Another Near-Disaster: Newark Airport Has Revealed That A Flight’s Entire Crew And Passengers Took Off This Morning Without Their Plane

Between frequent flight cancellations, disruptive power outages, and a dire shortage of air traffic controllers, Newark Liberty International Airport has been a disaster lately, and the following story is sadly no exception: A flight’s entire crew and passengers took off this morning without their plane.

Yikes. A situation like this is truly the last thing EWR needed.

Earlier today, Flight 8786 toward Tucson was forced to turn back to Newark Airport just 20 minutes after takeoff due to the fact that they’d left the runway without the Airbus A321 they were supposed to be riding in. As the crew and passengers were approaching cruising altitude, a flight attendant realized she didn’t have access to her usual drink cart, and upon informing the pilot of this issue, it was confirmed they were 25,000 feet in the air without the crucial transportation device required for this trip.

As the pilot announced they’d be turning around to head back to Newark, many passengers groaned, as they’d already been forced to wait an extra three hours before their flight was even able to depart. While it’s deeply frustrating that no airline worker was able to look around and think “Let’s make sure we bring the plane with us,” while they were still at the airport, the truth is that EWR is understaffed and errors like this are becoming all too common.

Wow. What a mess. Here’s hoping they actually take off with the plane next time, and fingers crossed no one’s luggage gets lost in the shuffle.