The logistical challenges of the FIFA World Cup have been ramped up to new extremes for its most ridiculous edition yet. Shuffling from city to city isn’t just a challenge for players and coaches, but also for the broadcasters. A diverted United Airlines flight stranded a Fox Sports commentary team in Washington, D.C. at 3:00 a.m. early Monday morning. Frustrated and on a tight schedule, the trio decided to find their own way to New Jersey.
Canada, Mexico and the United States are hosting the continent-spanning soccer tournament, featuring an expanded field of 48 national teams and 16 host cities. According to Simple Flying, play-by-play legend Ian Darke, retired US national team star Landon Donovan and their statistician were passengers on United Airlines Flight 404 from Houston to Newark Liberty International Airport. After covering Germany’s 7-1 trouncing of Curaçao on Sunday, the trio needed to make their way to the New York City area for France versus Senegal. However, the flight never landed at Newark.
Thunderstorms prevented the United Boeing 737 Max from landing at Newark. The plane was diverted to Dulles International Airport to wait out the inclement weather before continuing on to New Jersey. However, the pilot timed out of his duty day just one minute before a 3:00 a.m. takeoff. He was forced to taxi the aircraft back to the gate. It almost makes me miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the tiny country of Qatar, despite the soul-searing heat and the human rights abuses.
When airlines let you down, the trusty rental car will always be there
Back at the gate, the situation only got worse for our commentary trio and the rest of the passengers on the flight. The United flight wouldn’t be able to leave for Newark until 8:10 a.m. It was truly an airline odyssey, considering they left Houston at 6:17 p.m. the previous night. People reported that Darke and Donovan took to social media to voice their frustrations with United. USMNT’s joint all-time leading goal-scorer posted, “I’ve been traveling 100k miles/year since I was 16 and this was easily the worst travel experience of my life.” Darke added that he “will think twice about using that airline again.”
Instead of gambling on flying, the trio opted to rent a car and drive to New York City. United CEO Scott Kirby has spent the last few months talking about how his airline needs to be more competitive in international markets. He even unsuccessfully pitched a mega-merger with American Airlines to President Trump to achieve this. With the FIFA World Cup bringing the world to its home market, United Airlines is showing exactly why Americans choose to fly foreign carriers when possible.
