Emergency landing strands Sydney-bound passengers on Pacific island – never to see midnight on New Year’s Eve

Travellers on flight from Los Angeles treated to an idyllic, if brief and unexpected Pacific holiday, but with a twist

• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Airline passengers stranded on a remote Pacific island after an emergency landing on the way to Sydney have made the most of their unexpected, idyllic New Year’s Eve adventure – but there’s a catch.

The locals in Pago Pago, American Samoa, where the flight from Los Angeles was forced to land after fears over a potential mechanical problem in one of the plane’s engines, took passengers on a tour of the island and served beers on a deserted beach.