Passengers vented their frustrations to MailOnline today after a Virgin Atlantic aircraft to New York was forced to return to London Heathrow after the co-pilot acknowledged he hadn’t passed his latest flight test.
When the captain learned that the first officer had not finished his training, the plane was flying over Ireland. The Airbus A330 was forced to return to Heathrow owing to a “administrative issue,” according to passengers.
After the jet – which can transport nearly 300 passengers – was forced to wait on the tarmac at Heathrow while a certified substitute was recruited, those on board arrived in the United States two hours and 40 minutes later than intended.
However, all passengers were denied compensation, which is only paid on journeys longer than 3,500 kilometers (Heathrow to JFK is 5,540 kilometers, or 3,440 miles) if you arrive four hours late at your destination and the airline is to blame.
Travelers told MailOnline that they first learned about the co-pilot problem today. Virgin assured them at the time that their safety was unaffected, as both pilots were fully licensed and qualified to fly the plane.
To fly in accordance with Virgin Atlantic rules, the co-pilot required a “final evaluation flight” with a training captain. As the flight’s first officer, he was in charge of ensuring the flight’s safety.
First officers are trained pilots who assist the captain in communicating with air traffic control and operating the plane. While the pilot pairing did not violate any aviation or safety standards, it did not adhere to Virgin Atlantic’s internal training protocols, which resulted in the flight being canceled.
Julie and Marc Vincent, both from Bournemouth, were on the flight and told MailOnline how the crew blamed the weather because of a clerical error ‘We’d just cleared the west coast of Ireland when the captain announced, ‘you may have noticed that we have conducted a 180 degree turn,’ before informing us that we were returning to Heathrow due to a ‘administration error,’ and that they needed to get some paperwork signed off legally to continue our journey,’ Mrs Vincent said.