A United Airlines flight traveling from Tokyo to Los Angeles diverted to Honolulu due to a disruptive passenger onboard.
United Airlines Dreamliner Traveling From Tokyo To LA Diverts To Honolulu Due To Disruptive Passenger
The incident occurred on UA33 traveling from Tokyo (NRT) to Los Angeles (NRT) on June 14, 2022. Midway over the Pacific Ocean a passenger disturbance occurred, prompting a diversion to Honolulu (HNL).
A United spokesperson told Live and Let’s Fly:
United flight 33 from Tokyo Narita International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport diverted to Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport due to a disruptive passenger. Law enforcement officers met the aircraft at the gate, and customers deplaned normally. Our teams are making arrangements to get customers to their final destinations as quickly as possible.
The reported threat onboard was Level 2 under International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines:
- Level 1 — Disruptive behavior (verbal)
- Level 2 — Physically abusive behavior
- Level 3 — Life-threatening behavior (or display of a weapon)
- Level 4 — Attempted or actual breach of the flight crew compartment
From what we’ve been able to gather, there was not an overall threat to the aircraft. Rather, it was an isolated incident with one customer. However, no details have been shared nor have pictures or videos emerged (yet) on social media.
United’s Honolulu team met the flight and offered rebooking options to final destinations as well as hotel and meal vouchers for those who had to remain overnight in Honolulu. A replacement section for UA33 continued the journey to Los Angeles under the flight number UA3016 this morning and is expected to arrive at LAX shortly.
CONCLUSION
With the mask mandate lifted, the primary culprit of in-flight disturbances no longer is in force. We will continue to monitor this story for specific information as to what occurred onboard.
Were you on UA33 on…