Four Planes At JFK Have Long Waits On Tarmac

To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

While local airports have reopened, there has been little movement of passengers, problems with luggage, and reports Tuesday of four delays on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Two Cathay Pacific flights, one British Airways flight and one Iceland Express flight were affected, according to the Port Authority.

One passenger said his flight was delayed in Toronto for nine hours, flew to JFK and then was delayed on the tarmac for another 11 hours.

Passengers aboard that flight claimed they were given little food or water, beyond a few noodles.

They also claimed that airline representatives told them that the airport did not have enough gates to allow the delayed flight to arrive.

"I teared up a little bit I am not going to lie. I was just so tired. I just wanted to get off the plane, I wanted to get home," said one stranded passenger.

Port Authority officials told NY1 that it is up to individual airlines to make sure that there are enough gates for arrivals, and that the airlines in question had not failed to do so.

NY1 reached out to one of the involved airlines, but has not gotten a response.

Port Authority officials also acknowledged that they have trouble with moving airport baggage, after many bag handlers who work for a private contractor did not show up to work Tuesday.

At JFK's Terminal 4, about 10,000 bags are currently stored, as there is not enough manpower to move the bags.

The Port Authority says a contractor is responsible for taking the bags from the plane to the carousel, but because of the snow, it appears many of the workers did not show up.

Some passengers say they waited for their belongings for nearly four hours.

"I wanna kill something. Because you know, New York, you have timing going on, and it's frustrating, it's killing me," said one traveler.

To add insult to injury, the AirTrain was shut down for most of the day Tuesday.

All three area airports are also dealing with the backlog created by thousands of canceled flights.

JFK, LaGuardia and Newark reopened Monday, after being shut down for nearly 24 hours.