[jimworcs]

So what is the solution PHX? Can't build runways, don't have adquate fast rail infrastructure and the distances are too great to go by car. Surely the solution can't be to just accept that the system will become gridlocked and hold people hostage in a tube for hours on end, waiting for the traffic jam to clear?

Europe too, is built on a hub and spoke system. The major hubs in Europe.. Madrid, Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt, Milan, Paris, etc.. are similar, with the same business demands and frequent shortages of runway availability. LHR in particular has serious capacity problems, serving more passengers than CDG or FRA but with only two runways. There are massive demands on gates... Nevertheless, I have never heard of passengers being held on an aircraft at Heathrow for up to 9 hours.

There is a lack of goodwill towards passengers in the US by the airlines. The situation faced by the passengers in the twin cities was intolerable, and a relatively simple solution was waiting. The Captain asked repeatedly for the facilities to safely disembark her passengers. The ground handling by Delta blocked this, for spurious reasons. They were not held because of concerns about slots.. they were held by an airline which is arrogant and has a "couldn't care less" attitude towards passengers in general. The bogus "security" concerns were simply an excuse for inaction. The Manager of the airport has stated categorically that had Delta asked, he would have been able to allay any security fears immediately and authorise the passengers to disembark. The airport was not asked.

Despite Jetliners earlier defence of Continental/JetExpress, neither of these airlines "escalated" the problem appropriately and this too illustrates an arrogant dis-regard for their passengers.

Airline employees seem to have become so used to treating their passengers like cattle, they no longer have any kind of compassion for their passengers. It speaks volumes about the culture of Delta, that any ground services manager would leave passengers crammed into a small regional jet for hours on end, with no facilities. The only US airline I have experience of in recent years which does not seem to have this culture was Southwest.