Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AROUND 300 PASSENGERS spent most of their Christmas Eve stranded inside a plane yesterday, when a scheduled transatlantic flight was continually delayed and ultimately cancelled, while passengers were given no details about takeoff.
The US Airways flight 723 from Dublin to Philadelphia had been due to take off at 11:05am, and had boarded at about 1 – but passengers were left mystified when the plane never set about taking off, with the departure apparently continually delayed.
The 300-or-so passengers on board – including several young children – were not informed of the cause for their delay, and were kept on board with no food until the flight was ultimately cancelled at 8pm, when passengers were finally allowed to disembark the Boeing 767.
US Airways said that the delay on the flight was due to a shortage of de-icing fluid on the part of the airline’s ground handler, which forced the flight to be continually delayed until it was cancelled outright.
A separate US Airways flight on the same route, scheduled to leave at 2pm, ultimately took off at 4:17am and landed in Philadelphia International five hours behind schedule.
Update, 12:13pm: Reader Stephen McG, who was on the plane, writes (via our comments section):
We were told around 2:30-3pm that we were awaiting de-icing by a 3rd party company (ServisAir) that was out of US Airways control. Eventually the de-icer showed up. At around 4pm we were told the flight was cancelled as the runway/airport had been closed (due to a small plane turning onto the main runway I believe)
About 30 minutes later we were told we were being made an exception and would, in fact, be taking off. The crew gave us sandwiches – there was lunch on board.
At around 5:15pm we were told that the flight was cancelled because the flight crew had exceeded the number of hours (or would including the flight time) that they are legally allowed work by the FAA (14-16hours?)
Then – and this is what had most of the passengers so angry – it took nearly three hours to get the gate door open. We were sitting at the gate, not on the tarmac. The pilot called the Gardai to get the DAA and Airport police to get someone to open the door. 3 hours to open gate 418 in T2 – where there are practically more staff than passengers!! [...]
Its worth noting that this was the second attempt by many of the passengers to get out. Some had spent 5 hours on a plane on tarmac on Thursday. Also a replacement flight for those passengers was put on at 2:30pm and did take off and get to Philadelphia on Friday eventually. They had opted to take the earlier scheduled flight at 11.05am.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
A hard earned, fragile but sacred peace that must be preserved.
@League of shadows: Totally agree and fair play the people in the north have move on and left their politicians a long way behind them.
I have to say at the time I was very cynical but I can see now it’s transformed the North and must be preserved.
@Deborah Behan: Yes it took great men to sort this out
@Ger Burke: Don’t forget about Mo Ger.
The Good Friday Agreement has being consistently undermined as the North South bodies were deliberately undermined and ignored by Unionism, facilitated by the British and encouraged by the silence and acquiescence of the Irish Govt.
Waking up after 20 yrs is better late than never I guess, but the prize of peace is too precious to squander on meaningless petty party politics!
The Govts are co guarantors and need to move towards joint authority to create the conditions for change!
When will politics function in Northern Ireland? For how long will they need others to sort out their differences? I embarrassed for both sides.
@Michael Lang: politics in NI will only function when there is true power sharing.
With DUP propping up tories, there is an imbalance.
England has yet again prioritized its interests (Brexit) over the needs of the NI people, I.e. return to the troubles is better than change of government which would destabilize Brexit. NI lives are worth less that English economy.
Ulster could have a special deal (Scots & welsh want it) & enjoy benefits of EU and UK .. for the price of a border in the Irish Sea.
An ideology of hate prohibits logical rational thinking.
@Mairtin Cathbhar: that’s an insightful and informative comment. I find it helpful.
@Mairtin Cathbhar: Mairtin – good ideology. Bad assumptions :
The Labour leader and party are no better.
Populist politics dominate the UK as they do here, the “show” is staged to suit the biggest and most important potential voters. They tell us what we want to hear, when did you last witness promises bearing fruition.
Career politicians are self serving generally, they focus on the economy, sadly all else of concern to voters depends on that. Is the Irish leadership different ?
How would Ireland be treated by the rest of the EU if it was to pull the plug on a negotiated Brexit and forced a hard Brexit instead ?
One thing that should have united both sides was the common betrayal of the interests of the people of Northern Ireland by Brexit.
It’s a sorry state of affairs that politicians of today in NI are incapable and afraid of making a decision.
Every time Blair opens his mouth my ears stop working and my blood pressure goes up. He should be in the Hague. Now he’s telling Theresa May she should attack Syria. He’s a disgusting creature and the MSM are trying to launch him back on the international stage despite not being elected by anyone anywhere.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: Fully agree, every time I see his face or hear his voice I feel disgusted. Pity he didn’t take off his politicians smugness and revert to being a decent member of society before he comitted the UK to invade Iraq. Pity he didn’t pay attention to the huge public marches in every city of the UK protesting that decision.
He’s a constant embarrassment to UK citizens and should go back under his stone or feck off to a Bush cattle ranch in Texas.
@wattsed: Bas**rd blair is back on the rotten lying bbc pushing for war in syria….its laughable if it wasnt so serious….people in the west are screwed allowing this crap to go on.
The current bunch of politicians both unionist and nationalist are squandering 20 years of progress and letting the whole peace process slip away bit by bit – by their failure to see beyond their own tribal agenda.
@GO GREEN: What’s 20 years to a Dinosaur? I’ve spent a fair bit of time up North and you would nearly be thankful for the politicians we have down here when you listen to some of these lunatics up there. Embittered bigots, especially the Unionists.
Mo Mowlam did all the hard work, once it looked like it could be a success Blair and Co jumped aboard to catch the plaudits.
have your say