TBT: That Time I Got Diverted to Alaska On My Trip to Australia

This week I have been reminiscing about some excitement that I endured (enjoyed?) back at the beginning of 2017. I was flying on my first ever trip in international first class and business class. What should have been a smooth ride all the way to Australia ended up with an interesting twist. Everything ended well, though, and it is one of my favorite travel stories.

Flying For Fun: Booking Australia via Asia!

When I booked this trip in late 2016, there were two things going through my mind. First, I wanted to book a trip using the pile of United miles I had in international business or first class. I’d traveled with my wife that summer and the previous summer, but we had yet to book anything in a premium cabin. I was just beginning to transition away from the viewpoint that booking anything above economy class was a waste. Miles and points were often hard to come by before 2017, but as the stockpiles accrued, I became more tempted to book a premium cabin for the experience.

Nothing was particularly on the radar, though. It just became an idea for the next trip. Well…the next trip came about once I realized United would be retiring the last of it’s 747 aircraft by 2018. With adoption of our kids on the horizon, I’d likely miss any opportunity to fly their Queen of the Skies. Sure, other carriers operated them. But I wanted to have a chance to bid the plane farewell, even if it was months in advance. As United ultimately retired their 747-400s before the end of 2017, the January trip ended up being a good move.

While I started out looking for flights to Asia, I realized that I could add on a segment to Australia for basically no extra miles. The best-value ticket I found included a flight from San Francisco to Seoul in United 747 GlobalFirst connecting to an Asiana A380 business class flight. First class on the original jumbo jets, plus my first chance to fly the A380 in one trip? It was an easy decision.

Diverting to Anchorage

Everything started out smoothly on this particular trip. My early morning flight from our regional airport brought me to SFO without a hitch where I was able to enjoy my time in the GlobalFirst lounge. The midday flight also departed on time, and soon we were cruising far above the Pacific.

I was having a ball. The first class flight attendant was fantastic, and even though United’s old first class wasn’t anything special compared to other carrier’s first class, it was amazing to me. Glad I started with it instead of something like Emirates.

A couple hours into the flight the captain asked over the PA if there was a doctor on board. Someone needed medical attention, and they asked medical personnel to head to the back of the plane.

I knew something was up when the aircraft turned sharply north. We were south of Alaska, heading toward the Aleutian Islands. But now we were clearly heading somewhere other than Seoul. A few minutes later the captain made the announcement: we were diverting to Anchorage.

The flight attendant filled us on in. A passenger in the economy cabin had gone into labor and needed to be deplaned and taken to a hospital as quickly a possible. We were about an hour out from Anchorage. The big question was whether the baby would be born before we landed! No such luck.

The diversion had to cost United a pretty penny. They had to dump quite a bit of fuel as we descended toward Alaska. Unfortunately, I missed this spectacle. The flight attendant took a few of us back to watch, but the pilots had already released what they needed to. Instead, I found myself on a quick tour of the upper deck.

Taking Off Two People Lighter

Our stop in Anchorage took a couple hours. Everyone stayed on board, although they opened a couple exterior doors so we could take a look outside. I managed to spot a Dreamlifter for the first time during the 2+ hour wait. We also saw multiple large cargo airplanes arriving and taking off.

The other things I remember from the experience were the emergency medical personnel arriving outside to take the passenger off. One other passenger deplaned as well, opting to rebook a flight back to San Francisco. Turns out that with a total delay of over 3 hours, he was going to miss his business meeting in Seoul. Bummer on that count, but that to me seems like a super tight schedule to try to keep.

For my part, I just enjoyed the whole ordeal. I knew there was nothing I could do about my connection in Seoul, which was blocked for over 4 hours. I’d just hope I’d make it (and I barely did, running through ICN)! A few other first class passengers took the opportunity to get fairly drunk. We also had an addition to the first class cabin. The businessman who deplaned had been seated in first, and his seat was given to a nurse who had assisted the pregnant woman on board.

Final Thoughts

All’s well that ends well, so they say. When taking on for Australia, I never thought I’d end up in Alaska! It was a great first trip in a first class and business class (hysterically, Asiana business class is arguably better than United first class). With the diversion to Anchorage, it’s certainly an experience I will never forget. I’d return to Alaska next in 2021, where I’d enjoy some hiking.