A Night at the Airport: Northeast Storm Strands Virgin Passengers at JFK
The big Northeast snowstorm stranded passengers at JFK. (Photo: Felix Kunze)
This week’s winter storm led to more than 7,000 flight cancellations nationwide and one unpleasant night for passengers at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.
During the storm, passengers on a Virgin Atlantic flight bound for London were stuck on the tarmac for six hours. They then had to spend a long and frustrating night stranded in the JFK terminal.
One of the stranded passengers — commercial photographer Felix Kunze — posted photos of the ordeal on Twitter. His pics show people stretched out all over the airport: on seats, on floors, and near ATMs.
You know it’s a bad day when you’re expecting to fly home but end up sleeping next to an airport ATM. (Photo: Felix Kunze)
The ordeal began Monday evening, when Virgin Atlantic Flight VS004 was supposed to depart JFK for London at 6:30 p.m., but a perfect storm of calamities conspired to keep it on the ground. As the flight began its departure, a passenger had a medical emergency and the plane had to return to the gate.
Because of that delay, Virgin Atlantic tells Yahoo Travel the plane had to be de-iced again, after which another technical glitch developed.
With roads closed, no taxis, and no public transportation, passengers had nowhere to go. (Photo: Felix Kunze)
During those delays, the snowstorm picked up and the plane was unable to take off. Passengers reportedly were let off the plane after midnight — by which time the storm had forced road closures, halted taxi service, and shut down public transportation in the New York-area.
Related: Wish We Were Here: 10 Places Where it’s Warm Despite the Great Blizzard
That left the flight’s passengers stranded overnight in the airport. “It was like a murder mystery suspense movie — no one could give us any answers,” one passenger told The DailyMail.com. “It was pretty traumatic. The whole thing was a mess.”
Another passenger told NBC News the airline handed out $15 vouchers for the only restaurant open: McDonald’s.
Kunze was right to be optimistic: Virgin Atlantic got everyone to London, eventually. (Photo: Felix Kunze)
Fortunately, Virgin Atlantic was able to get everyone back to the UK the next day. In a statement, the airline tells Yahoo Travel: “We would like to thank our passengers for their patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused to their journey.”
Related: What to Do When Bad Weather Screws Up Your Flight
Unfortunately for Kunze, his arrival was met with another problem. More proof that when it snows, it pours.
WATCH: Weathering Winter Airport Delays With The Points Guy
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