On the tarmac for 9 hours

[MonkeyFunk]

MSNBC is reporting on an American Airlines flight that was stuck on the tarmac for 9 hours in Austin, TX.

That should be considered kindaping, and criminal charges brought.


Edit; here's the story

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16565583/


They spent 15 hours on the plane, in total.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

1. Well, why were they stuck on the tarmac?

[CurtEastPoint]

4. This was some days ago. Diverted from DFW due to weather...

couldn't get a gate at AUS and sat and sat and sat. Finally, the pilot disobeyed commands and took a gate. He/she was the only one who had sense!

[sandnsea]

14. Nine hours later sense

I can't imagine what took him so long.

[LostinVA]

36. Good for the pilot

[shoopnyc]

2. Sick. and your feet still swell.

[ronnykmarshall]

3. That is awful.

What happened?

[MonkeyFunk]

6. here's a link to a story

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16565583/


The report said the toilets were overflowing, and the only food available was pretzels.

[ronnykmarshall]

38. This happened again several years ago.

It was a Northwestern flight and it was stuck in Detriot I think. The passengers were threatening to open the emergency exits but faced arrest if they did.

[NYC]

5. I agree.

They shouldn't be allowed to do that to people.

[iamjoy]

7. Don't Let This Happen To You

Develop chest pain.
They will have to go back to the gate. Dismiss it as an anxiety attack.

Do not try this if you have no health insurance

[hlthe2b]

26. Good idea--better if you are male...

Many ignoramoses stil discount women and symptoms of heart attack, believing all pre-menopausal women are not at risk...:eyes:

[Gatchaman]

8. Kidnapping?!?

How fucking soft have we become?

[MonkeyFunk]

9. OK

when somebody holds you against your will for 9 hours, in a cramped plane with no food and overflowing toilets, we'll see how "soft" you get.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. Let's say I get stuck in an elevator.

Did I just get kidnapped?

How about if my car gets stuck in the mud?

[Orangepeel]

17. according to the news story, AA admitted giving gates to other planes to keep them on time

this plane was already late, so they let it sit on the tarmac and gave available gates to incoming planes, until the pilot finally went to an open gate without permission.

To me, that makes all the difference.

[MonkeyFunk]

18. I think the situations are different

nobody is purposely keeping you in the elevator, and presumably if your car is stuck in the mud, you can still get out of it.

Airplanes have doors. If there's no gate, wheel up some stairs.

[uppityperson]

22. Those are not comparisons.

If your car gets stuck in the mud, get out. Is there a pilot, or crew, keeping you in your car when you wish to exit?

If an elevator gets stuck, you either crawl out or are just stuck. If a plane is on the tarmac for that long, they can open the doors and let people out.

Here is the difference: The people could have exited, except there were not let do this. Perhaps someone should have opened an emergency exit?

[ContraBass Black]

28. It is if there's an elevator operator who can easily let you out right away

But doesn't for 15 hours.

[sandnsea]

13. Soft?? Oh hell no

SOFT was sitting on that plane for fifteen hours and not doing ANYTHING to get the hell off of it. The PILOT finally took the plane to a gate without authorization or who knows when those people would have gotten off that plane. If you think people should just put up with being forgotten on a tarmac, then I don't even know what to say about you. Get some balls somewhere.

[sandnsea]

10. I'd take somebody hostage

Make them call the FBI to get us the fuck off the plane. What is WRONG with people.

FIFTEEN HOURS!!!

I no longer wonder about Germany or the Jews. People will put up with an alarming amount of abuse.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

15. Yeah, sure. See how well the FBI handles you taking a "hostage."

:rofl:

I'd fucking like to see that.

[sandnsea]

16. I wouldn't care

I know me, I do not have the patience for that shit. Two hours, max, and I would do whatever it took to get people off the damn plan. My life isn't so 'all that' that I actually give much of a shit about sitting in jail or whatever the hell the government thinks they're going to punish me with.

That's what the hell is wrong with people, they just will not take a stand anymore.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

19. Sure...

:eyes:

[sandnsea]

24. Oh my god,

you don't know me at all. I'm the one that told the cop to make up his mind about giving me a ticket or I was going to drive away. I'm one of those parents that has gotten a principal fired. I've told my own bosses to stop being jerks, and not gotten fired because they admitted they were wrong and apologized. When I'm right, I'm right and I stand up for myself. And you can bet your bottom dollar I would not put up with sitting on a plane for hours on end. No. Fucking. Way.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

25. There's a difference between standing up for yourself and taking a hostage.

The first will rarely land you in jail. The latter pretty much always does.

I'm sure you'd love federal prison. That's just like calling your boss a jerk, isn't it?

:rofl:

[sandnsea]

29. That wasn't my only example

But laugh all you want. I do not put up with shit. I just don't.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

31. Yeah, but NONE of your examples compare.

I don't take shit either. You can trust me on that. Would I take a hostage on a plane to get off? No. In Jersey (and any civilized place), that's what we call really fucking stupid.

[sandnsea]

32. Well I guess I would have to be stuck on a plane

And fortunately, I haven't been. I have, however, had cops think they were going to push me around and have never tolerated it. In the sticks, we call that civil rights.

[hlthe2b]

27. I'd feel similarly, but unfortunately...

the stormtrooper laws are on their side... Faking chest pains might be the better course of action and suing later...

[sandnsea]

30. They have medical equipment on board

I really don't think faking a heart attack would work. Besides, I think the article said there were people on the plane who didn't feel well. The stormtroopers is the point, get somebody out there to deboard the plane. I'd deal with the jury later.

[Guaranteed]

21. After 4 hours, it's time to take action.

Depending on the situation, my patience can go well over a couple of hours. But once I hit four, I think I'd start getting a little loud and sarcastic with the help.

[malaise]

35. I was not sitting on any aircraft

for fifteen hours. No way. Someone would be sued for holding me against my will.

[dkofos]

37. You don't need to take a hostage,

Just walk up to the flight attendant and start an argument.
When they tell you to sit down and shut up tell them to FUCK OFF.

That will get you off the plane fast

[JerseygirlCT]

12. Yup. Any longer than 45 minutes and they should be required

to allow passengers to disembark.

[davekriss]

20. Absolutely agree

They should have rolled up one of those portable rolling stairs and let the folk disembark where they were on the tarmac, then bussed them to a gate. If the plane was too big or the wrong model to safely use the stairs, then it should've bumped a smaller plane and it should have used the stairs. There ought to be regulations to that effect. Over the years I've heard too many such stories. I myself have been stuck on the tarmac for 3 hours.

[ProfessorGAC]

40. Same Here. Three Hours One Time

The longest delay i ever had was WAY longer (nearly 13 hours) but at least we were in the airport, not on the plane. (In New Orleans when the tail of a hurricane in the gulf made the rains so heavy, planes couldn't get in.) But, i was on the tarmac at Newark one time for 3 hours. Terrible.
The Professor

[Telly Savalas]

23. There wasn't a single smoker on the plane?

What are the odds of that?

[MonkeyFunk]

33. huh?

I don't understand.

[terrya]

34. That's inexcusible.

I hope no one on that flight was claustrophobic. God help them if there were.

American Airlines has some serious explaining to do. There's no reason whatsoever why those people had to sit on a plane for 15 hours.

[question everything]

39. See the full story from 11 days ago

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=3060819

[Bassic]

41. I just hope the pilot didn't get yelled at by his superiors

for taking that gate without permission. I wouldn't be surprised if he did, but I hope not.