Air India passengers endure 45-hour delay

Air India passengers endure 45-hour delay

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Passengers booked on an Air-India flight from Los Angeles to New Delhi had to endure a delay lasting 45 hours, blamed on a number of factors.

The ordeal began Monday when their first plane returned to a bumpy landing at the L.A. airport after blowing a tire on takeoff, The Los Angeles Times reports. The next day, the engine on a different plane wouldn't start while the passengers were kept waiting on the tarmac for five hours. Flight attendants had locked up the drinks, prompting a mini-revolt among some passengers.

The passengers finally were taken off the plane and bused to a hotel at 2:30 Wednesday morning. The sleepless passengers returned to the airport for their third try. Again after a 3 1/2-hour delay, the flight took off.

About the delay on the tarmac, an airline official said: "This process takes time; that is why obviously the passengers would have discomfort. They would find that we cannot give the correct information because we also don't know it. It was step to step as it happened."

After the ordeal, one passenger joked: "Air India is going to give out infrequent flier miles."

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Quirks&article=UPI-1-20051222-11024700-bc-us-indiatravelers.xml