Flight Keeps Passengers in the Air For 11 Hours Going Absolutely Nowhere Because of a Volcanic Eruption And Horses In The Cargo
Passengers spent 11 hours in the air only to end up right where they started.
A flight from Amsterdam to Mexico was forced to turn around about five-and-a-half hours into the flight due to a volcanic eruption. The plane was reportedly unable to land at another airport because it was also carrying a cargo of horses.
KLM flight KL685 from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to Mexico City was over Canada when the decision was made to turn around, The Independent reports. The plane returned to the airport it originated from, making this a very long flight that ultimately went nowhere.
The plane was unable to land at its original destination because of volcanic activity from Popocatepetl, an active volcano near Mexico City. The eruption had created “unfavorable flying conditions.”
There are a lot of things in this world that bother me. I'm about as impatient a guy as it gets. If I'm ever on a plane I'm constantly flicking on the map screen to see how much longer I have to be trapped in this seat for. I'm usually able to fall asleep for a few hours on a long one, but eventually wake up in panic because half the flight still has to happen.
If I woke up from a mini snooze only to realize we've turned the goddamn plane around to head back home I'd lose my mind. All because a volcano was erupting at the destination and it wasn't safe to land. Fine, you know what? Shit happens, let's just land somewhere safe along the way and then hop on the next flight to Mexico when it's all clear so we can get on our way. We'll find a bar wherever we land and get shit-faced until we're good to go. Nope, can't do that. Why? Horses. Motherfucking horses.
Normally, the airline would look to land the plane at an alternate airport but was unable to do so with flight KL685 because it was also carrying a cargo of horses.
The horses didn't have the proper visas to land anywhere else!!! Are you kidding me? HORSES. The plane had to turn around completely and head back to Amsterdam. You have to make up a better excuse than that for the passengers. You cant tell me I'm wasting 11 hours in the air because of horses in the cargo. 5.5 hours forward to go 5.5 hours backward. The real life version of Matthew McConaughey's Lincoln commercial where he says "Sometimes you gotta go back to actually move forward." Listen, if I wake up and find out we can't land because of a volcano and horses I'm politely asking the pilot to either ditch this bird in the ocean or just fly directly into the volcano. Out of principle I'm not spending 11 hours in flight just to end up where I started. That's no way to live your life. Unless I end up getting unlimited flights for life or equity in the company, I'm not allowing that flight to go back to Amsterdam.
P.S. I have a tin foil hat conspiracy that there was someone very important on this plane who could not have legally landed in another country. Some kind of prisoner or on the most-wanted list. Some '24' bullshit. Maybe there weren't horses in the cargo? Maybe it was some high tech alien weapon being transported overseas?