Hi All, Taken from the Travel Weekly website. Regards, Mark Gerrard Family sues NW, alleges imprisonment on plane(12/27/2001) By Andrew Compart WASHINGTON -- A California family is suing Northwest Airlines, alleging false imprisonment because they said they and other passengers were forced to remain on a grounded airplane for about seven hours on Christmas day 2000. The couple and their two daughters were returning from a vacation in Hawaii when fog forced the plane to divert from Los Angeles to the smaller airport in Ontario, Calif., Christmas morning. More details are scheduled to be released in a Dec. 27 press conference, but the attorney for the family said the suit also will allege emotional distress, negligence and breach of contract. A Northwest spokeswoman said Dec. 26 that she believes the plane actually was on the Ontario tarmac for about four-and-a-half hours, and did not get to the gate because of an ongoing effort to get clearance to fly to Los Angeles, as well as Ontario airport unloading difficulties. She also said she believes the family was reimbursed for an additional day of parking and for a rental car, and, like all the passengers, received a Northwest "service recovery packet" that included a travel voucher. **************************************************************************** **** For information on all airports and airfields in the Northwest of England, visit http://fly.to/northwest-spotters. Alternatively join the Northwest-Spotters mailing list at www.yahoogroups.com/group/northwest-spotters **************************************************************************** ****