BANGOR, Maine — Passengers from the Allegiant flight sidetracked by an emergency landing Wednesday finally reached their Bangor destination at noon Thursday, nearly 20 hours later than they had planned.
Allegiant Flight 736, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 bound for Bangor from Orlando Sanford International Airport in Florida, landed safely at TF Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, after announcing an emergency landing. It was the latest of several diversions and maintenance issues plaguing the low-cost airline.
Among those finally arriving at the Bangor International Airport terminal was Bill Burbridge of Saint John, New Brunswick, who still had a three-hour drive ahead of him to get his daughter home for a New Year’s party.
Burbridge said about 15-20 minutes into Wednesday’s flight, he and other passengers could smell something “burning.” Burbridge, who works in building maintenance, said it reminded him of the smell of burning wire.
“It could have been anything,” he said, and the crew didn’t seem overly concerned. The flight went on as normal, but the plane started descending about 30 minutes sooner than expected.
Then came an “abrupt” announcement, according to Burbridge, that the plane would be making an emergency landing, but there was no explanation of the problem. The flight crew still moved around the cabin after that announcement, so no one was too nervous, according to Burbidge, though some children on the flight were upset.
When the plane touched down in Warwick, the pilot hit the brakes harder than usual and brought the plane to a stop in the middle of the runway, where it was greeted by four or five fire trucks, Burbridge said. Passengers evacuated in an orderly, slow fashion down the front steps, he said.
“They were doing everything by the book, I think,” Burbridge said.
Several passengers told flight attendants that the back of the plane was getting warmer during the flight, and that they could feel the heat on the walls of the plane.
The airline put passengers up in hotels and a replacement plane brought them from Rhode Island to Bangor on Thursday. Some passengers made other travel arrangements, such as renting cars, to get home sooner, Burbridge said.
On Thursday, Allegiant confirmed the flight was diverted because of the smell and said there was no fire or smoke in the cabin. The airline said an initial inspection revealed that the “abnormal smell” originated from a leak in an air duct. It’s unclear why the plane flew for so long after the smell was first noticed.
The Federal Aviation Administration has said it will investigate the incident.
Bangor International Airport Director Tony Caruso said this incident, and others that have plagued the airline over the past year, wouldn’t affect Allegiant’s future at Bangor’s airport.
“Allegiant continues to be a good strong partner with the airport and with the city,” Caruso said. “At this point, there’s no cause for concern.”
Allegiant, however, has been under the microscope over the past year, after a series of high-profile maintenance and equipment problems in its fleet of about 80 planes, including about 50 MD-83s. Some of those issues led to emergency landings, diversions and other delays, according to national media reports.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that the Bangor-bound flight was one of four Allegiant flights originating in Orlando to be diverted in the past week.
Flight 778 to Appleton, Wisconsin, was diverted to Fargo, North Dakota, on Dec. 28 because of an issue with de-icing equipment.
Flight 606, bound for Ohio on Christmas Eve, was diverted to Jacksonville International Airport because of a faulty indicator light.
Flight 760, bound for Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, had an issue with its right engine and diverted to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport “out of an abundance of caution.” The plane, carrying 150 passengers and six crew members, landed at the Tennessee airport just after 8 a.m.
“The aircraft has been taken out of service and will be thoroughly inspected to determine the cause,” Allegiant said in an email, pointing out that it had flown 212 planes out of the Orlando area over the past week.
“Our pilots are highly trained, and Allegiant safety protocols emphasize putting the safety of passengers foremost in making any decision of this type,” the airline said in a statement issued Thursday.
In October, the FAA said it would increase its scrutiny of the airline after a plane in Las Vegas aborted its takeoff and maintenance crews later found a critical piece of equipment in the tail had come loose. Those workers later found the same problem on two other jets.
Also in October, an engine caught fire on an Allegiant plane as it sat on the tarmac in Las Vegas, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Over the summer, a plane piloted by two Allegiant executives had to make an emergency landing when the pilots reported they were low on fuel, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Those are just a few of the more serious incidents reported during the past few months.
The Teamster’s union, which represents some Allegiant pilots and mechanics, r eleased a letter earlier this year in which it criticized the airline, arguing the company was putting profits before passengers. The letter claims widespread maintenance problems in the fleet.
“The company’s record delays and cancellations have led Allegiant to have the second-highest customer complaint rate out of any U.S. commercial airline,” the letter reads. “Meanwhile, the fleet is plagued by persistent mechanical problems due to poor equipment and the company’s unwillingness to invest in its operation or its workforce, as attested by the numerous FAA safety investigations, aircraft groundings, and training program closures.”
The airline defends its safety record and says it’s in daily contact with the FAA, which thoroughly reviews any “abnormal event.”
“While we regret the inconvenience to the passengers on these flights, Allegiant would like to emphasize these decisions were made in the interests of their safety, and we stand by the decisions of our professional pilots and crew in these matters,” the company said.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.