This seems to be happening with some frequency these days. Passengers board their flight, the cabin doors are closed, the plane leaves the gate, and then everything stops. Something delays the flight. The plane sits on the tarmac. Minutes turn to hours. Passengers begin to feel trapped. Some ask to be let off the plane, but the airline refuses. There they are without food and drink, virtual prisoners.It happened again on June 25, 2007, this time involving flight 6499 from JFK to Dallas. Passengers were trapped for seven long hours. But something was different this time. A passenger video taped the entire ordeal and posted it on YouTube. (I first learned of this story from Travolution Blog.)
Why is this happening? Airlines are dealing with severe financial constraints. They have cut expenses to the bare minimum (and apparently beyond). "Extra" pilots and flight crew members have been laid off. Maintenance has been outsourced. As a result, the airlines lack the flexibility they once enjoyed. A simple mechanical glitch takes longer to repair. That extra time may push flight crews beyond the maximum number of hours they are allowed work by FAA regulations. Backup crews are not as plentiful as once they were. This very scenario led to the nightmare documented in the 7 minute video posted below.
What are we as passengers to do? There are no definitive answers, but one tip is to avoid flying at the end of the month when crew shortages are more likely to occur. And my other bit of advice? Fly business or first class. Granted, this is not everyone's answer, but 10 hours in a first class seat--uncomfortable as that might be--is infinitely more comfortable than 10 hours in an economy seat, shoulders hunched and knees pressing into the seat ahead. So, in the words of Warner Wolf, "let's go to the video tape."
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