I recognize issues with the weather and appreciate that the airlines wish to keep people safe. My 14 year old daughter is on her first trip with her class to Washington D.C. She’s been sending photos to me of the White House, the Washington Monument, the Constitution and other sites since she arrived on Sunday night.
We paid quite a bit of money for the trip and her school has done this trip for over 20 years. I’m not sure they’ve ever ended a trip like this, though. Katie and the rest of the students have been stuck in a plane on the tarmac for 3 and a half hours. Katie called me and asked if she could spend the last of her money this afternoon on souvenirs… I told her to go ahead. Now she can’t even buy some food and she’s hungry.
The teachers are cranky, the students are bored to tears, and the airlines can’t tell me when the flight is going to leave. Right now, it won’t be before midnight when the flight gets here. I tried calling the airlines, got a message. I even tried calling the local news and they really didn’t care.
US Airways, I trusted you to take care of my daughter and you’ve betrayed that trust. I don’t mind that you’re trying to keep her safe, but don’t lock up a bunch of kids on a plane for 3.5 hours.
The airlines really need to be kept to a limit, perhaps 45 minutes to an hour, before they need to bring folks back to the gate. If there’s another plane at the gate, then move it. Being stuck more than that is ridiculous. I’m trying not to let it ruin her trip but I really feel bad for her.
