SEATTLE (AP) -- Some of the 300 passengers stuck on an international flight that was delayed 18 hours by fog, regulations and mechanical glitches said the passengers were almost ready to riot as the wait dragged on.
Food and water ran short, and the toilets stopped working before Northwest Airlines Flight 33 finally reached Seattle early Wednesday, 28 hours after leaving Amsterdam.
One man with an infant punched a wall, then ran up an aisle and "charged the cockpit with his baby," passenger Barry Wallis said in an interview broadcast Thursday on NBC's "Today."
"At one point it seemed like we would have a riot towards the end," Wallis said.
The ordeal began when heavy fog had prevented the plane from landing in Seattle as scheduled Tuesday afternoon, forcing the pilot to circle the airport until fuel ran low. The plane was then diverted to Moses Lake, Wash., where it sat on a runway for hours while a fresh crew traveled from Minnesota. The airline regulates how many consecutive hours crew members may work.
Passengers initially had to wait onboard because the Grant County International Airport was not equipped to screen international travelers. Officials cleared a terminal and posted sheriff's deputies at the entrances before allowing passengers to leave - but not until more than after 18 hours after boarding the flight.
"It's like we're hostages without being in any kind of hostage situation," passenger Misha Shmidt told The Seattle Times from the plane Tuesday night. Mechanical problems delayed the relief crew's flight, but even after it arrived, more bad weather forced Flight 33 to wait again.
John Castle, who was traveling with his family, described the atmosphere as "stale, foul and we're all tired."
One man had to be taken off the plane by medics, and a second passenger was treated for an undisclosed medical emergency. One passenger was given an oxygen mask, Wallis said. Northwest spokeswoman Mary Stanik said she had no immediate information about their conditions.
Pizza and soda were eventually brought on board and the toilets were repaired. Stanik apologized for the problems and said passengers would receive a gift pack that included phone cards and vouchers for a free ticket anywhere Northwest flies in the United States and Canada.
Customs spokesman Mike Milne said the passengers were kept on board to ensure security and follow the law. "We're not doing it to be mean," he said.
Source
Passengers Stuck on Plane Ready to Riot
Moderator: S2k Moderators
-
Stephanie
- S2K Supporter
- Posts: 23843
- Age: 63
- Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2003 9:53 am
- Location: Glassboro, NJ
Aslkahuna wrote:Well, anyone who has ever lived in the Pacific Northwest or even California knows how hard it is to find an open airport capable of handling a "heavy" and especially one with ILS during a winter fog situation in that part of the Country.
Steve
Never lived there obviously. However, they couldn't have found one further inland? Isn't Spokane on the eastern side of Washington?
0 likes
-
Terry
- S2K Supporter
- Posts: 1450
- Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2004 8:25 pm
- Location: Lakeland and Anna Maria Island, FL
- Contact:
About fifteen years ago we were heading back from England to Orlando. We were heading down the coast of FL when the pilot abruptly turned back north. He said there were thunderstorms in Orlando and we didn't have enough fuel to keep circling. (not enough fuel? that got some passengers worrying already.)
We landed in Jax. There were no customs and immigration people and we were not allowed off the plane and they were having trouble locating a fuel truck. They refused to bring the "forced air" out to the plane. It was stiffling hot. People started fainting. Some guy stormed forward saying he was a lawyer, "this is the US and you have no right to hold US citizens captive....I'm going to sue..." (that really helped to calm the passengers down.)
They finally did let us out on the tarmac a few hours after we landed.
The pilot had his entire family on board. He went off trying to get someone to bring jet fuel out. His kids went into the cockpit and started playing with the controls. No darn lie. They were up there for may be 15 minutes.
I was never so glad to land in Orlando and have not flown that airline since.
We landed in Jax. There were no customs and immigration people and we were not allowed off the plane and they were having trouble locating a fuel truck. They refused to bring the "forced air" out to the plane. It was stiffling hot. People started fainting. Some guy stormed forward saying he was a lawyer, "this is the US and you have no right to hold US citizens captive....I'm going to sue..." (that really helped to calm the passengers down.)
They finally did let us out on the tarmac a few hours after we landed.
The pilot had his entire family on board. He went off trying to get someone to bring jet fuel out. His kids went into the cockpit and started playing with the controls. No darn lie. They were up there for may be 15 minutes.
I was never so glad to land in Orlando and have not flown that airline since.
0 likes
-
Miss Mary
Steph/Jen!!! I can relate, a little - I would have been revolting not having a decent, useable bathroom at my disposal - b/c you know those bathrooms had to be overflowing after 18 hours!!! Ewww. I would have demanded to get off that plane. I would have gladly walked back to the terminal!!!
Mary
Mary
0 likes
-
JenBayles
- Category 5
- Posts: 3461
- Age: 62
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2003 3:27 pm
- Location: Houston, TX
- Contact:
Miss Mary wrote:Steph/Jen!!! I can relate, a little - I would have been revolting not having a decent, useable bathroom at my disposal - b/c you know those bathrooms had to be overflowing after 18 hours!!! Ewww. I would have demanded to get off that plane. I would have gladly walked back to the terminal!!!
Uggggghhhh!! Those port-a-can airline bathrooms are nasty even if you're the first one in. I can't even imagine how truly disgusting they must have been after 18 hours. Good thing I have a good holding tank!
0 likes
-
Skywatch_NC
- Category 5
- Posts: 10949
- Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 9:31 pm
- Location: Raleigh, NC
- Contact:
Reminds of an episode of Becker when Dr. John is stuck on an airliner and he had some Valium before boarding the flight...after a while his Valium effect wears off (I think that's how the episode went)...and all is well...UNTIL...a baby on board starts crying...and you see Becker go something to the like of...I forget his specific reaction...but it was hilarious...at least the Hollywood-style that is!! 
Eric
Eric
0 likes
-
Aslkahuna
- Professional-Met
- Posts: 4550
- Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2003 5:00 pm
- Location: Tucson, AZ
- Contact:
Yes, Spokane IS in eastern Washington but it's not at all unusual for them to have fog in the Winter at the same time as Seattle since the pattern that produces dense radiation fog in the coastal valleys (referred to as Tule Fog in CA) can do likewise at the same time througout the Great Basin.
Steve
Steve
0 likes
-
Miss Mary
. John Becker sure was a very different character from Sam Malone wasn't he? Took a while to like JB but we became fans of the show.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 47 guests