MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - Passengers at Miami International Airport were left frustrated by a ground stop that was issued at the airport after a Boeing cargo plane overran the runway and crashed into multiple vehicles.
The fiery crash, which killed five people and injured five others, affected hundreds of flights at the busy airport during the holiday weekend. In total, 678 flights were delayed, and 373 flights were canceled.
“My girlfriend’s going back to London Heathrow [Airport], and we were checking in and suddenly she’s like, ‘Cancel, suspend all check-ins,’ and we were wondering what was going on,” said passenger Liam Chisolm.
“On the way here, I saw it on Instagram, images of the plane that overshot the runway, not really any information further than that, so I didn’t know if my flight is going to be canceled or not,” said another passenger.
Other travelers learned about the crash by text.
“The flight AC1755 to Vancouver was canceled because of the runway limitation, restrictions and closures,” said a woman who was traveling to Canada.
Another woman learned about her flight cancellation at check-in.
“I’m just hearing that there’s an accident on the runway, and at this point, they’re not checking anyone in,” she said.
Passenger Joseph Caporelli told 7News he was already inside the aircraft when he got the news.
“And we boarded, we were all sitting on the plane, 3:30, and they made an announcement that there was a ground stop, and a plane went off the runway,” he said. “No one’s going to be leaving anytime soon, everything is closed and delayed.”
Passengers like Caporelli have already re-booked their flights and hope they are able to reach their destinations soon.
“I re-booked out of Orlando for Tuesday. If you are planning on coming to Miami airport, slim chance you’re going to get out,” he said.
The crash comes at a time when some passengers are already hesitant about air travel.
“I’ve been nervous about flying since they cut a bunch of air traffic control people,” said a man.
Sunday’s crash took place during a potential record-breaking Labor Day weekend for air travel. The Transportation Security Administration is expecting to screen more than 17 million passengers by the end of the holiday.
This isn’t the first cargo plane-type crash that’s been reported on in recent years. Last November, a UPS cargo flight departing Louisville, Kentucky and heading to Honolulu, Hawaii crashed into a warehouse, killing all three crew members and 12 people on the ground.
All flights to and from the Louisville airport were immediately canceled, and it took two days for all runways to reopen.
In 2024, a Boeing 767 FedEx cargo plane made an emergency landing on its nose at Istanbul airport after its front landing gear failed to deploy.
Then, back in 2019, a Boeing 767 flying for Amazon Air departed from Miami and crashed near Houston, Texas. Three people were killed.
As for the crash at MIA, two of its four runways had reopened by 6 p.m. As the airport reschedules flights and makes up for lost time, reaching destinations might take some planning and patience.
“We need to go to Michigan, and we’re trying to go to Chicago, and all the flights are canceled,” said traveler William Soldano. “So you know what we’re going to do? We’re gonna ball. We’re going to try to get a rental car and drive all the way from Florida to Michigan.”
For those who work in the industry, it’s a small inconvenience compared to the innocent lives lost.
“If worse comes to worst, go get a hotel and wait a couple days and pray for anybody involved in the crash,” said a woman.
On Monday, passengers were still scrambling to deal with the turmoil after the delays and cancellations, including Reba Davis, who had her flight cancelled until Tuesday.
“So when we got here, there were 500 people in line trying to get their flight together,” said Davis.
She was told that she couldn’t get out until Tuesday.
“No accomodations, no rental, no room, just you’re here until Tuesday,” she said.
Others said they had no choice but to accept unplanned costs.
“We had to pay for a hotel, right now we’ve got to pay for a rental car, so thankfully the flight change we didn’t have to pay for,” said traveler Charlie Weathers.
Many passengers shared their frustrations about their situation.
“Long and drawn out, we had to stay on the plane for five hours,” said Samantha Weathers.
“Yeah, they made an announcement and told us to deplane because it was going to be a long time,” said a passenger.
Other travelers said they were outraged from dealing with the chaotic experience.
“It’s a nightmare,” said a traveler.
“It’s been chaotic,” said Mario Marino, who was on a honeymoon with his wife, Marley Marino. “The staff here haven’t been friendly, they haven’t been very helpful, it’s been ups and downs.”
“We’ve been booked on three different flights since we’ve been here,” said Marley.
The cancellations continued to increase as many attempted to get home on Labor Day, with travelers staying in line even late into the evening.
“I’m overly pissed. This is the sixth time I got delayed, went to multiple gates, I walked all of terminal D, from D50 all the way to D1 with a 5-year-old.” said Bruna Olavera. “And let me tell you something, traveling with a kid is not okay, but thank God she loves to travel.”
Travelers were forced to deal with delays and said that the inconveniences affected everyone.
“I don’t think we have a flight home to Houston, I think they’re all booked, so we’ll see,” said traveler Maddie Cruz.
Summer Hunter and Logan Green returned from their Caribbean honeymoon, only to experience delays and flight cancellations, as well as what they said was conflicting information from their airline.
“It’s kinda tough, they’re not [compensating] anything, they’re just saying ‘You’re on your own,’ and hopefully you’re booked and you buy Wednesday, if you’re lucky,” said Green.
“Looks like we’re not going to leave for another two days,” said Hunter.
“I’ve been trying to get home since two days ago, and they’re not trying to give vouchers and so it’s inconvenient for multiple people,” said Olavera, “People need to see this, this is literally ridiculous.”
However, some continued to remain positive.
“I do not let anything bother me at all. I accept realities. That’s my life,” said a traveler named Finan.
During a news conference, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board told the press that it is unclear on how long the two runways will remain shut down.
They advised those with travel plans to follow their itineraries and check with airlines.
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