09-12-2020, 11:10 PM
Jamaica air traffic center controller called and said " Hey Continental we have a problem with your routing. The Mexicans are saying you have to change your destination". The flight plan I had filed was from Caracas to Houston
My first thought was "now what, someone didn't pay the Mexicans?"
The next few minutes were spent figuring out where I would land with 122 passengers and 6 crew members after I finally got a hold of someone who knew what was happening back in the states.
""It is bad ... The world trade center in New York has been has been hit by airliners. It looks like a deliberate attack. They have shut all the airspace in CONUS down no flights in or out"
Long story short I spent 3 nights in Cozumel.... everyone was put up into hotels and was well cared for. The Continental operations in the states had said many were going to Cancun an that was where they wanted me to go to.. "B.S. !" Since everyone (maybe 10+ flight were already heading there that was the last place I wanted to try and get everyone through customs, immigration and find a room..
I knew the station manager at Cozumel and was able to to let her know I would be arriving in just about an hour. "No Bullshit please" get everyone a room and get some people to man the immigration and customs booths.
We landed, secured the 737-800 series and were at our hotels faster than anyone could have imagined. Maybe less than 2 hours total...
I had flown with this international crew many times so they were all friends and under the circumstances we spent the time watching T.V. news, shopping, eating, and swimming while others all over the world were stuck in aircraft without rooms .. The station manager would call me every morning to let me know if she thought we could depart back to the states. She would normally say another day of Cerveza and hospitality because I do not think you will be departing today.. Very good knowledgeable station manager.... I wrote up a detailed flowery report recommending her for President of Mexico or some such position.
They had a large number of international flights land someplace in Canada where everyone spent the next few days on the aircraft they arrived upon. That sucked big time for everyone. There were no hotels and Canada is much like the states as no one in government can make a decision when TSHTF ... I would have refueled and went to a bigger better city where the passengers and crew could have deplaned/gotten off the aircraft.... Or I would have caused such a stink I would have probably ended up is a Canadian Jail.. Better than a cockpit after 3 days IMO !
The Saudi 707 had no problem loading up and departing the states back to Saudi Arabia even though the airspace was supposed shut down... go figure... Of course the official report says that did not happen even though that was the big rumor way back when..
Supposedly Gander was mobilized and even though they only had 500 hotel rooms they did their best to accommodate 5500 passengers and crew members. Others were not so lucky.
My first thought was "now what, someone didn't pay the Mexicans?"
The next few minutes were spent figuring out where I would land with 122 passengers and 6 crew members after I finally got a hold of someone who knew what was happening back in the states.
""It is bad ... The world trade center in New York has been has been hit by airliners. It looks like a deliberate attack. They have shut all the airspace in CONUS down no flights in or out"
Long story short I spent 3 nights in Cozumel.... everyone was put up into hotels and was well cared for. The Continental operations in the states had said many were going to Cancun an that was where they wanted me to go to.. "B.S. !" Since everyone (maybe 10+ flight were already heading there that was the last place I wanted to try and get everyone through customs, immigration and find a room..
I knew the station manager at Cozumel and was able to to let her know I would be arriving in just about an hour. "No Bullshit please" get everyone a room and get some people to man the immigration and customs booths.
We landed, secured the 737-800 series and were at our hotels faster than anyone could have imagined. Maybe less than 2 hours total...
I had flown with this international crew many times so they were all friends and under the circumstances we spent the time watching T.V. news, shopping, eating, and swimming while others all over the world were stuck in aircraft without rooms .. The station manager would call me every morning to let me know if she thought we could depart back to the states. She would normally say another day of Cerveza and hospitality because I do not think you will be departing today.. Very good knowledgeable station manager.... I wrote up a detailed flowery report recommending her for President of Mexico or some such position.
They had a large number of international flights land someplace in Canada where everyone spent the next few days on the aircraft they arrived upon. That sucked big time for everyone. There were no hotels and Canada is much like the states as no one in government can make a decision when TSHTF ... I would have refueled and went to a bigger better city where the passengers and crew could have deplaned/gotten off the aircraft.... Or I would have caused such a stink I would have probably ended up is a Canadian Jail.. Better than a cockpit after 3 days IMO !
The Saudi 707 had no problem loading up and departing the states back to Saudi Arabia even though the airspace was supposed shut down... go figure... Of course the official report says that did not happen even though that was the big rumor way back when..
Supposedly Gander was mobilized and even though they only had 500 hotel rooms they did their best to accommodate 5500 passengers and crew members. Others were not so lucky.