Some people find New Year's Eve and the celebrations daunting, while others can't wait to have it twice in one day. For a planeload of United passengers of the second persuasion, this year turned into a disappointment when a delay left them too late for their second helpings.
The trick is possible because of the International Date Line, and requires a flight that leaves after midnight west of the line, say in Guam, and flies to somewhere east of the line, say Hawaii, and arriving before midnight.
That was the plan for last weekend's United Airlines flight 200, which is scheduled each day to leave Guam at 7:35 a.m. and arrive in Honolulu at 6:50 p.m. the previous day, well in time for another night of New Year revelry. United even advertised the flight that way, pointing out that "You only live once, but you can celebrate New Year's Eve twice!"
However, when the time came, the plane didn't take off; it was delayed 6 hours and only took off at 1:49 p.m., arriving in Hawaii after midnight, too late for the double celebration. No word on whether United plans any compensation.
The flight is not unique in its timing; ANA has a Tokyo to Los Angeles flight that does the trick, as does Air New Zealand's flight from Auckland to the Cook Islands.
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