Abu Dhabi-San Francisco flight delayed 12 hours as passengers fume

[January 05, 2015]  (Reuters) - An Etihad Airways flight was stuck on the Abu Dhabi tarmac for more than 12 hours, turning a flight to San Francisco into a 28-hour endurance test for passengers, media reported.

Etihad Airways Flight 183 was delayed when fog forced the temporary closure of the Abu Dhabi Airport on Saturday. Passengers complained that they had gone without food when they were stuck on the plane, CBS television affiliate KPIX in San Francisco reported on Saturday.

"Stuck in an @EtihadAirways flight on the ground for 10+ hours. And not allowed to get off. I feel like I'm in a 'Seinfeld' episode," passenger Ravali Reddy tweeted.

The Boeing 777-300ER finally took off from Abu Dhabi and landed on Saturday evening at San Francisco International Airport after a 16-hour flight.

“Out of every airline, this has been the worst experience in my life,” KPIX quoted passenger Vinay Ramakrishna as saying.

Etihad, a flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, which includes Abu Dhabi, said in a statement on its website that heavy fog had caused service disruptions and 20 flights to be canceled.

"We apologize for the serious inconvenience that these events, which have been beyond our control, have caused," it said.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Eric Walsh)

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