Travel nightmare: Eight hours in the air, only to land at the original airport

Holiday travel is often hectic and inconvenient. Delays due to weather or other factors can leave travelers sitting in airports for hours.

Tuesday night, a plane full of travelers flew for eight hours — just to land at the same airport they took off from.

What happened

All Nippon Airways Flight 175 took off from Los Angeles for an 11-hour trip to Tokyo with 226 passengers aboard; among them R&B singer John Legend and his wife, model Chrissy Teigen.

After the plane had been in the air for four hours, the crew discovered a problem. Someone was on board that wasn’t supposed to be there.

So, the pilot turned around and flew another four hours back to Los Angeles.

Why did they turn around?

The airline said the turnaround was a required part of security procedures when someone gets on the wrong flight.

“The cabin crew notified the pilot that one of the passengers boarded the incorrect flight, and the pilot in command made the decision to return to the originating airport,” a statement read. “We take great pride providing exemplary customer service, and on this flight we failed to do so.”

How did someone get on the wrong flight?

Two brothers with similar names booked separate flights to Tokyo. Both of them were allowed on the same flight somehow, even though only one actually had a ticket. The error wasn’t discovered until the plane was in the air.

Teigen and Legend seemed to handle it alright. And, it was Legend's birthday. What a way to celebrate.