Passengers Complain Of Being Held 'Hostage' After Flight To JFK Lands In Philadelphia
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Some airline passengers are finally in New York after spending more than six hours stranded in Philadelphia.
The British Airways flight carrying 239 customers from London to John F. Kennedy International Airport was held on the runway at Philadelphia International Airport for three hours until the airline finally canceled the flight due to fog in New York, CBS2 reported.
After being let off the plane around 2 a.m. Saturday, passengers spent another three hours in a holding area waiting for customs to open. Photos show passengers sleeping on the floor at the airport.
Many took to social media to vent their frustration, including actor Jeremy Piven.
"British Airways from London and they will hold us 7 hours here on the ground in Philly. No one is telling us why," the "Mr. Selfridge" star tweeted.
In another tweet, Piven said the airline was holding the passengers "hostage."
British Airways released a statement, saying: "The captain of flight BA183 to New York decided to divert the aircraft to Philadelphia due to bad weather at JFK Airport. We're very sorry for the delay to our customers' journey, but safety is always our top priority. Our staff looked after them, rebooking those with connections and arranging bus transfers to New York. All of our customers are now on their way to their destinations."
"There was mention of buses, and it turned out it wasn't enough," said Dean Bein, who took an Amtrak train back to New York.
"There really was not very much communication," Bein told CBS2's Matt Kozar. "There wasn't clarity as to what was happening."
Passenger Mayumi Tatsuta said the pilot did not explain what was going on.
"To us, the weather looked fine," Tatsuta said. "So it was a little scary when they didn't say why we were being diverted."
She, too, said there was very little communication and coordination from British Airways representatives on how to get passengers from Philadelphia to New York.
"People started going on Uber, calling cab compmanies, car services," said Tatsuta.
Tatusta ended up renting a car and driving to Manhattan. To make matters worse, she got a speeding ticket in New Jersey.
She says she expects British Airways to reimburse her for the rental car.
