Tale of flight stuck on ‘freezing Canadian island’ gets warm laughs in Newfoundland

Newfoundlanders were having a chuckle on Monday over international media reports saying passengers on a British Airways flight diverted to St. John’s last week were stranded on a frozen island somewhere in Canada.

Headlines describing Newfoundland as a “freezing island” had people cracking jokes and sharing weather statistics on social media. A spoof video on Reddit collected upvotes for its David Attenborough-style tale of marooned passengers scrounging for food and Wi-Fi signals in the capital city of more than 200,000 people.

It certainly wasn’t easy for many of the 255 passengers who were grounded for two nights in Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital city, Heather McKinnon, general manager at the Delta Hotel in St. John’s, said Monday.

They had no access to their luggage when a storm blew in and some spoke of missing funerals and weddings, she said in an interview.

But McKinnon said she hopes most know that Newfoundland is not a frozen wasteland, as the headlines appeared to suggest.

“It’s hardly frozen,” McKinnon said. “While it was cold that day, and it was wintry the next day, we’re offering warm hospitality. And that’s the main thing, right?”

The flight to Houston was diverted to St. John’s on Tuesday because of a medical emergency, McKinnon said. Passengers returned to the airport on the outskirts of town the following evening, only to learn they’d have to spend another night in St. John’s. The plane finally left on Thursday.

About 110 passengers stayed at the Delta the first night, and all 255 stayed there on the second night, she added. Staff came in early and worked late to set up buffet meals in the hotel’s conference rooms. Some used their personal vehicles to take passengers shopping for diapers and other essentials, McKinnon said.

British Airways did not respond to questions about why the passengers couldn’t access their luggage. In an email, the airline said it covered the cost of the hotel and other expenses.

International media, including the BBC, reported on the days-long delay, describing Newfoundland as a “freezing island.”

This past winter and early spring have been particularly stormy in eastern Newfoundland, but the average temperature in April in St. John’s is typically above zero, according to provincial data.

In January, on average, St. John’s is warmer than Montreal or Toronto, according to The Weather Network.

The Delta shared a review from one of the passengers on its Facebook page on Sunday and tagged People magazine, whose website ran a headline describing Newfoundland as a “freezing Canadian island.”

“Despite the BBC and People headlines most passengers were grateful for the care shown to them,” the post said.

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