A United Airlines flight with more than 200 people aboard has made an emergency landing in Maine.
A United spokesman says a cabin pressure issue forced the Amsterdam-bound Flight 986 that had left San Francisco on Sunday afternoon to divert to Bangor International Airport early Monday, Oct. 7.
Passengers said oxygen masks dropped and the jetliner quickly descended. Passenger Ben Friedman told WABI-TV it was scary, but most people remained calm.
An airline spokesman says the 13 crew members helped 197 passengers safely exit. The airline provided accommodations with plans to fly to Newark, New Jersey, later on Monday, and then on to Amsterdam.
Bangor’s location makes it a good place for trans-Atlantic flights to divert for refueling, mechanical problems or unruly passengers. It’s the nation’s last major airport for outgoing flights and the first for incoming flights.
Air Pressure Issue Causes Delta to Divert Flight to Florida
In a similar incident last month, Delta Air Lines diverted an Atlanta flight headed to Florida after an unknown issue caused the cabin’s oxygen masks to be released.
News outlets report the Fort Lauderdale-bound plane made an emergency landing at Tampa International Airport about an hour after it left Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
A statement by Delta says the plane was diverted out of an abundance of caution over the “cabin pressure irregularity.” It says the plane is now being evaluated by maintenance technicians. Delta said the passengers were bused about four hours to their original destination.
Dominican Republic Flight to Florida Diverted to Bahamas
Officials say a JetBlue flight traveling from the Dominican Republic to Florida had to make an emergency landing in the Bahamas.
News outlets report that the plane was on its way to Orlando International Airport on Sept. 11 when it was diverted to Nassau. No injuries were reported.
JetBlue says the crew reported a system alert of possible smoke in a cargo hold after taking off from Santo Domingo, prompting the emergency landing and evacuation in Nassau.
The airline says initial inspections found no signs of any issues. Passengers continued on to Orlando aboard another aircraft.
