KEY POINTS:
An Air New Zealand flight to San Francisco was forced to return to Auckland early today after developing an engine problem five hours into the flight.
A spokeswoman for the airline said pilots detected a vibration in an engine and decided to turn the plane around as a precaution.
The flight's 303 passengers were placed in a hotel and were rescheduled to another flight this afternoon.
The 303 passengers boarded a plane bound for San Francisco this afternoon.
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said a full investigation into what caused the engine vibration was underway.
- NZPA, NZHERALD STAFF
