Travellers have ‘new fear unlocked’ as plane lands at same place it took off from after 9 hour flight

A flight to nowhere...

Long flights are tough, that's a given, however, people tolerate the soul-sapping suffering for the eventual payoff of arriving at your destination of choice.

However, imagine you got through those mind-numbing hours of flying to arrive straight back at the airport you took off from almost half a day before.

Well, that is exactly what happened to passengers on a recent American Airlines flight that took of from Dallas, flew for nine hours, and returned to Dallas.

The flight was destined for Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, but never made it, as documented by one traveller, whose video has since gone viral.

Jimin Lee, posted an account of the flight to her Instagram where she wrote in the caption: "New fear unlocked: Your flight to Korea may go five hours and come back with zero explanation."

Lee went on to explain what had cause to the plane to return to Dallas Fort Worth airport, saying that airline staff had said there was a problem with the toilet.

To add to the drama, the pilot was apparently asking the passengers if anyone was "carrying a screwdriver" to help resolve the issues - how's that for unsettling...

While all this was happening, Lee could be seen enjoying a snack and soft drink as the plane is forced to turn around.

Lee added that "American Airlines needs a lesson in effective communication," while the plane's U-turn flight path is seen in the background of the video.

The flight had travelled five hours out of Dallas, flying over the West Coast of America and onto the Pacific Ocean before deciding to suddenly change direction and fly for another four hours back to Dallas.

In the meantime, Lee had to subdue her frustration with a pack of Flaming Hot Cheetos, although said she needed a "ramyun and a strong drink".

The video followed with the pilot's informing the passengers that the skies were clear for landing - they must have been thrilled.

Lee concluded her video documenting the ordeal by saying: "Nine hours later we're back in Dallas. Lost for words."

Underneath the video, users were keen to give their thoughts.

One person commented: "They should have just landed in SFO, or LAX instead of going all the way back to Dallas. Makes no sense, probably didn’t want pay for the hotels."

Another person said: "The fact that the pilot asked someone for a screwdriver… like, buddy, I don’t think an airplane is the place for a passenger to have a screw driver!"

Although one user was the voice of reason and put: "If there is an ounce of anything potentially going wrong or messing up when doing a leg over the ocean, pilots will be more cautious than normal. This is totally normal."

Speaking to UNILAD, American Airlines confirmed the flight had suffered a maintenance issue and had to return to Dallas for inspection from the maintenance team.

The flight departed the day after on a different aircraft.