's are more expendable than pilots when it comes to rest. Pilots are held to more rigid rules than we are.
FoxBravo From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 2806 posts, RR: 5 Reply 11, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 2915 times:
Well, it looks like last night's DL166 diverted to COO again this morning, but with much less of a delay. This time the return flight is scheduled to go nonstop, arriving at JFK about 3 hours late.
Not so bad compared to yesterday's mess--after stopping at SJU, those poor folks finally arrived in NY around 4am, 12 hours behind schedule!
B747-437B From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 13, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 2851 times:
Quoting LouA340 (Reply 12): If the reasons are because of the visibility issues due to the harmattan, why is it only DL that is diverting to COO?
Good question. Ghana International came in with both 757 (LGW) and 767 (JNB) yesterday without any problems. All airlines except Virgin Nigeria and Delta have been maintaining normal schedules.
787KQ From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 547 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 2744 times:
FoxBravo From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 2806 posts, RR: 5 Reply 15, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 2686 times:
Quoting 787KQ (Reply 14): Is it confirmed that the return was via San Juan?
Yes. Left ACC 6:16 pm, arrived SJU 12:11 am, departed 12:48 am and arrived JFK 3:54 am (all times local).
B747-437B From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (6 years 4 months 2 weeks 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 2577 times:
Well, it appears that Virgin Nigeria is getting quite slammed now due to the visibility - they are cancelling their 3rd consecutive flight tonight and have about 300 pax sleeping in the airport. They must have RVR of 800m to operate but the tower is evidently calling it as 400m, even though I can clearly see about 1200m from my office window located right by the airport. Bellview and AeroContractors are operating to/from Lagos without any problems and no other flights have been affected.
Just spoke with some folks from Delta and they are laughing about their new 4x weekly JFK-COO service. Interestingly enough, and purely anecdotally (so this cannot be verified through any other source - it is purely hearsay whose veracity has not been determined), the visibility was even lower at COO than it was at ACC before they decided to divert but by the time they got to COO they were too short on fuel to go anywhere else. Welcome to African operations!!!
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