Did they go through customs upon arrival?

I get the divert and the mechanical issue. What I dont understand is how it took 14 hours to get a rescue aircraft to Goose Bay. Should have been 4 to 5 hours max. It’s a 2 hour flight from EWR. A AOG in minus 30 temps should have been the number one priority for UAL ops.

Does United really have spare 777s? I am sure United is very efficient when it comes to their wide-bodies. Maintenance could have been doing work on the rescue 777 when this all happened.

I’ve been to Goose, in the winter. Planned flight in the Air Force. I can’t believe Dispatch and the FODM were on board with that divert. There is nothing there. I recall the last time we put one in there, passengers wound up sleeping on cots in a hangar.

We need to do a better job of divert planning for such things other than a fire on board.

Gander is only another hour. Way better accommodations. Real hotels and a good hospital.

Good thing the APU didn’t quit.

How do you force a crew to leave their home on a day off, in the dead of winter to ferry a plane to somewhere that’s 30 below?

They are employees. They should do what is needed. You start with the easy option. You call reserves. No reserves you offer it as overtime. No one wants that you cancel a revenue flight and reroute the crew.

“I'll do it for 500% premium pay.......” :D

figure 6 hours round trip, so at 100% add pay it would be a 12 hour 1 day. Don't think that would take too long to get swallowed up!

You don’t need a 777. They flew the people back to Newark. You need any combination of airframes with enough seats to bring the people back.

Any serious medical problem in Gander gets taken to St. John's, I'm assuming Medlink was the one who decided on Goose...maybe not. The ferry crew was more than likely reserves.

Well, I’d assume the first hour or two everyone thought the plane would be leaving once it was gassed up and the sick passenger was removed. Then they tried to go and the door wouldn’t shut. So maybe an hour to get contract maintenance there, and another hour for them to start realizing it wasn’t a quick fix. So then maybe it takes an hour to realize a rescue flight is needed and to get it planned, then a 2.5 hour reduced call out for the reserve crew, and 1 hour to flight plan, preflight, get pushed. Then a 30 minute taxi at Newark during less than perfect weather, and a two hour flight. So now we’re at 11 hours if I did my math right and all went smoothly - so I can easily see how it turned into 14 hours.