NEW YORK — All Nippon Airways tweeted an apology Wednesday to passengers who were aboard a flight that departed Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for Tokyo and returned to the airport mid-flight before reaching its destination. The plane turned back Tuesday because a passenger on the flight had boarded the wrong aircraft.
“We apologize to all of our passengers on Flight 175; we failed to deliver the customer service we strive for,” the airline tweeted Wednesday. “Thank you all for your comments and allowing us to connect, learn and serve you better. We welcome ongoing feedback to understand how we can work to make this right.”
All Nippon Airways issued a statement to CBS News earlier saying Flight 175 left LAX at 11:36 a.m. and returned to LAX at 7:33 p.m.
“During the flight, the cabin crew became aware that one of the passengers boarded the incorrect flight and notified the pilot,” the statement said. “As part of the airline’s security procedure, the pilot in command decided to return to the originating airport, where the passenger was disembarked.”
“ANA is researching the situation currently to determine how the passenger boarded the flight. ANA would like to express its apologies to the passengers for the inconvenience,” it said.
CBS Los Angeles reports model Chrissy Teigen was on board and tweeted about the ordeal as it was happening. Teigen — on the plane with husband John Legend — tweeted that the plane made an about-face about four hours into the scheduled 11-hour flight. She said passengers were told someone had managed to board the ANA flight with a United Airlines ticket and added that police interviewed passengers who were sitting near the person.
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