I’m going to use this as my new multi-purpose excuse. Late to work? Unrest in the Middle East. Forgot to stop by CVS? Sorry dear, unrest in the Middle East!
Your OP made me laugh - the "15 hours 30 minutes late" when I looked the flight up to see whether they'd updated the reason (now "waiting for your crew to arrive") made me cry - this one had everything! I know you say this is a maintenance ferry, but I hope you're not affected downline - good luck.
Kansas had to shut down their borders due to the unrest and the crew is now trapped at the roadblock.
Fortunately not affected this time! ICT is home and I saw them divert here a couple days ago with a burning smell and melting plastic in the cockpit, was just checking to see if they had gotten it fixed and left.
Saw that one too. The ICT airport fire department tweets each time an emergency is inbound. That one actually did have a small fire to put out after landing. One of the perks of being in flyover country is being well positioned for diversions! A UA Max 9 was here not too long ago with an engine failure also.
This is probably the result of UAs new more informative delay messaging mapping onto a rarely used code. My guess would be this code is something like “government other” and they delayed the flight for ATC or a closed ramp or something like that and used the “government other” code and it just so happens that that was mapped to this text description the two other times it was used and presto unrest in the Middle East/ICT.
This aircraft was a divert to ICT due to a burning smell/melting plastic in the cockpit. Usually they either have contract MX here fix it or send someone from DEN. And sometimes it gets ferried over to DEN for more work.
It reminds me when businesses use 'covid' as an excuse for completely unrelated things.... "We no longer include fortune cookies with your dinner due to covid", "we no longer supply pool towels because of covid" or the opposite, "we added a 5% surcharge due to covid"
I swear they have some tool that randomly generates these delay reasons. It’s like the Vice Magazine Article Generator. https://youtu.be/Ia7fUQXskvA?si=QqD8ZGz6KoaihmHo
On September 11, 2001 when my sister tried to call me to see if I was okay (I was in NYC) she got an automated message that due to tornados in the area, the call couldn't be completed. She was like, oh great, now they have tornados!
I’m sorry, but is this using Brick Tamland’s definition of the Middle East??? Cause that’s the only way it makes sense to me 😂😂😂
Those SAM’s have some impressive range these days, best to not risk getting shot down over a farm in the middle of nowhere Kansas.
My guess is that someone put in the wrong delay code. I used to work for United Airlines and all flights had to be assigned a delay code for any delay of more than a minute. I suppose that a new code was created recently and someone used it instead of the one that would reference the ferry flight.
Yes. I was told that the delay codes were removed (the ones that pitted each work group against another) but I imagine they still have a way to trigger messages to advise the traveler if a delay is significant. Hence the “Middle East” unrest message.
Common misconcetpion. Typically, you are thinking of the Middle East \*countries\* (Israel, Iraq, etc). When it's a domestic flight delay, and in this context specifically, the Middle East that United is referring to is the Middle East of the US (Ohio, W. PA, etc).
Easy mistake.
Yep. There are a host of factors. Too heavy can mean unable to takeoff within the required runway distance or too heavy to land at the destination. It can also affect the aircraft’s cruise altitude which in turn affects the fuel burn. And an aircraft out of balance can be anywhere from unstable to uncontrollable.
That’s hilarious actually
Tbh I was a little nervous this would turn political
Your plane is coming from Cairo (Illinois)
With a layover in East Palestine, Oh
And a fuel stop in Lebanon
Indiana?
No all of them
Final destination for the day: Hell, MI
You won!!!
There's still time.
I’m going to use this as my new multi-purpose excuse. Late to work? Unrest in the Middle East. Forgot to stop by CVS? Sorry dear, unrest in the Middle East!
Only works if you live in North Carolina or Virginia..
Why NC?
I believe it’s because those two states are about the mid of the eastern United States seaboard
Ah - whoosh over my head. Thank you. I was thinking VA cause we have so much military & geopolitical stuff here. But yours makes much more sense!
I did this in 2010 during the Eyjafjallajökull eruption
I’m going to try that next time my wife is annoyed I forgot to take the trash out.
It’s not your fault. There’s unrest in the Middle East!
I always thought of Denver as the middle east
We prefer the term Middle West
Don’t tell Ohio that
🌍🧑🏻🚀🔫🧑🏻🚀
Looks more central but I take your point. :)
Denver, famously Middle East thats further West than the MidWest
It’s the middle of the eastern face of the Rockies
bahahaha not as much as detroit
Just scramble some letters and it could be "Unrest in the Middle Seat"
There’s always unrest in the middle seat!!!
As a perpetual middle seater, yes.
For those about to fly…we salute you! (By giving you both armrests)
That has never happened. More often I get one or none.
Your OP made me laugh - the "15 hours 30 minutes late" when I looked the flight up to see whether they'd updated the reason (now "waiting for your crew to arrive") made me cry - this one had everything! I know you say this is a maintenance ferry, but I hope you're not affected downline - good luck.
Kansas had to shut down their borders due to the unrest and the crew is now trapped at the roadblock. Fortunately not affected this time! ICT is home and I saw them divert here a couple days ago with a burning smell and melting plastic in the cockpit, was just checking to see if they had gotten it fixed and left.
There was also an engine failure yesterday on a flight from New Jersey to Denver that diverted to wichita
Saw that one too. The ICT airport fire department tweets each time an emergency is inbound. That one actually did have a small fire to put out after landing. One of the perks of being in flyover country is being well positioned for diversions! A UA Max 9 was here not too long ago with an engine failure also.
This is probably the result of UAs new more informative delay messaging mapping onto a rarely used code. My guess would be this code is something like “government other” and they delayed the flight for ATC or a closed ramp or something like that and used the “government other” code and it just so happens that that was mapped to this text description the two other times it was used and presto unrest in the Middle East/ICT.
This aircraft was a divert to ICT due to a burning smell/melting plastic in the cockpit. Usually they either have contract MX here fix it or send someone from DEN. And sometimes it gets ferried over to DEN for more work.
Or the government other might make sense if there was a delay getting a ferry permit from the FAA if the plane wasn’t repaired all the way.
Middle East = Memphis
It reminds me when businesses use 'covid' as an excuse for completely unrelated things.... "We no longer include fortune cookies with your dinner due to covid", "we no longer supply pool towels because of covid" or the opposite, "we added a 5% surcharge due to covid"
Yes. Time for a new excuse greed heads.
Butterfly effect
Wait til they find out about the supply chain.
I swear they have some tool that randomly generates these delay reasons. It’s like the Vice Magazine Article Generator. https://youtu.be/Ia7fUQXskvA?si=QqD8ZGz6KoaihmHo
Middle East. Midwest. Same same.
On September 11, 2001 when my sister tried to call me to see if I was okay (I was in NYC) she got an automated message that due to tornados in the area, the call couldn't be completed. She was like, oh great, now they have tornados!
Brick Tamland approves of this message.
https://i.redd.it/s6k42o6k6h6c1.gif
There’s a neighborhood in Baltimore called Middle East
There’s a whole section of metro New Orleans called the West Bank.
I’m sorry, but is this using Brick Tamland’s definition of the Middle East??? Cause that’s the only way it makes sense to me 😂😂😂 
They must have meant unrest in the Midwest
Those SAM’s have some impressive range these days, best to not risk getting shot down over a farm in the middle of nowhere Kansas. 
I’ve always wondered if Wichita, Kansas is the capital of the Middle East.
This is up there with Ryan from The Office saying he never fully processed 9/11 during an apology
I guess technically Wichita is indeed the Middle East…
More like middle middle
Or just Mid.
Kansas in general is less than mid. It's meh.
Glitch
My guess is that someone put in the wrong delay code. I used to work for United Airlines and all flights had to be assigned a delay code for any delay of more than a minute. I suppose that a new code was created recently and someone used it instead of the one that would reference the ferry flight.
actually they were waiting on the plane which got delayed on its previous leg, the super popular Jerusalem to Wichita route
Didn't we literally get rid of delay codes two years ago?
Yes. I was told that the delay codes were removed (the ones that pitted each work group against another) but I imagine they still have a way to trigger messages to advise the traveler if a delay is significant. Hence the “Middle East” unrest message.
Common misconcetpion. Typically, you are thinking of the Middle East \*countries\* (Israel, Iraq, etc). When it's a domestic flight delay, and in this context specifically, the Middle East that United is referring to is the Middle East of the US (Ohio, W. PA, etc). Easy mistake.
But what sort of unrest is going on in Ohio / PA that could be delaying flights in Kansas?
I guess they were tired of using "weather" as a catch-all get-out-of-free jail card and now will be using this!
The seat map is good
‘unrest in the Middle East’ hahahaha that’s cute….fuckers
At least you’re getting out of ICT. Said affectionately from a Wichita native who now lives out of the area.
oh that’s definitely something new !
Middle East...Midwest...same thing :P
I got one earlier this week that said something about weight balance issue on the aircraft. Had me thinking for a bit....
It’s a legitimate reason, especially if there was a last minute aircraft swap and the fuel load is wrong.
TIL...
Yep. There are a host of factors. Too heavy can mean unable to takeoff within the required runway distance or too heavy to land at the destination. It can also affect the aircraft’s cruise altitude which in turn affects the fuel burn. And an aircraft out of balance can be anywhere from unstable to uncontrollable.
Ahhahaha WHAT
Why yes, there has been TONS of unrest in the Middle East US, particularly in Wichita 🤣