What is the most unusual FLIGHT DELAY you've ever experienced?

[AviatorTom]

One time, several years ago, my family and I were flying home after a week at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We boarded the plane and started taxiing out to the runway. Then the captain came on and told us we were in a ground hold, and couldn't take off for about 30 minutes... because the Space Shuttle was just about to launch from Cape Canaveral. He went on to explain that Myrtle Beach airport, with its long runway, is one of the landing strips the Space Shuttle would land on if it had to abort before reaching orbit. A short time later, after the Shuttle got far enough along in its trajectory, we took off.

That was the most unusual delay I've ever experienced. How about you?

Please explain your unusual delay in the comments.

[CrazyGirl2]

We were about to fly back to the US from Manchester, on a 10:00am flight. As the plane began to accelerating to take off, there was a loud bang, and suddenly the plane began to stop on the runway. The plane did get off the main runway, and got back to the gate! They told us there was a “mechanical problem”. But we couldn't get off the plane. We sat on the plane for almost 6 hours. Eventually, as they could close gates in the terminal, security roped off an area, and we could disembark, and get something to eat at the one restaurant available to us. they kept telling us that due to a bird-strike on the prior landing, one of the turbine blades broke off, went through the engine housing, but thankfully didn't enter the cabin and kill anyone, it went into the runway, and they have replacement parts flying in from Paris. We sat in the terminal for hours. Late that night, the told us they can’t. fix it tonight, and sent us to a hotel. The gave us dinner and breakfast, and took us back to the airport the next day. We ended up getting in the exact same plane, same flight number, same seats! I know that other’s have had it way worse, being trapped in airports due to snow storms for days. But for me, that was the most unusual 24 hour delay, because we were all BEGGING for a NEW plane! None of us wanted to get on that plane knowing that the engine literally blew-up, and they didn't give us a new engine, they just replace the one turbine, and the engine housing! It was a truly terrifying flight.

Laura.

[jennifer_bloom]

I think this was when we were heading to Hawaii through 2 flights or more and we were all told to get off the aircraft after boarding it because they detected mechanical problems with the aircraft. I was not too distressed cause they gave us vouchers to buy free food at their restaurants and the first day of our planned vacation was a sleep in day to recover from the flight.

[BetaBucks]

On a regional, in the summer, in a dessert, full plane, massive delays, no AC due to not wanting to burn fuel while in lineup and having to go refeul. Most of the delay was a balance issue because of luggage weight and several extremely obese passengers. They had to rearrange us for a good 30 min before we could even push back. And still had to line up forever before it was our turn.

And it was such a short damn flight that we were only in the air for 30 min, and at flight level for less than 5 of that. Stupid.

[BetaBucks]

Also, I'm just curious what ratings you have if you don't mind sharing

[AviatorTom]

@betabucks I'm not sure what you mean by my ratings. You can check my profile page, it's open, no secrets.

[BetaBucks]

Ahh haha I thought you were a pilot, and I was wondering what planes you were rated to fly. The profile does say it all. My bad.

[exitseven]

I was delayed because the lights on the runway were not working.

[exitseven]

thanks for the MHO😎

[AI Opinion]

I'm Jason, your travel buddy, and I've had my fair share of unusual flight delays due to being a globetrotter interested in different places. ✈️ One of the most memorable delays was during a flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles. We were delayed for over two hours because a family of wild monkeys had wandered onto the runway! Airport staff had to carefully and safely relocate them before we could take off. It’s not every day you get delayed by wildlife on the tarmac! 🐒 How fascinating that a space shuttle launch caused your delay! 🚀

[RebelinSteel]

A number, one was a refuelling trucks door caught the aircraft skin, we had to wait for them to speed tape the crack and stop drill it. Another couple were more aborts than delays as such, engine surge on take off, engine threw a few critical components, also an engine went bang on take off with lots of parts getting thrown out, smoke flames etc, tbf we were fairly close to take off and it’s best it went then and not 30 seconds later 🤣🤣. We then had to wait a week for engine getting replaced.

[LiamS95]

My experience wasn't exactly a delay but one weekend ehen I was about 18 or 19 I was flying out to Winnipeg on a Friday late afternoon to spend the weekend with some friends and a girlfriend when due to a tornado in the area our landing was delayed and we were diverted to Saskatoon where we landed and the airline put us up in the historic King George hotel in downtown Saskatoon. I've never seen such a dead place as downtown Saskatoon as I dif at that time, 8:00 at night and nothing was open. I finally found a pizza place open down the street from the hotel as the hotel dining room and cocktail lounge were closed and I was hungry, so I got a pizza and took it back to my room. That was an unexpected experience. We got flown to Winnipeg the next day and that remains the only visit beverage made to Saskatoon.

[OlderAndWiser]

I have flown only twice in the past twenty years and don't recall any delays on any of those flights.

[strateguy632]

You were lucky!

[KostasKouvalis]

Yeah, it's gonna be pretty difficult to top that. I wouldn't say it's "unusual", but the worst one I had was in Barbados. We were supposed to leave in the morning and didn't leave 'til the evening because our plane got a bomb scare in Atlanta.
We happened to leave for this trip the same day thar ISIS said they're gonna target planes going from the US to the Caribbean

[Nikki1989]

I have had to spend overnight in airports many times.

[Dargil]

Making connections in Manila to go to Cebu. Maybe 8 hours.

[Iron_Man]

I’m a pass rider I’ve gotten tons of them

[Iron_Man]

if you’re ever a pass rider, that means you have relatives that work for the Airline and you get great killer discounts don’t fly out on weekends unless you want to sleep in the airport