Trans Atlantic doesn't show up for 5 days at JFK, IAD

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Stranded at JFK for 5 Days, Planeload of Passengers Sees Glimmer of Hope


By Stacey Sager
Hundreds of folks have been waiting for days for a plane that never showed
up. It was scheduled to depart Kennedy Airport on Monday for two African
destinations. This afternoon, those folks are still waiting, but there is
hope.

Stacey Sager reports from JFK.

There is hope for some of them, because a plane has arrived here at Kennedy
Airport. These people have shelled out $1,500 per ticket, not to mention
hundreds more in food and ground transportation. And not all of these
passengers will get on that one plane to Africa.

It has already been five days, and most of the passengers are fed up.

The chaos continued at two airport hotels throughout the morning. Crowds of
the passengers who had hoped to fly to Africa on Trans Atlantic were waiting
and listening to a man on a bullhorn, supposedly reading names
alphabetically.

That's because there's not enough room for everyone waiting here on the one
plane waiting on the tarmac, and some of the passengers are beginning to
give up.

Ibrahim Sesay, Passenger: "I've got to go to work!"
Stacey Sager: "What do you think of this?"
Ibrahim Sesay: "This is a total mess! I would not expect something like this
to be happening in the United States of America. This is absurd!"

The Egbuchulam family are among the lucky ones -- they have boarding passes
and seats on the plane.

Larry Egbuchulam, Passenger: "And we have a boarding pass, and we're on our
way to the airport right now."
Stacey Sager: "Because your last name begins with 'E.'"
Larry Egbuchulam: "With an 'E!'"

We spoke with the Nigerian chief who runs the airlines on the phone, his
representatives have not spoken to us on camera. But they do say a plane is
waiting at Kennedy's Terminal 4, and that it will leave today. The trouble
is, it only holds about 368 people, and there are 500-700 who have been
waiting.

Umpha Koroma,Passenger: "This thing is ridiculous, you know? It's taken all
of the energy out of me. I've been waiting to go home since 10 years ago,
and I've never been and I'm trying to go now. And I've been waiting for five
days. My vacation is almost over."

As to what really happened here, we spoke to that Nigerian chief on the
phone, and he says he's had what he calls unexpected costs, what he calls
exorbitant fees, trying to get his planes out of West Africa and to Kennedy
Airport. He claims there is a second plane on the way to Kennedy that will
leave Kennedy Airport tomorrow..

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