Hawaiian Airlines Passengers Stuck In Las Vegas After Baggage Loader Hits Airbus A330-200

On Wednesday, May 8th, Hawaiian Airlines Flight 5 was scheduled for an evening departure from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The flight was canceled in an unfortunate turn of events, leaving passengers stranded for two days and quite cross.

Collision with ground equipment

Hawaiian Airlines Flight 5 from LAS to HNL uses an Airbus A330-200. The aircraft involved in the incident is registered N390HA. The flight usually departs from LAS at 18:30 local time. However, it was canceled following a collision with ground equipment.

Photo: Hawaiian Airlines

According to Hawaii News Now, the airline said that a baggage belt loader collided with the aircraft, which resulted in the aircraft needing an inspection from maintenance staff before it could be deemed airworthy.

However, the airline could not complete the inspection before the crew members exceeded their duty times. This meant the crew could no longer operate the aircraft even if it were deemed airworthy. As a result, the flight was canceled.

Multiple cancelations and unhappy passengers

After the initial collision and incident, Hawaiian Airlines told passengers the flight would be delayed until 20:45 local time. Passengers waited patiently, hoping for a flight home. However, another one and a half hours past the rescheduled departure time, the airline notified passengers that the flight was canceled and would be rescheduled for Thursday morning.

Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock

However, on Thursday, the passengers were informed that the airline faces new delays, the reasons for which have not been divulged. The latest flight was scheduled for Saturday, May 11th, at 01:55. Three days after the original flight was scheduled to leave.

One passenger named Nichole recounted her frustrations and how she was unsure if Hawaiian Airlines would keep its word:

“I just hope all of us get home safely. We want to go home. We’re all pretty unsure if this flight is even gonna go. We’re not having a good time. They also let us know if we were to go with another airline or they were to rebook us another way that we would be waiving any right to compensation.”

The airline said it provided guests with hotel accommodations and $20 food vouchers through Saturday. However, passengers said this was not the case.

Nichole said she had to check out of her hotel room on Friday morning and resorted to asking the hotel to hold on to her party’s nine pieces of luggage until Saturday. Because of the airline’s mismanagement, she said she’d lost nearly $1,000.

Photo: Nashville International Airport

It appears that some passengers were offered shared rooms due to limited hotel availability. The airline apologized to the passengers inconvenienced by the delays. It said that passengers should speak to customer service to request refunds and reimburse any personal expenses, which include meals and transportation. Hawaiian Airlines said it would work to process these refunds in four weeks.

Simple Flying has contacted Hawaiian Airlines for comment regarding the delays and the situation.

The aircraft

The aircraft was inspected and then ferried to HNL as HAL Flight 6. The A330-200 will return to service on Sunday, operating the HAL Flight 10 service from HNL to LAX.

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