Originally Posted By: Ian
I am surprised that a commercial flight could 'disappear' for so long. I was under the impression that they were monitored very closely and that a rescue would be put in place within minutes.


That's going to depend on where the flight is. Over the continental United States, I do not believe that there's any airspace where a commercial flight is not both monitored by radar and in contact with air traffic control. Over open ocean is a different story, with large stretches where a pilot has no contact with anyone other than possibly other air traffic.