Video: '(June 27, 1966) The Beatles am 26. Juni 1966 in der Ernst Merck Halle.'
(Monday, June 27, 1966, approx. 9:00 a.m. Central European Time) — Following their three-city, six-show mini-tour of West Germany, The Beatles flew today from Fuhlsbüttel Airport in Hamburg to London Airport to catch a connecting flight to Japan to perform five shows in Tokyo, but a decidedly unscheduled typhoon rerouted them to Alaska in the United States, where they spent the night at the Westwood Hotel in Anchorage.
Video: 'The Beatles at the Westwood Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, 1966'
After a brief flight and touchdown at London’s Heathrow Airport at approx. 11:00 a.m. British Summer Time, the band boarded Japan Airlines Flight 403. The Boeing 707 departed London at approx. 1:15 p.m. BST.
While crossing the North Pole, the flight was informed that Typhoon Kit had reached the Japanese coast with 100 mph winds, making a landing in Tokyo impossible. The pilot opted to divert to Anchorage, touching down at 1:45 p.m. Alaska Standard Time.
The Beatles were escorted through the terminal by local authorities, stopping briefly to inspect a display featuring a stuffed polar bear before being whisked away to the Westward Hotel, where they checked in at 3:30 p.m. By 4:00 p.m. local time, an estimated 500 local fans had surrounded the building, prompting a massive security presence.
The band occupied the hotel’s 14th-floor Presidential Suite, where they reportedly spent the evening dining on hamburgers and monitoring the crowd below. Ringo Starr was seen documenting the scene with a portable cassette recorder, while John Lennon tested a new Polaroid camera.
The Beatles finally departed Anchorage at 10:45 p.m., bringing their 9-hour Alaskan odyssey to a close.
After re-boarding the Japan Airlines Boeing 707, the group began the final eight-hour leg of their journey, crossing the International Date Line and effectively “losing” the remainder of the calendar day.
They would ultimately touch down at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport at 3:40 a.m. Japan Standard Time on Wednesday, June 29.
This table tracks the group’s movements from their departure in Germany to their arrival in Japan. It includes the specific local time zones, the 11-hour ground stay in Alaska, and the corresponding time for a fan following the news in New York City.
Timeline of The Beatles’ activities June 27-30, 1966:
| Date | Event / Movement | Local Time & Time Zone | New York City Time (EDT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 27 | Check out of Hotel Schloss Tremsbüttel & depart Hamburg | 9:00 AM CET (UTC+2) | 4:00 AM EDT |
| June 27 | Arrive at Heathrow Airport (London) for terminal layover | 11:00 AM BST (UTC+1) | 6:00 AM EDT |
| June 27 | Depart London on Japan Airlines Flight 412 (Polar Route) | 1:15 PM BST (UTC+1) | 8:15 AM EDT |
| June 27 | Typhoon Kit emergency diversion landing in Anchorage, Alaska | 1:45 PM AHST (UTC-10) | 7:45 PM EDT |
| June 27 | Escorted by police to check into Anchorage Westward Hotel | 3:30 PM AHST (UTC-10) | 9:30 PM EDT |
| June 27 | Board plane and depart Anchorage Airport to resume journey | 10:45 PM AHST (UTC-10) | 4:45 AM EDT (June 28) |
| June 28 | Flight in progress (Crossed International Date Line) | No local timeline | Daytime in NYC |
| June 29 | Touchdown at Haneda Airport (Tokyo, Japan) | 3:40 AM JST (UTC+9) | 2:40 PM EDT (June 28) |
| June 29 | Arrive under tight security at the Tokyo Hilton (Suite 1005) | ~4:30 AM JST (UTC+9) | 3:30 PM EDT (June 28) |
| June 29 | Wake up to begin official promotional schedule | 2:00 PM JST (UTC+9) | 1:00 AM EDT |
| June 29 | Official Tokyo Press Conference (Hilton Coral Ballroom) | 3:20 PM JST (UTC+9) | 2:20 AM EDT |
| June 30 | First live concert at Nippon Budokan Hall (Afternoon Show) | 3:00 PM JST (UTC+9) | 2:00 AM EDT |
| June 30 | Second live concert at Nippon Budokan Hall (Evening Show) | 6:30 PM JST (UTC+9) | 5:30 AM EDT |
