United flight from SFO to London turns back mid-flight due to technical issue
Flight UA948, operated by a Boeing 777-200ER, departed San Francisco International Airport at 4:41 p.m. local time on July 15, en route to London Heathrow.
According to data from aviation tracker FlightAware, the aircraft made a wide U-turn near the U.S.-Canada border northwest of Winnipeg, roughly halfway through its planned transatlantic route, and began the return trip to California.
In a message to passengers sent via its mobile app, cited by the aviation site Aviation A2Z, United Airlines cited a technical issue as the reason for the diversion. The airline emphasized that the decision was made out of precaution and that there was no immediate threat to safety.
United Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for more information.
The 15-year-old aircraft, which had been scheduled to land in London at 10:25 a.m. local time on July 16, instead touched down in San Francisco just after midnight — more than eight hours after its original departure.
United canceled a rescheduled flight that was scheduled to depart at 1:18 a.m. Wednesday, with a revised arrival time in London later that evening.
'Your flight is canceled because we needed to take the plane out of service to address a technical issue,' its website said. 'Your safety is our priority and we're sorry for the inconvenience.'
The incident echoes a similar episode earlier this month. On July 7, United flight UA82 from Newark to Delhi was forced to turn back due to a failure in the aircraft's electronics cooling system.
That flight, operated on a Boeing 787-9, also landed safely, and no injuries were reported.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
More than 250 flights canceled at Atlanta's airport, 400+ delayed
The Brief More than 240 flights canceled and 400+ flights delayed at Hartsfield-Jackson early Friday afternoon. Thunderstorms across the East Coast caused significant flight delays and cancellations, with Atlanta's airport experiencing 424 delays and 53 cancellations by Thursday evening. Major airports like Philadelphia, LaGuardia, and JFK faced severe delays, with ground stops in effect at several locations due to the storms and flash flooding. Travelers were advised to check with airlines for real-time updates as disruptions were expected to continue into Friday. ATLANTA - More than 200 flights out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had been canceled as of 8:45 a.m. Friday, according to FlightAware. Additionally, there were more than 170 flights flying in or going out that were delayed. The majority of the flights belong to Delta, which is based out of Atlanta and has the most planes flying in and out of the airport. A Delta spokesperson confirmed the delays and cancellations are a result of the "ongoing severe summer weather." Almost 250 cancellations were being reported by FlightAware at 1:15 p.m. Friday, with 406 delays. Almost all of the flights appear to belong to Delta. Travelers should check with their individual airlines for current information. ORIGINAL STORY Thunderstorms across the East Coast wreaked havoc on air travel Thursday, grounding flights and stranding passengers across the country, with ripple effects hitting hard at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. A ground stop at Atlanta's airport further delayed issues with delays of over 2 hours. Storms cause flight delays What we know By late afternoon, average departure delays from Atlanta reached 30 minutes and were increasing, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA warned that a full ground stop or delay program could be issued depending on developing weather patterns. DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP FOR THE LATEST FORECASTS Flight delays in Atlanta Local perspective The delays in Atlanta reflect a broader disruption in the nation's airspace. According to FlightAware, more than 28,000 flights were delayed across the country on Thursday, with over 7,000 of those within, into or out of the United States. At least 1,803 flights were canceled nationwide, including 1,448 in the U.S. In Atlanta alone, 424 flights were delayed and 53 were canceled by Thursday evening. Delta, Atlanta's largest carrier, reported 274 delayed flights and 18 cancellations. Other airlines heavily impacted at Hartsfield-Jackson included Southwest with 44 delays and 10 cancellations, and Frontier with 23 delays and 11 cancellations. Flooding rains cause delays along East Coast Big picture view Major destinations out of Atlanta were hit with even more severe delays. Philadelphia International Airport reported average delays of up to 135 minutes, while flights into New York's LaGuardia and JFK airports faced delays ranging from 90 to 120 minutes. Ground stops were in effect at several airports including Newark, Philadelphia, Reagan National in Washington, and Baltimore-Washington International. The storms also unleashed flash flooding in the Northeast. In New York City, major roadways flooded and stranded drivers were seen standing atop submerged cars. Emergency responders in Baltimore rescued people from flooded vehicles, and Pennsylvania saw several inches of rain within an hour, flooding city streets and low-lying areas. Officials across the Northeast urged residents to stay home unless travel was absolutely necessary. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman warned suburban Long Islanders to avoid evening travel, citing ongoing flood risks. Atlanta airport traffic What's next Meanwhile, in Atlanta, air traffic remained backed up into the evening as airport operations struggled to adjust. While the city avoided the worst of the physical storm damage, its role as a central hub meant weather issues in other regions caused significant secondary impacts. Check your flights What you can do Travelers were advised to check with airlines for real-time updates and expect further disruptions into Friday as severe weather continues to affect flight routes up and down the East Coast. The Source The FOX 5 Storm Team, the FAA, and FlightAware provided the details for this article. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was updated Friday morning with current information. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
14 hours ago
- New York Times
Why Even Basic Airline Seats Keep Getting More ‘Premium'
Basic economy once ruled the airplane. Aside from those few rows in the business class cabin, what most passengers got was a bare bones, bottom-rung experience. Now, even on budget airlines, premium seating is taking over. Wealthy leisure travelers have proven most resilient to economic turbulence. So airlines are finding new ways to profit from customers who are willing to pay for some perks. Sometimes that means turning previously included options, like a seat in the front half of the main cabin, into paid upgrades. It has also involved expanding the cabin between first class and coach, and introducing a torrent of small luxuries to justify higher fares in the not-quite-business class. For example: American Airlines introduced a Boeing 787-9 plane this summer with redesigned premium economy seats that have headrest wings for 'additional privacy,' water bottle storage, and calf and footrests. It has said it plans to expand its lie-flat and premium economy seating by 50 percent before the end of the decade. Delta expanded its premium economy service — which comes with amenities kits, meals and more legroom — to transcontinental flights last fall. Glen Hauenstein, the airline's president, said in the company's recent earnings call that it used segmentation of the main cabin (think fees for extra leg room) as 'the template that we're going to bring to all of our premium cabins over time.' United Airlines said in July that it would add more premium economy seats between business class and economy-plus seats on its wide-body jets. 'That's the cabin, I think, that is generating very good returns,' Andrew Nocella, the airline's chief commercial officer, said during the company's earnings call. Revenue growth in the premium cabin is outpacing the main cabin at all three carriers. As airlines add premium options, they have also made moves to further distinguish their top-tier tickets from other rungs. This summer, American Airlines debuted an aircraft with first-class suites that have privacy doors — a feature Delta already offered on some flights and that United will soon include in a new international business class that also comes with caviar service and designer pajamas. 'It's all about giving people more choice, more pricing options, and more products and services in every cabin,' Delta's Hauenstein said about expanding premium offerings on the earnings call. Meanwhile, basic fares are dropping. Airfares overall have decreased by 3.5 percent in the last year as inflation overall increased by 2.7 percent, according to the Department of Labor. Price drops at major airlines have caused a problem for budget airlines, which historically compete on price alone. Their response? You guessed it, also more perks. Spirit Airlines, once the largest ultra-low-cost airline in North America, emerged from bankruptcy protection this year with plans to rebrand as a premium airline. Southwest Airlines, which joined American and Delta in withdrawing its financial forecast for 2025, has created premium seats with more legroom on all flights. And even no-frills carrier Frontier Airlines is planning to debut 'first-class style' seats in late 2025. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Air India flight to London aborts takeoff due to technical issue
An Air India flight from Delhi to London was forced to abandon take-off just minutes before it was due to depart on Thursday. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner exited the runway due to a suspected technical issue, according to local reports. In a statement to PTI, an airline spokesperson said: 'Flight AI2017, operating from Delhi to London on July 31, returned to the bay due to a suspected technical issue." 'The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the take-off run following standard operating procedures and brought the aircraft back for precautionary checks.' Alternative travel arrangements were made for the passengers, with the airline dispatching another aircraft to fulfil the scheduled flight. Ground staff were also on hand to provide support to passengers. Another Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operated by United Airlines, was forced to make an emergency landing after the plane's turbine stopped working earlier this week. This year has seen multiple plane-related incidents making headlines worldwide, including the tragic Air India plane crash in June. Air India has found itself in hot water following the tragedy, with an aviation watchdog finding 51 safety-related faults at the company during its annual audit. Plane-related incidents in 2025 have included a plane crash in Washington DC which saw 67 die, an aviation disaster in Philadelphia in January, and incidents in Toronto, Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Chicago. On July 13, a plane crash took place at London's Southend airport, though no casualties were reported. The latest crash in Bangladesh saw 19 people lose their lives when an air force training plane crashed into a school campus in capital Dhaka. There is no sign that air travel is becoming more dangerous, with experts maintaining that air travel is still safer than travel by car. The National Safety Council in the US said Americans have a one in 93 chance of dying in a motor accident, while deaths on planes are too rare to calculate.
