American Airlines Flight Diverts When 787-9 Too Big for Naples

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American Airlines sent the WRONG plane to Naples, Italy - and passengers ended up on a 2-hour BUS ride instead!

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Flight AA780 from Philadelphia was just 70 miles from Naples when pilots suddenly changed course to Rome. Why? The plane was literally TOO BIG to land!

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The airline accidentally sent a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner instead of the usual 787-8. What's the difference? Just 20 feet of length - but that's enough to cause chaos!

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Naples Airport can only handle Category 8 planes, but the larger 787-9 needs a Category 9 airport with better firefighting equipment. Talk about a planning fail!

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Imagine flying 7+ hours across the Atlantic only to be told: "Sorry, our plane is too big for this airport!" Passengers were bused 145 miles from Rome to Naples

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What happens if a plane is running low on fuel in this situation? Don't worry - safety protocols would give emergency landing priority regardless of size restrictions.

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After the mix-up, American Airlines had to play musical planes: the too-big 787-9 went to Chicago while a correct-sized 787-8 was sent to Naples the next day.

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American Airlines called it "operational limitations" and apologized for the "disruption" - but imagine explaining to your hotel why you're showing up hours late!

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Next time you're annoyed about a flight delay, remember: at least your plane wasn't too fat to land at the airport!

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[{"selector":"#anim-24e9b2c0-73d5-4d2f-b230-7a6f0447628d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ff9d69c0-8db1-4071-8a52-055e0972d83f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-28214f3e-a7aa-4d01-b511-2442a1193e96","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-114.50152%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a3932050-ac97-4fb8-8d95-ffbde8a8d038","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":700,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d04a899b-897a-4c0b-94e7-5b2658ea00df","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.2381%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":700,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Solo Flyers Hit with 70% Higher Fares; Airlines Respond Learn more