Leaving On A Jet Plane. Or Not.

A JetBlue airliner pushed back from the gate at JFK on Wednesday and waited for the bad weather to clear so it could take off. ELEVEN hours later, the passengers were still on the plane, waiting for take off. Finally, the jet returned to the gate and the enraged passengers were allowed to get off.

We’re hearing these stories more and more often and I just cannot understand why the airlines don’t simply let the people off the plane. Even if all the gates are full, there are other ways to disembark a plane that cannot depart. I fear that I would become of those deranged passengers that would have to be restrained by the other passengers, should I become trapped on of these planes.

The airlines argue that using portable stairways to disembark passengers in icy storms would be dangerous. What they mean is they fear lawsuits should somebody trip on the stairs. The passengers don’t have to walk across runways, the planes can be towed back to near the terminal. It’s outrageous to imprison people on a plane going nowhere.