Stuck on a plane in Baltimore for 14 hours

     I didn't mind business travel if it wasn't excessive sometimes it could be fun but there are times it was stressful.  Some years ago, after attending a 4-day business meeting at Pax River, Maryland we drove to Baltimore and stayed the night before getting our flight home the next morning.  We had booked an early morning flight on American Airlines.  It had snowed throughout the night and into the morning but Baltimore was accustomed to this weather so we didn't expect it to be a problem.

     I was traveling with four other teammates from Boeing (Bob, Greg, Tom & Jerry) and we all boarded the plane on time sitting in coach.  The snow continued to fall all morning so we assumed there would some delay but it was a non-stop flight, which normally took 2 1/2 hours so a slight delay wouldn't be a problem.  After the plane was fully boarded we pulled away from the gate when they announced that the plane needed to be de-iced so it would be 1/2 hour or so to get that done.  We continued to hear this announcement 3 or 4 more times so now we've been on the plane for about 2 hours and have only moved about 30 feet.  Passengers are now getting a little restless some moving around in the aisles including small kids but no one is being difficult or obnoxious.  To my best recollection the next announcement tells us the de-icing equipment is broken and being repaired so the plane pulls back up to the gate.

     We've now been on the plane 4 or 5 hours and a passenger ask about food but the flight attendants tell us there is no food on board because this is only a 2 1/2 hour flight.  A guy in the front of the airplane is flying to Vegas and he apparently started partying early so he is really mellow about the whole situation.  He immediately agrees with the passenger about the food request so the flight attendant announces that any passenger can leave the plane to eat but they would not be allowed to re-board which did not make the passengers happy since we were approaching 6 hours sitting on the plane without food.  I couldn't hear the conversation between the flight attendant and the Vegas guy but he convinced her to get off the plane and buy McDonald burgers for the passengers with money he gave her, that's right the Vegas guy bought burgers for the entire plane with his own money.  I couldn't believe it, American Airlines you should be ashamed.  We all applauded the Vegas guy for his generous gift.

     The flight attendant returns with the burgers but still some passengers decide to get off the plane anyway.  Hours are ticking away slowly and we again pull away from the gate to get de-iced but unsuccessfully.  Finally after about 9 1/2 hours the airline makes arrangements to have an independent de-icing company complete the de-icing procedure.  Immediately after the plane is de-iced we get in line for takeoff and finally flyway from Baltimore arriving in St. Louis 14 hours after we boarded the airplane that morning.  Wow, what a day!  American Airlines "Doing what they do best"......... Yea, Not so much.