Fly Amsterdam to Seattle -- in 28 Hours

In an ordeal that made some passengers feel like hostages, about 300 people aboard an Amsterdam-to-Seattle flight were delayed for 18 hours on the ground, unable to leave the plane for much of that time, as food and water ran out and the toilets stopped working.

Northwest Airlines Flight 33 finally arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Wednesday morning, 28 hours after takeoff, after being held up by a nightmarish combination of fog, work regulations and mechanical trouble.

John Castle, who was traveling with his family, described the atmosphere as “stale, foul and we’re all tired.”

Heavy fog had prevented the flight from landing in Seattle as scheduled Tuesday afternoon, forcing the pilot to circle the airport until fuel ran low. The plane was then diverted to an airport in Moses Lake, Wash., where it sat on the runway for hours as another crew was sent from Minnesota. The airline has regulations on how many consecutive hours crew members are permitted to work.

The flight from Minnesota was delayed because of mechanical problems. After the new crew arrived, Flight 33 had to wait again because of bad weather.

Food and water ran short, and the toilets stopped working as the hours dragged on.

“It’s like we’re hostages without being in any kind of hostage situation,” passenger Misha Shmidt told the Seattle Times from the plane Tuesday night.

Pizza and soda were eventually brought on board and the toilets were repaired.

Passengers initially were not allowed to get off the plane because the Grant County International Airport was not equipped to screen international travelers. The passengers were finally allowed off Tuesday after officials temporarily cleared a terminal and posted sheriff’s deputies at the entrances.

One man had to be taken off the plane by medics, and a second passenger was treated for an undisclosed medical emergency. Northwest spokeswoman Mary Stanik said she had no immediate information about their conditions.

Stanik said passengers would receive a gift pack that included phone cards and vouchers for a free ticket anywhere Northwest flies in the United States and Canada.

“We apologized to our customers for any and all inconvenience,” she said.

As for preventing the passengers from getting off the plane, Customs spokesman Mike Milne said: “We’re not doing it to be mean. We’re doing it to preserve the security requirements. We’re required by law to screen these people when they come to the United States.”