American Airlines, RDU share insight into hour-long tarmac delays

American Airlines said ramp closures due to storms caused passengers on multiple planes to sit on the taxiway for hours Monday night into Tuesday morning. 

American Airlines sent a statement to 5 On Your Side Wednesday saying "Severe weather in Raleigh-Durham (RDU) on Monday impacted operations and led to multiple ramp closures. As a result, some aircraft remained on the tarmac longer than usual until conditions were safe.”

5 On Your Side reached out to RDU Thursday morning for clarity. RDU said it did not close ramps or other areas that would prevent planes from going to open gates. It said airlines have different safety protocols that may not allow employees to go on the ramp and guide planes in. 

At least nine American Airlines planes were stuck on the taxiway for between two-and-a-half to more than three hours Tuesday morning, according to RDU. It said other airlines had delays, but American Airlines had the most and longest. 

On Tuesday morning, 5 On Your Side spoke with passengers who experienced the tarmac delays. Passengers said they were told there were not enough gates open and there were staffing issues. 

Correy Schnupper was on the flight from Philadelphia to RDU Monday night. She sat on the plane for more than 3 hours before deplaning. She filed a complaint with the airline. The airline responded stating Air Traffic Control restrictions affected gate availability. She received a $50 trip voucher from the airline but was not satisfied with the lack of communication. 

"It's just concerning. It seems like they're just hiding something slash not really caring about the severity of how this impacted people," Schnupper said. "I already was never going to fly with them again. That's just even, even more worrisome." 

Other passengers who dealt with similar issues did not receive trip vouchers. 

5 On Your Side has reached back out to American Airlines to get more clarity on what happened and any compensation passengers will receive.