San Francisco, July 12 (Reuters) — Typhoon Gaemi, downgraded from a super typhoon but still packing unprecedented force, tore through the U.S. West Coast on Saturday, grounding hundreds of flights and leaving passengers trapped in “flying nightmares” of violent turbulence and zero communication. The storm, which originated in the Western Pacific, took an unusual north-easterly path, directly slamming Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Passengers on a United Airlines flight from Tokyo to San Francisco described a sudden “roller coaster” drop. “The plane just fell. Oxygen masks deployed. People were screaming. No announcement from the cockpit for 20 minutes,” said Mark Chen, a 34-year-old tech worker. The lack of real-time information amplified panic, a common thread in dozens of social media posts reviewed by Reuters.
Airlines scrambled to respond. By late Saturday, United, Delta, and American Airlines issued waivers for “free changes or refunds” for flights to and from affected West Coast airports. This mirrors policies seen in China earlier this week, where carriers like Air China and China Eastern offered free rebooking for flights impacted by Typhoon Bavi. Yet for many, the process was chaotic. “I waited two hours on hold. The app just said ‘canceled’ with no link to rebook,” said Sarah Jenkins at LAX.
The contrast with Chinese coastal cities is stark. In Wenzhou, a city bracing for Typhoon Bavi, authorities shut tourist sites and ferry terminals and deployed flood barriers. The Zhejiang Provincial Emergency Management Department raised its emergency response level twice. “We must maintain the highest alert, even if the wind weakens,” Hu Yaowen, chief engineer of the department, told local media. “Rainfall could exceed 800 mm in some areas. The soil is already saturated from the plum rain season.”
U.S. airports, by contrast, showed gaps in hardware and information flow. While LAX secured ground equipment, passengers complained of a lack of clear shelter and slow updates. “We need a unified public platform for emergency status,” said aviation safety consultant David Lee. “Not 10 different airline apps with conflicting info.”
The storm raises a systemic question: is the global airline industry ready for more extreme, unpredictable weather? Typhoon Gaemi’s track defied predictions. Carriers may need to adopt more flexible “free change windows,” as seen with Bavi (policies for tickets purchased by July 9 for travel on July 11-12). Real-time push notifications and priority check-in for stranded passengers could reduce pain.
For now, chaos reigns. “I’ve been in the airport for 14 hours,” said Jenkins. “No hotel voucher. No one tells us what’s next.”
💡 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q: What caused the flight chaos on the U.S. West Coast?
- A: Typhoon Gaemi, a downgraded super typhoon, took an unusual north-easterly path and directly hit Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, grounding hundreds of flights and causing severe turbulence.
- Q: How did passengers describe the experience?
- A: Passengers on a United Airlines flight reported a sudden ‘roller coaster’ drop, oxygen mask deployment, screaming, and a 20-minute delay in cockpit announcements, amplifying panic.
- Q: What did airlines do in response?
- A: United, Delta, and American Airlines issued waivers for free changes or refunds for flights to and from affected West Coast airports, though many passengers faced long hold times and confusing app messages.
Extended Reading
For context on China’s “maximum defense” strategy against Typhoon Bavi, see the interview with Zhejiang Emergency Management official Hu Yaowen (zjnews.zjol.com.cn). For U.S. carrier waiver policies, see Sina Finance report (finance.sina.cn). For passenger accounts of Typhoon Gaemi, see BBC Chinese report (bbc.com/zhongwen).