{"id":586426,"date":"2026-04-06T19:18:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/586426\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T19:18:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:18:14","slug":"tale-of-flight-stuck-on-freezing-canadian-island-gets-warm-laughs-in-newfoundland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/586426\/","title":{"rendered":"Tale of flight stuck on \u2018freezing Canadian island\u2019 gets warm laughs in Newfoundland"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newfoundlanders were having a chuckle on Monday over international media reports saying passengers on a British Airways flight diverted to St. John\u2019s last week were stranded on a frozen island somewhere in Canada.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Headlines describing Newfoundland as a \u201cfreezing island\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

It certainly wasn\u2019t easy for many of the 255 passengers who were grounded for two nights in Newfoundland and Labrador\u2019s capital city, Heather McKinnon, general manager at the Delta Hotel in St. John\u2019s, 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.<\/p>\n

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But McKinnon said she hopes most know that Newfoundland is not a frozen wasteland, as the headlines appeared to suggest.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s hardly frozen,\u201d McKinnon said. \u201cWhile it was cold that day, and it was wintry the next day, we\u2019re offering warm hospitality. And that\u2019s the main thing, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

The flight to Houston was diverted to St. John\u2019s 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\u2019d have to spend another night in St. John\u2019s.\u2028The plane finally left on Thursday.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s conference rooms. Some used their personal vehicles to take passengers shopping for diapers and other essentials, McKinnon said.<\/p>\n

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British Airways did not respond to questions about why the passengers couldn\u2019t access their luggage. In an email, the airline said it covered the cost of the hotel and other expenses.<\/p>\n

International media, including the BBC, reported on the days-long delay, describing Newfoundland as a \u201cfreezing island.\u201d\u2028This past winter and early spring have been particularly stormy in eastern Newfoundland, but the average temperature in April in St. John\u2019s is typically above zero, according to provincial data. In January, on average, St. John\u2019s is warmer than Montreal or Toronto, according to The Weather Network.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cfreezing Canadian island.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cDespite the BBC and People headlines most passengers were grateful for the care shown to them,\u201d the post said.<\/p>\n

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