Some 300 passengers on the Virgin Atlantic flight from London's Heathrow Airport had to wait with no food or water while the plane sat on the tarmac of Bradley International Airport outside Hartford from 8:20 p.m. Tuesday until 1 a.m. this morning, CNN reported. Passengers told CNN that at least three people had to be taken away in ambulances after passing out.
Generators on the plane shut down, and passengers complained of temperatures that felt like 100 degrees, nbcnewyork,com reported. One man, Peter Blok of Philadelphia, called the ordeal "hell on wheels."
"It was like four hours on the ground without any air conditioning. It was crazy. Just crazy," passenger Beth Willan told CNN. "There were babies on the plane. And we are in dark and hot. You try to be patient, but people were yelling and screaming."
Virgin Atlantic said extra U.S. immigration personnel had to be brought to Bradley to handle the unexpected surge of passengers, resulting in the delay.
"The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is of paramount importance," Virgin Atlantic said in a statement. "Virgin Atlantic would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologize for any inconvenience caused."
Once passengers got inside the terminal, they had to wait at least another two hours to retrieve their bags and arrange for bus transportation to Newark, NBC reported.
New aviation rules limit to three hours the time airlines can keep passengers waiting on a tarmac, but they don't apply to foreign carriers. Nevertheless, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who wants the regulation extended to international flights, said federal officials are looking into the incident, The Associated Press reports.