Accidental Tourism

[thør]

A Bay-Area bound 767 had an engine issue and made an emergency landing at Cold Bay, Alaska this morning. While waiting for Delta to get another plane out there to pick them up, 167 passengers are accidental tourists in a town of 100 people. The weather isn't bad, it's in the low 40's (about 5°C) with a bit of rain. Most of the passengers would have never imagined setting foot in a place like Cold Bay, much less, spending at least half a day there. I doubt they've brought their shotguns, as it's a great place to hunt geese. Still, I hope they learn a bit about the place and grow as a part of their unintended visit.

Story

 

[JohnnySavage]

Are there hookers and an all-you-can-eat buffet?

 

[thør]

Are there hookers and an all-you-can-eat buffet?

I've only been there once, and did not notice any hookers or buffets. There was a restaurant, then, but that was back when Flying Tigers was still in business.

 

[thør]

http://media.adn.com/smedia/2013/10/30/13/29/1aQdeA.AuSt.7.jpg

Pretty nice day in Cold Bay. There's a bit of blue in the sky.

 

[Aquagal]

Reminds me of when a girlfriend was working in Shemya with a company putting in an airport road and an American Airlines flight to Tokyo had an emergency landing. There's nothing in Shemya but about 45 mph fog.

 

[thør]

Reminds me of when a girlfriend was working in Shemya with a company putting in an airport road and an American Airlines flight to Tokyo had an emergency landing. There's nothing in Shemya but about 45 mph fog.

Plus, it's a fairly high security USAF base. They're not partial to visitors.

 

[Aquagal]

Plus, it's a fairly high security USAF base. They're not partial to visitors.

She did do a Polar Bear jump of sorts there. More like wading into the Bering Sea. Pretty miserable island to 'visit'.

I doubt Cold Bay even has any eating facilities.

 

[thør]

She did do a Polar Bear jump of sorts there. More like wading into the Bering Sea. Pretty miserable island to 'visit'.

I doubt Cold Bay even has any eating facilities.

It used to have a quasi diner, but that's when the air freighters were fueling there.

 

[thør]

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/110/292100187_cbd04d3d59_o.jpg

There were 60,000 people stationed there during WWII. They left a bit of cool junk lying about.

 

[neci]

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/110/292100187_cbd04d3d59_o.jpg

There were 60,000 people stationed there during WWII. They left a bit of cool junk lying about.

i would go there to see that.

 

[LiFeNdEaTh]

interesting..

 

[thør]

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_620/public/Delta%20Flight%20208%20Cold%20Bay%2001.jpg

 

[thør]

http://media.adn.com/smedia/2013/10/30/16/03/N5TpR.AuSt.7.jpg

The mini-adventure is over!

Linkage

 

[islandman]

Must have been one hell of a shot to the local economy.

 

[thør]

Have you been an accidental tourist?

When I was on a team trip in college, our flight to SF was diverted to Oakland due to fog. By the time we got to SF, we'd missed our connections. Most of the team was able to get on another flight but they were two seats short and coach left me and another guy at SF International to wait for 6 hours for the next plane. We jumped on a bus and went downtown, rode the cablecars, went to fisherman's wharf, putzed in Chinatown, and generally had a great time downtown. Neither of us had been to SF before and it was a blast. The bus got us back to the airport with plenty of time to get on the plane.

 

[thør]

Must have been one hell of a shot to the local economy.

Now, there's all the mechanics and inspectors. Gonna be a good one for the locals.

 

[SkAoUt]

Was an accidental tourist in Leduc which is a bedroom community to Edmonton Alberta. Flight out of Grande Prairie Alberta was canceled due to a computer malfunction. A 6 hour bus ride to Leduc (the closest Westjet hub) transformed us from individuals into a group and so once in the hotel (the airline put us up at) in Leduc a bunch of us got together for drinks. That is all. Not a lot of tourism, more of a group drinking phenomenon. And other than that all my international flights have been on time for arrivals and departures. Kinda boring being an accidental tourist in Leduc. Oh well.

 

[thør]

In regard to the original post

From a passenger's blog:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/82b29017b4125815f582f3c2c583dee8/tumblr_mvj1reZ9J31qalzqqo1_500.jpg

"Had an emergency landing at #ColdBay #Alaska .Was sitting by the window and there were sparks flying out of the left engine. luckily we’re okay. #airplane (at Coldbay Airport, Alaska)"

 

[trysail]

(A) Have you been an accidental tourist?

(B) When I was on a team trip in college, our flight to SF was diverted to Oakland due to fog. By the time we got to SF, we'd missed our connections. Most of the team was able to get on another flight but they were two seats short and coach left me and another guy at SF International to wait for 6 hours for the next plane. We jumped on a bus and went downtown, rode the cablecars, went to fisherman's wharf, putzed in Chinatown, and generally had a great time downtown. Neither of us had been to SF before and it was a blast. The bus got us back to the airport with plenty of time to get on the plane.

(A) Yes. On my way to a wedding, I got bumped off an overbooked flight in Pittsburgh. The airline put me up at an airport hotel for the night. I called up a college pal and ended up getting an extremely alcohol-tinged tour of the town.


(B) What sport?

 

[thør]

Was an accidental tourist in Leduc which is a bedroom community to Edmonton Alberta. Flight out of Grande Prairie Alberta was canceled due to a computer malfunction. A 6 hour bus ride to Leduc (the closest Westjet hub) transformed us from individuals into a group and so once in the hotel (the airline put us up at) in Leduc a bunch of us got together for drinks. That is all. Not a lot of tourism, more of a group drinking phenomenon. And other than that all my international flights have been on time for arrivals and departures. Kinda boring being an accidental tourist in Leduc. Oh well.

Sometimes these little bumps in the schedule are the best part of the trip.

 

[thør]

A few folk have taken a detour to visit Cold Bay, Alaska.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Origin:Gander, a town of about 10,000 people (and 550 hotel rooms) in Newfoundland, Canada, lies in the northeastern tip of North America and has long served as a refueling stop for trans-Atlantic flights and a temporary haven for flights diverted from their destinations. On 11 September 2001, a total of 240 flights were rerouted to Canada when American airspace was closed after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and 39 of those flights ended up in Gander. The townspeople of Gander (and surrounding areas) came through magnificently in the crisis, as 6,579 marooned passengers and crew members swelled their population by two-thirds:

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/gander.asp

 

[Hypoxia]

I was in New York. I caught a ride I thought was going to Toronto but I ended up in Mexico City.

Another time, our luggage got the "accidental tourist" treatment. We flew to Fairbanks; our bags flew to Fargo. I hope they enjoyed the trip. (Actually, one was murdered along the way.)

On 9/11 my sis-in-law, then a MAJOR financial executive (and no tourist) was in Phoenix for a confab and could not fly home to Philadelphia. She and her staff rented a van and drove back. It was the first time she had actually seen the nation from ground level. Blew her mind.