# Right Flight, Wrong Departure City



## oldman (Apr 25, 2017)

This event happened in 1995. At that time, I had been flying as a First Officer in a Boeing 747. It was winter time and we were flying from O'Hare to Honolulu. Not a bad gig in winter and 1995 was one of the worse winters that we had seen in a number of years. The airport was considering closing until the runways were drier, so we wanted to board and leave before that happened. 

We were expecting 288 passengers and crew. With 10 minutes to go before our scheduled departure time, we were still two passengers short. The Captain asked the gate agent to announce over the intercom inside the terminal that Flight 123 (not sure of the flight number) is looking for John and Mary Smith (not their real names). "Your flight is preparing to leave."

After another five minutes, the Captain was very anxious and told the Purser to close the door. Then, he told me to tell the tower that we were ready to start the engines and push back. The tower came back and told us to hold at the gate for just a few moments. Just before we were given permission to start the engines, the gate agent called the Captain and said that our two missing passengers were now at the gate and wanted to board. 

It is normally not customary to open the door once it's closed, but the Captain went against company policy and gave the OK. After the missing couple were seated, I again told the tower that we were ready to start and push back. Of course, you guessed it. The airport temporarily shut down. We deplaned the passengers and did not get out of Chicago until three and a half hours later.

It just doesn't pay to hurry.


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