They’d save a lot of money flinging them into the air with a catapult to let them glide the rest of the flight. Who even needs engines?
Since this incident, I keep thinking of the episode of Cabin Pressure (BBC Radio comedy with Benedict Cumberbatch as a pilot). They need to land (to save a customer’s cat…) but are told to hold or divert, by which time they will have a former cat.
The co-pilot flicks on his pocket lighter and says “Sir, I smell smoke. Do you?”
The episode ends there, but the presumption is that they’ll be told to land immediately.
Also reminds me of this old Internet yarn: Response Time | Snopes.com
In the U.S., the airline has to let you off the plane after, at most, four hours if you’re delayed on the tarmac unless it can’t for “safety, security, or air traffic control-related reasons,” which is admittedly a pretty damn big loophole: Aviation Consumer Protection | US Department of Transportation
Yes, the articles mentions people (seemingly at least) having panic attacks, and a child getting sick. I carry Ativan on plane flights anyway in case of panic – I’d probably be heavily sedated by the time I would be allowed off. They can bill me for having to carry me off the plane. 