Legal news for Minnesota general litigation attorneys. Foul weather caused a small plane to land in Rochester trapping 47 passengers on aboard.
Minnesota lawyer alert- A Continental Airlines ExpressJet en route from Houston, Texas to the Twin Cities traps 47 passengers on board.
Rochester, MN—Federal regulations and safety standards created a nightmare for passengers on a small plane, which was forced to land at the Rochester airport due to foul weather. The ExpressJet airplane, which operates as a part of Continental Airlines’ regional service, held 47 passengers on board for nine hours while the plane sat on the airport tarmac, as reported by USA Today.
The Continental Airlines flight 2816 took off from Houston, Texas at 9:30 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive in the Twin Cities at midnight. Thunderstorms caused the ExpressJet to land in Rochester to refuel and wait out the storms. Passengers aboard the plane were required to remain on the plane instead of waiting in the terminal because the airport security screeners had already left for the day. In addition, the flight crew had reached the maximum allowed work hours, which required a new crew to be flown to the airport to continue the rest of the flight. As time went by, passengers aboard the plane reported the smell of overused toilets, and babies screaming throughout the night. It is unknown whether the trapped passengers were served any meals or refreshments during the unplanned layover. In the morning, passengers were allowed into the terminal to only board the same plane again to continue flying to the Twin Cities. The flight left Rochester at 9:30 a.m. and arrived in the Twin Cities at 11 a.m., ending the long 14-hour transit.
Speculation is circulating around different news sources stating there may have been issues between Continental Airlines and Delta, which kept the passengers from entering the terminal sooner. Apparently Continental does not usually fly into the Rochester airport. There were allegedly talks between the two major airlines about gate access to allow the passengers to deplane. People are wondering if it was actually a corporate battle which wrongfully kept the passengers trapped inside the small “sardine like” plane.
Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley- Legal news for Minnesota general litigation lawyers.