I recently returned from a 10-day trip to Hawaii, using Hawaiian Airlines. Late, late Thursday, as we headed for Phoenix, we passengers were told that there were tremendous storms taking place in the Phoenix area, and we may have to divert to Las Vegas.
My seatmate, eager to get back to her family, said, “What’ll we do in Las Vegas?”
We all watched the incredible lightning display ahead. It increased as we approached Phoenix. After one more possibility of heading for Vegas, the pilot announced we were going to land in Phoenix. It was certainly one of the more exciting adventures in my life. Kudos to the flight crew. Expert handling in a challenging situation, with the skies lighting up Phoenix almost as if it were daytime.
After some pretty scary activity, we landed, and almost immediately rolled to a stop, because ground crews needed to clear the runway of storm debris. Our aircraft was then towed to the gate.
This morning’s Arizona Republic, under the title, “Valley mopping up,” says that there were more than 1,500 lightning strikes recorded IN ONE HOUR Thursday night. Almost 80,000 Valley homes lost power as wind gusts up to 100 mph hit the area, and about 300 trees were down near Sky Harbor International Airport. This was a monsoon storm to remember.
I thank God for the pilot and crew of Hawaiian Airlines. We had one savvy driver!