In most cases, when this happens, the plane lands at a different airport: it's rare that the change of trajectory is only temporary, letting the plane land where it was supposed to. If a massive storm is in the way of your flight's itinerary, it's likely that your flight will be diverted. A natural disaster, like a hurricane, would also cause your flight to be diverted. While airlines and airports can generally predict weather patterns in advance, some extraordinary circumstances do occur. One of the reasons why your flight can be diverted is the weather. Usually, the pilot does so for reasons linked to the aircraft or the people on board (passengers or crew), while ATC requests a flight diversion because of events at the airport or air traffic restrictions. Now, why would a plane be diverted? When can the Plane be Diverted?Īs mentioned above, either the pilot or ATC can decide to divert the plane from its original itinerary. Get the Service app now and we'll submit a claim automatically if you're eligible. Your flight was diverted? You may be eligible to up to $700 per passenger as diverted flight compensation. As a rule of thumb, the plane won't be redirected to the closest airport, but to the most convenient one instead. Keep also in mind that the best airport to divert the plane to isn't necessarily the closest one. An emergency landing, however, occurs at the discretion of the pilot, when the safety of the cabin is at risk. The flight is diverted when a precaution is being taken, by either the pilot or ATC, or because it's in the best interest of the passengers. It's important to stress the difference between a flight diversion and an emergency landing. But because of an incident in Gatwick, Air Traffic Control asked the pilot to deviate from their path and head toward London Standsted (STN) instead.
This can be done because of a decision made either by the pilot or by Air Traffic Controllers (ATC).įor example, your flight was scheduled to depart from New York (JFK) and arrive in London Gatwick (LGW). Now, rest assured that this doesn't (usually) arrive by mistake: a flight is diverted when the pilot has to change its itinerary. A flight diversion occurs when the plane doesn't land at the airport where it was supposed to arrive.