A Loganair flight in the United Kingdom was scheduled to travel from London Southend to Derry, Northern Ireland. Prior to taking off a few days before Christmas, five passengers were asked to leave the plane because it was “too heavy” to fly.
The plane was delayed because of bad weather in Derry. It was partway through the delay that the airline said the plane was going to be too heavy.
A journalist for the U.K.-based The Independent, Ben Kelly, who was flying home for the holidays with his husband, tweeted:
Eventually, 3 people did volunteer and 2 others (the last two to check-in) were chosen to disembark. This allowed the plane to be light enough so it could take off and land safely in Derry.
The airline apologized to its customers and Loganair chief executive Jonathan Hinkles to The Independent, “The main reason for Saturday morning’s delayed departure from Southend was bad weather at Derry. Had it left on schedule the flight would have been diverted to Belfast International.
“When the weather cleared at Derry, a combination of low pressure and rainfall left the runway surface at Southend in a condition which imposed limitations on the aircraft performance. The aircraft was consequently over its maximum available take-off weight for the conditions.
“Five customers volunteered to travel via another routing to Derry. The full costs of this will be covered by Loganair and the customers have each been offered €250 in compensation.”
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
1 comment
This happens a lot here on Nantucket. It’s nothing personal. Weather, esp heat, causes all sorts of adjustments when it comes to small planes. I’ve been bumped more than once, it is what it is. The airlines hate doing it as much as the passenger hate being told they can’t get on the flight they booked and checked in for – but, weather happens.