It's every traveler's nightmare: boarding a simple, cross-country flight and getting caught up in a seemingly-endless saga of chaos, anger, and mixed messages.
Passenger David Martin was documenting Virgin flight 404 on his iphone the flight from Los Angeles to New York on Saturday, scheduled to last 5 1/2 hours,ultimately took 16.
Heavy winds diverted the plane to Stewart Airport in upstate New york, where passengers say it sat for at least 6 1/2 hours.
Passengers said there was little food available and that flight attendants snapped at them.
Jet Blue ultimately came to the rescue, taking passengers by bus to JFK, while, in a letter to passengers, Virgin America's CEO apologized, offering a full refund.
The incident comes as new rules go into effect April 29. During tarmac delays airlines must deplane all passengers in under three hours or face steep fines.
In the case of Virgin America 404, the incident could have meant a fine in excess of $3 million.
