Adults star Owen Thiele has turned an unexpected flight emergency into an unlikely celebrity adventure. The actor documented the chaotic experience on social media after the plane carrying him, Andrew Garfield and several other stars was forced to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The incident took place on Wednesday, 9 September, when Delta Flight 958 was travelling from Los Angeles to New York. The aircraft was carrying 235 passengers. The flight was diverted to Albuquerque International Sunport after a smoky odour was detected inside the cabin.
A Diverted Flight
Delta confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the aircraft landed safely and that its teams worked to reaccommodate passengers as quickly as possible. There were no reports in the airline's statement of injuries connected to the diversion.
Among those aboard were The Amazing Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield, Love Island USA personality Dylan Wrona, actor Nick Robinson and singer Mark Ambor.
While an unexpected emergency landing would understandably leave most travellers shaken, Thiele appeared to find a way to transform the ordeal into an entertaining social-media saga.
Making Good of a Bad Situation
The actor began documenting the experience on Instagram Stories. He also joked about the star-studded passenger list. After discovering that Garfield was also aboard, Thiele quipped that if the plane had crashed, headlines would presumably have focused on the much more famous actor.
He later revealed that Robinson was also on the flight, while sharing photographs and updates from the unexpected Albuquerque stopover.
Rather than spending the entire delay sitting around the airport, Thiele appeared to embrace the bizarre circumstances. He made friends with fellow stranded passengers, including Ambor, and the group reportedly ventured out together for drinks before heading to Dave & Buster's. The actor shared a series of Instagram photos of their misadventures.
The impromptu adventure quickly caught the attention of fans online, with many comparing Thiele's behaviour to Anton, the character he plays in the HBO comedy series Adults. Anton is known for his outgoing personality and tendency to form friendships with almost anyone, making Thiele's airport antics seem particularly fitting to viewers.
An Impromptu Adventure
The detour was not completely straightforward, however. After returning to the airport roughly nine hours after the initial diversion, Thiele and his fellow travellers boarded another flight towards New York. He subsequently told followers that the replacement aircraft had spent about an hour waiting on the tarmac because of a weight issue.
The situation also provided another celebrity encounter. Thiele noted that Robinson was sitting beside him on the replacement flight, while Wrona shared his own updates from the airport, including a photograph with Garfield.
Eventually, the group reached New York safely. Thiele ended his running commentary by thanking followers for following the adventure and revealing that he and his newly acquired airport friends had created a group chat.
What began as a potentially frightening travel disruption therefore became something considerably more entertaining for Thiele and his followers. The episode also gave fans an amusing real-life parallel to his Adults character, turning an otherwise stressful delay into one of the internet's more unexpected celebrity travel stories.
