Pilot: 'I Have Something Embarrassing to Tell You Guys'

The eagerness to get off the plane once it's landed is a feeling pretty much every air traveler can relate to. But for those passengers traveling on JetBlue Flight 676 early Tuesday, a weird problem: There were no JetBlue staffers at the airport to get them off the plane. As WCVB reports, the flight from New York's JFK Airport to Worcester Regional Airport was a quick 150-mile jaunt that ended at 12:15am. A passenger told the station that after sitting on the tarmac for a bit, the pilot made an announcement: "I have something embarrassing to tell you guys—there is nobody to get you off the flight."

Massachusetts State Police arrived at the scene with the intention of evacuating the passengers, but a JetBlue manager was able to be summoned back to the airport. "We are working with our business partner who operates our ground team in Worcester to determine why a crew member was not in place at the jet bridge to ensure this remains an isolated incident," JetBlue said in a statement.

"Our records show customers on JetBlue Flight 676 Monday were required to wait 45 minutes to deplane after landing," the statement adds. "While we comply with all DOT regulations in the event of a tarmac delay, we know any delay is a frustrating situation and apologize for the wait." Commercial flights were suspended for about a year at the Worcester airport due to COVID; JetBlue was the first airline to resume them in August, reports the Telegram & Gazette. (More JetBlue stories.)