A Virgin Atlantic Airways plane sits on the tarmac at Bradley International Airport
British passengers on a diverted Virgin Atlantic flight spent more than four hours stuck in a hot, dark plane parked on a runway. At least three people fainted and were taken away in ambulances.
Bad weather grounded the flight from London to Newark, New Jersey, at Connecticut's Bradley International Airport on Tuesday night.
Passengers told CNN they landed at about 8.20 pm and were kept on the plane until about 1 am on Wednesday without food or water as babies - and adults - yelled and screamed
"It was like four hours on the ground without any air conditioning. It was crazy. Just crazy," Beth Willan, a passenger, told CNN. "There were babies on the plane. And we are in dark and hot. You try to be patient but people were yelling and screaming."
The airline's London office said the 300 passengers on Flight VS001 were being bused to Newark on Wednesday morning.
"Virgin Atlantic would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused," the airline said in a statement.
Janine Doy, a Virgin spokesman in London, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Bradley "isn't used to dealing with international flights" and had to call customs and immigration officials back to the airport on Tuesday night to process the passengers. She said the airline was forced to keep people on the plane.
"It was a situation that was beyond our control," she said. "There were weather conditions. ... Bradley had to get customs and immigration to the airport."
A new federal rule on flights stuck on runways went into effect in April and bans US carriers from making passengers wait on planes for longer than three hours. But because the London-to-Newark flight was by an international carrier, it is not eligible for a fine under the tarmac delay rule.
Ken Cast, an airport operations specialist at Bradley, said Virgin was not one of the airport's carriers and the airline had to call in personnel to handle the passengers.
"Being an international flight, it's not like you can let people wander aimlessly," Mr Cast told the AP. "They need to be processed, and they need to be kept safe. Everyone has to clear customs.
"The rules still need to be followed," Mr Cast said. "Everyone was safe. They may have been uncomfortable, but they were safe. It's better to be on the ground wishing you were somewhere else than to be in the air wishing you were on the ground."
Mr Cast confirmed that a few passengers who were not feeling well were treated by paramedics. Details on the sick passengers were not immediately available.
The Obama administration has proposed extending the rules on tarmac delays to international flights and making sure international carriers have contingency plans to handle passengers who have been kept waiting for long periods.
The airline's London office said the 300 passengers on Flight VS001 were being bused to Newark on Wednesday morning.
"Virgin Atlantic would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused," the airline said in a statement.
Janine Doy, a Virgin spokesman in London, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Bradley "isn't used to dealing with international flights" and had to call customs and immigration officials back to the airport on Tuesday night to process the passengers. She said the airline was forced to keep people on the plane.
"It was a situation that was beyond our control," she said. "There were weather conditions. ... Bradley had to get customs and immigration to the airport."
A new federal rule on flights stuck on runways went into effect in April and bans US carriers from making passengers wait on planes for longer than three hours. But because the London-to-Newark flight was by an international carrier, it is not eligible for a fine under the tarmac delay rule.
Ken Cast, an airport operations specialist at Bradley, said Virgin was not one of the airport's carriers and the airline had to call in personnel to handle the passengers.
"Being an international flight, it's not like you can let people wander aimlessly," Mr Cast told the AP. "They need to be processed, and they need to be kept safe. Everyone has to clear customs.
"The rules still need to be followed," Mr Cast said. "Everyone was safe. They may have been uncomfortable, but they were safe. It's better to be on the ground wishing you were somewhere else than to be in the air wishing you were on the ground."
Mr Cast confirmed that a few passengers who were not feeling well were treated by paramedics. Details on the sick passengers were not immediately available.
The Obama administration has proposed extending the rules on tarmac delays to international flights and making sure international carriers have contingency plans to handle passengers who have been kept waiting for long periods.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment