A British Airways flight took its passengers to the wrong country, and, um, we have questions
A March 25th British Airways flight seemed to be going perfectly well…until passengers realized the plane had landed in the wrong country. The flight, which left from London City Airport, was supposed to land in Dusseldorf, Germany. However, it took off in the wrong direction and landed in Edinburgh, Scotland instead—more than 500 miles from its intended destination. Oops.
A woman named Sófia Szabó told CNN that she first realized something was wrong when she looked outside her window to see mountains instead of the “usual German industrial landscape.” As more and more passengers started to notice they were in the wrong country, a flight attendant asked for a show of hands for the people going to Germany—and everyone on the plane raised their hands.
London City’s official Twitter account later apologized for what happened, explaining what had led to the unfortunate mix-up.
"As pleasant as Edinburgh is this time of year, we’re sorry that passengers travelling to Dusseldorf on BA3271, operated by WDL Aviation, initially landed in the Scottish capital, rather than their intended destination," they wrote. "This was due to an incorrect flight plan submitted by WDL."
As pleasant as Edinburgh is this time of year, we’re sorry that passengers travelling to Dusseldorf on BA3271, operated by WDL Aviation, initially landed in the Scottish capital, rather than their intended destination. This was due to an incorrect flight plan submitted by WDL.
— London City Airport (@LondonCityAir) March 25, 2019
Several passengers took to Twitter to share their confusion:
@British_Airways can you please explain how can my morning flight taking off from LCY to Dusseldorf land in Edinburgh 😅? While an interesting concept, I don't think anyone on board has signed up for this mystery travel lottery… #BA3271 #frequenttravel #britishairways
— Son Tran (@sontrantuan) March 25, 2019
I have fallen asleep, missed my stop and woken up at the end of the district line before. This morning I never expected to wake up from my Dusseldorf bound flight…in Edinburgh! @British_Airways #BritishAirways #BA3271
— Peter James-Hamilton (@PJamesHamilton) March 25, 2019
@British_Airways what on earth!? Stuck in City Airport for 4+ hours, going to miss my meeting in Düsseldorf and I’ve had to find out through the press why my flight is delayed! Really hope we are entitled to compensation for this epic fail! https://t.co/7WNxXmsJhD
— gabi shutter (@gabi29d) March 25, 2019
The plane was eventually refueled and redirected to Dusseldorf, where passengers were left with a very, uh, amusing story.
