"NEW YORK (AP) - Hundreds of passengers were stranded for hours overnight on airliners that couldn't take off from John F. Kennedy International Airport because of the ice and snow storm that pummeled the Northeast.
The exact number of planes stuck on the tarmac was unclear, but irate passengers reported that the problems affected several airlines. Pilots and officials blamed some of the problems on a shortage of deicing fluid and a new federal regulation giving pilots a narrow window to get their planes in the air once the chemicals are applied. The change has meant some jets need to get doused repeatedly if their takeoffs are delayed."
Having spent WAYTOO many years of my life aboard airplanes, I have no sympathy for passengers who don't appreciate the miracle of aviation. I have seen people become irate because their morning flight from JFK to SFO was delayed by an hour or two due to head winds. The poor dears had luncheon meetings within 30 min.s of arrival downtown or down the Peninsula.I have stood in line and listened to people tell tired and frazzled ticket agents why -THEY- must get out because THEY are important, have important things to do, have important people to meet. They do not realize that in the best of times taking several thousand tons of metal, fuel and human bodies from a standing start to over 300 mph is a miracle. That it is done safely, routinely and boringly is a credit to the professionals who run the airlines. Some think that it only snows on their airline, that the rules and regulations that make it safe were created simply to frustrate.
The practical, everyday reality that we can cross thousands of miles in comfort and on schedule is always amazing... to me. I find that being patient and polite and working with the airlines makes an unpleasant situation much more bearable. Stuff happens. Yes, God did make it snow for everyone. Isn't it great!
No comments:
Post a Comment