US pilot receives complaint after he diverts flight to let passengers see Aurora
Taking advantage of a rare opportunity to look at the Aurora, a pilot in America decided to divert his course so that passengers could get a nice look from the plane.
But the pilot, who was posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, said he received a complaint from a woman for switching courses.
Source: @MCCCANM on X
He figured, however, that these opportunities don’t come often. Furthermore, he couldn’t please everyone.
Pilot in America diverts flight to let passengers see Aurora
The pilot said he was flying an eastbound trans-continental flight on Saturday (11 May).
Source: @MCCCANM on X
Aware that there might be a chance to watch the Aurora, he told passengers about it before takeoff, then again as they approached darkness.
Eventually, they were able to see the Aurora, but only passengers on the left had a view.
“I felt bad only passengers on the left could see…” he wrote.
So he decided to reverse course and hold the plane for 90 seconds so that passengers seated on the right could have a view too.
Source: @MCCCANM on X
“One woman complained it was ‘the most unprofessional thing she’s ever seen’,” he added.
He thought the rest of the passengers were pleased, though, noting: “It added 5 min & we were already an hour late, but these opportunities don’t arise often.”
Comments thank pilot
A majority of replies to the pilot’s post were positive.
One called his action “kind and thoughtful” since he’d made the conscious decision to allow the passengers on the right to watch the Aurora.
Source: X
Other comments were similarly complimentary.
Source: X
The pilot did express it was likely that the complainant would report the incident to his airline, but doubted he’d get in any trouble.
“It may be the only chance most of these people ever have to see an Aurora,” he reasoned. He was peeved to receive a complaint but said he was also okay with it.
Source: X
Aurora due to solar storm
The Aurora observed between 10 to 11 May was reportedly the strongest in 20 years.
The phenomenon, also known as northern lights, was due to an “extreme” solar storm.
Dazzling northern lights illuminate skies in Europe as ‘extreme’ solar storm hits Earth
The UK Met Office had said that many regions across Asia, Europe, and North America could likely see the northern lights if night skies are dark and clear enough.
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Featured image adapted from @MCCCANM on X.
