Passengers attempt to celebrate NYE twice on time traveling flight but land in wrong year
Travelers attempting to "time travel" in an effort to celebrate the new year twice were hit with an unfortunate reality of flying: delays.
On Dec. 28, United Airlines on social media advertised its upcoming flight UA200 from Guam to Honolulu that travels east across the International Date Line – meaning passengers on board lose a day.
"You only live once, but you can celebrate New Year's Eve twice," the airline wrote.
The flight was scheduled to leave Guam at 7:35 a.m. local time on January 1, 2024, and land in Honolulu at 6:50 p.m. on December 31, 2023, enabling travelers to ring twice in 2024.
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Sadly, a delay threw a wrench in the plans.
Flight UA200 was delayed six hours, not departing until 1:49 p.m. from Guam and landing about 30 minutes after midnight in Hawaii, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.
One person later replied to United's post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, about the delay.
"Great idea, too bad it got delayed! I was supposed to be on this flight. Double new year isn’t happening anymore," the person wrote.
A representative for United responded to the post, apologizing for the delay and offering assistance with rebooking.
FILE - A United Airlines flight out of Los Angeles International Airport flies over the island of Oahu on approach to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in Honolulu, HI. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty I
United Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from FOX Television Stations. But a major delay on this route seems somewhat of a rarity, according to FlightAware and the travel news website One Mile at a Time – which reported that the last time flight UA200 landed past midnight was months ago, on April 20, 2023.
The Guam-Honolulu flight on Dec. 31 was impacted due to delays on the plane’s two previous trips, One Mile at a Time reported.
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This story was reported from Cincinnati.