Passengers aboard United Airlines flight UA969 from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) endured an extraordinary travel disruption after their Boeing 777-200ER suffered two separate diversions during the same journey. What began as a routine transatlantic departure from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport quickly turned into a nearly 24-hour ordeal involving a midair return to Europe, an unscheduled stop in Newark, and multiple lengthy delays before passengers finally arrived in California.
Flight tracking data and a report from AirLive show the aircraft initially departed Amsterdam on May 24 before abruptly turning around over the North Sea less than an hour into the flight. After landing back at Schiphol for technical inspections, the same aircraft was cleared to depart again later that evening. However, the second attempt also failed to reach San Francisco nonstop, with the Boeing 777 later diverting to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) before eventually continuing to the West Coast the following morning.
More - United 777 Diverts To Amsterdam, Then Newark In Rare 24-Hour Double Diversion Flight