Leaving Tortola - can be entertaining

Started normally yesterday- for my other half
Ferry to Charlotte - taxi to airport
Check in early because of days of flight cancellations
Then it began....
Flight delay - pilot unhappy with aircraft condition
Something about flaps - "not good"
Ground crew on site, trying to repair the issue - no luck
... and this is where it starts getting bizarre...
One of the passengers said he is an aircraft mechanic - offers to help with repairs
Airline... TAKES HIM UP ON THE OFFER
Gives him a vest, and he's repairing the flap on the wing...
Not joking... George - feel free to weigh in and laugh
All I had to say - Make sure that passenger gets back on the plane for the flight

Problem fixed - but - crew now out of hours - so, flight cancelled
I get a call - book me a hotel....
First try - $560/nite.. huh?.. second try... $850...no way
Third and last try - over $1000.. well- it's party time - in the terminal
Kudos to the airline - they caused the price hike by taking up every room on-island...and rooms were doled out, so, hopefully all worked out for all
And, as I type - today, the flight is airborne - whew...
Another day in the life...

Being a mechanical issue, why didn't the airline provide a voucher for hotel?

Curious to see what George has to say. I would think the airline could check the mechanics credentials too.

As I say - Kudos....
My other half got a room - and meal voucher, and drink voucher, and taxi coupons...
More than I ever heard of.....
So.. things happen, and they handled it well
But.. bizarre... is bizarre

I have often had mechanics flying as a passenger volunteer to assist in a repair at a out station. Many out stations use contract maintenance and a mechanic who actually works for that airline is normally better qualified to work on the airframe.
Some smaller and low cost airlines contract nearly all their maintenance.
Crew duty limits used to have a lot more leeway then today. The new FAA rules that went into effect about 3 years ago have hard limits that can't be exceeded under any circumstance.
The hotel situation sounds like owners trying to take advantage of the weather in the NE as well as the mechanical situation.

Charlotte? N. Carolina? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

You knew exactly what the OP meant don't be such a _ick <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/smashpc.gif" alt="" />

LOL... wait 'till I use the word "Tola"
and see if that gets him in a knot

Anyways - a follow-up:
The next day - everyone piled back on the same plane - and safely home everyone went.

Would you believe - the passenger that saved the day by fixing the wing-flap - was still allocated to the last group to board - and still had to sit at the very back of the plane

((((sigh)))))

......woulda thought someone from 1st Class would have been bumped to make room for this guy

And this is why I buy trip insurance.

That almost certainly means he was a "non-rev" employee pass riding. You can't just have anyone work on the plane and sign it off it has to be part of the airlines maint program or by special exception.

We had a very similar problem with American Airlines. Crew ran out of hours during taxing, of all things, AFTER so-called mechanical issues had delayed the flight for 1.5 hours.

Hmmmm, makes you think something is really wrong with the system.

Prior to FAR117 the new rule once you pushed off the gate you were legal to continue. With FAR117 if the planned flight time will exceed the max duty time prior to pushing the throttles up for takeoff you must return to the gate with no exceptions. Sadly much of this came about because some less then ethical airlines abused the intent of the old rules.

We've spent some long nights in terminals due to this as well but it is a reg for a reason.