Hawaiian Airlines Flight 33 scheduled to land in Maui with 207 passengers on board, turned back 3 times from Los Angeles International Airport before the flight was ultimately cancelled yesterday, Friday, February 1, 2019.
According to the airlines, all 3 three turn backs were due to “separate and unrelated faults with different systems.”
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The first return occurred before the plane took off, and the second and third returns were after the aircraft was airborne.
In a statement from Hawaiian Airlines, the explanation for the turn backs and ultimate cancellation was due to extra precaution when flights occur over the ocean.
“When there is an abnormality on an over-land flight it can, and often does, continue to its destination. However, ETOPS [extended-range operation] flights operate to a more stringent safety standard. Our aircraft have redundant systems, yet our standard is to respond to any indication of abnormalities with an abundance of caution,” the airline stated.
All passengers were given hotel rooms, dinner and breakfast vouchers, full refunds, and a US$100 credit for a future flight. All of them have since been accommodated on other flights.
