American Airlines Flight Delayed 9 Hours by Heavy Snow, Mechanical Problem

The actual flight was only a half hour.

By
BENJAMIN STEIN, CHRIS DONATO, EBONEE WILLIAMS and JOSHUA HOYOS
February 28, 2015, 7:59 AM ET
4 min read

— -- What was supposed to be a nearly one-hour flight turned into a nine-hour ordeal for passengers on board an American Airlines plane delayed for hours because of icy conditions and a mechanical problem.

American Airlines flight 382 was scheduled to leave for Oklahoma City from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport at 1:45 p.m. CT Friday, but the plane was grounded until 10:48 p.m. CT.

"We get on the plane and it's just one thing after another," said passenger Brandon Sullivan.

Sullivan told ABC News that the plane sat at the gate for hours waiting for de-icing, which was delayed by heavy snow. After about five hours, a mechanical problem kept the plane grounded, said Sullivan.

"We get so excited, we get to the end of the runway and then we find out we have a mechanical problem," he said.

American Airlines spokesperson Matt Miller apologized for the "frustrating experience," adding that Friday "was a challenging day at DFW due to extreme weather impacting north Texas. The safety of our passengers and employees is always our top priority.”

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Sullivan said passengers got agitated.

"People were obviously frustrated and there seemed to be no crew around there for a little bit," he said. "People were going in the liquor fridge, pulling out whatever they wanted to drink. It got a little chaotic there for a little bit."

Rachel Charlton, another passenger, called it an "up and down" experience.

"We were happy one second because we thought we were leaving and then the next second we were just deflated because we were turning back to the gate," she said.

When the plane returned to a gate, Miller said the crew had to be replaced because they had worked for eight hours, which made it illegal for them to fly.

The flight eventually departed at 10:48 p.m. CT - more than nine hours after some of its passengers initially boarded. It landed in Oklahoma City about a half hour later, according to Flightaware.com.

Because the plane was not held on the tarmac, the delays did not violate the three-hour limit set by the Department of Transportation.

"Ten hours - it feels great to be home," said Sullivan. "It's incredibly stressful day. I don't ever want to do that again."