FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A minor crash on the runway at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport led passengers on a Norway-bound flight to be stranded at the airport for three days.
Monday marked the fourth attempt to fly out for the hundreds of passengers scheduled to fly on Norse Atlantic Airways Flight N0022 to Oslo.
Since Friday, they’ve been stranded at the airport because of that minor crash.
“While taxiing to the runway for departure, (the plane) incurred minor damage to a wing tip due to an obstacle on the taxiway,” the airline said in a statement.
Fed-up passengers are heard on a cellphone video screaming “get us home!” after yet another delay.
“This is probably the worst experience,” passenger Amy Bergqvist said.
Bergqvist said she and other passengers have endured days of cancellations with little communication from Norse Atlantic.
“All of the passengers were abandoned in the sense there was no communication, no instructions, nowhere to go,” she said.
Passenger Paul Dowell said he and his family haven’t seen relatives overseas since 2020 because of the pandemic.
“They just keep telling people ‘come in the morning, drag your four children in this morning, drag them in at night,’” Dowell said.
Another passenger, Dan Gilyana, said he decided to head back to Jacksonville with his parents and cancel his trip entirely.
“For me I feel like that’s it, I do not feel safe to fly with them again,” Gilyana said.
More cellphone video showed frustrated passengers crowding the gate and defeated crew members.
“Don’t get mad, we want you to get home safely,” a crew member is heard saying. “We can’t rush the plane to see your family.”
Some passengers said they’ll think twice about flying with the airline in the future.
“I think I’ve had a crash course in lowered expectations,” a passenger said.
The airline said it has offered accommodations and assistance to passengers. Passengers said they were able to board the plane Monday evening, and it did eventually take off.