Airline passengers delayed on a runway for 7 hours were only given one small bag of pretzels to eat, report says
- Passengers delayed on the tarmac for seven hours were given a bag of pretzels instead of a meal.
- A passenger on board the plane told Belfast Live that the experience was "horrible."
Airline passengers who were left on the tarmac for seven hours received a small bag of pretzels instead of a meal while they waited.
The British Airways flight from Heathrow airport in London to Belfast was delayed on Monday because of weather conditions and fuel issues, local outlet Belfast Live reported. The plane, which landed in Belfast just before 10 p.m., was due to depart at 1.15 p.m. but did not take off until 8.53 p.m., data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed.
One passenger, Gary Bell, told Belfast Live that the experience was "absolutely horrible."
Speaking from the plane on Monday, Bell said the only food British Airways had offered the grounded passengers was a small bag of pretzels and a complimentary drink.
He said: "The only food we were given was a small bag of pretzels, there are tired, screaming kids everywhere."
Bell added that the plane had to change pilots because of the length of the hold-up, further delaying the flight.
A representative for British Airways told Insider: "All airlines experienced some disruption due to air traffic control restrictions put in place as a result of adverse weather across London and the South East of England.
"Our teams worked hard to ensure as many of our customers could travel as planned and apologized for the inconvenience caused."
The airline told Belfast Live that the passengers were only offered the snack during the delay "due to the unexpected closure of a cargo tunnel at Heathrow Airport."
The recent closure of the tunnel, which links the cargo terminal area with terminal four, was related to a safety issue, Air Cargo News reported.
This was not the first time passengers have had to deal with long delays on the tarmac with very little to eat.
In the summer, United Airlines passengers en route to Rome suffered a similar delay on the runway at Newark International Airport. One business-class passenger told Insider it felt like being taken "hostage" and flight attendants didn't serve food and provided very little water.