Passengers on 'time travel' flight livid as they miss out on NYE twice

02 January 2024 , 12:14

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The revellers hoped to see in the new year twice (file photo) (Image: Getty Images)

Revellers hoping to see the New Year in twice were bitterly disappointed when their 'time travelling' flight was delayed.

Passengers hopped aboard a United Airlines flight in Guam at 7.35am on January 1, 2024 and then jetted off in the direction of Honolulu, Hawaii. The plan was to arrive at 6.50pm on December 31, 2023, giving them a rare opportunity to celebrate the New Year's countdown twice.

This is possible as Guam is to the west of the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. When travelling from it to the east, the clocks suddenly jump back to the previous day at a certain point in the journey.

United Airlines had promoted the special flight by tweeting: "You only live once, but you can celebrate New Year’s Eve twice!” On Instagram the airline wrote: “Time travel is real.”

Unfortunately for those booked onto the UA200, 2024 has started with a big portion of bathos. The flight eventually left Guam at 1.49 pm on January 1 due to a delay, meaning it only arrived in Honolulu at 12:34am on January 1.

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The United Airlines flight was delayed for several hours (file photo) (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Once passengers onboard had clambered off the plane, got through the airport and headed into the town, the party poppers had long since been blasted, arms unlinked and 'happy new year' cheers were quickly turning into faint memories.

Many went on to express frustration online. “Great idea, too bad it got delayed! I was supposed to be on this flight. Double new year isn’t happening anymore," one person wrote on Twitter. Another passenger shared, “I booked this flight specifically so I could do this. I got a delay notification and we aren’t scheduled to get in until 1.30."

A third chimed in: "We're booked on the flight. Planned our entire vacation around it for a year. Just got notification that it's delayed and won't land until 1.10 a.m."

In response to the situation, United Airlines offered rebooking assistance to the affected passengers on X. The Mirror has contacted the airline to ask why the flight was delayed and whether customers are likely to receive any form of compensation.

Passengers aboard other 'time travel' flights had more luck as theirs managed to stick to their schedules.

Cathay Pacific’s flight CX872 departed Hong Kong just past 1am on January 1 and arrived in San Francisco at 8.22pm on December 31. An All Nippon Airways’ flight NH106 left Tokyo at 12.48am on January 1 and landed in Los Angeles at 5.12pm on December 31, giving plenty of time to enjoy the celebrations twice.

When the planes aren't delayed, the wonders of commercial air travel can open up parts of the world previously completely inaccessible to most people.

For the past 30 years Australian airline Qantas has been flying well-heeled customers from various cities across the country over the most remote, inhospitable part of the world. The commercial jet takes off from either Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane and heads due to south to Antartica.

For 13 hours the pilots keep flying, plunging deep into the coldest and wildest continent on Earth. They have no means in making an emergency landing for most of the trip if something goes wrong, meaning a three-hour trek back across the ocean to Australia or New Zealand will have to do.

The flight is made more challenging because the pilots are flying low, keeping close to the ice shelves and glacial formations so that passengers are able to feast their eyes on the wonder of the Antarctic below.

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The chartered flights take place aboard a Boeing 787s because of that plane's large windows, which give those onboard the best chance to see as much of the continent as possible. Given the unique international status of the Antarctic and its very difficult-to-reach location, the flights are not cheap.

The lowest costing ticket aboard the plane goes for the equivalent of £630. This will get you a spot in the Explorer Economy Class, which are seats that have no clear view of a window or views obstructed by the wing.

The better the view out of a window you get, the more you'll pay. If you fancy a turn in Business Class Deluxe, then you'll end up forking out £5,000. Halfway through the flight customers swap seats, so that those in the aisle are given better access to the window.

Milo Boyd