United passengers spent over 14-hours stuck on Canadian runway

Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight were left stuck on the ground for more than 14 hours.

United Airlines have apologised after 240 passengers were stranded in a cold Canadian airfield for more than 14 hours due to a mechanical issue.

Flight UA179 initially took off from Newark around 3 p.m. Saturday destined for Hong Kong.

The nightmare began when the flight was diverted to Goose Bay Airport in the Canadian province of Newfoundland due to a medical emergency.

After the ill passenger was removed from the flight, the plane experienced a mechanical issue.

Flight attendants found themselves unable to shut the emergency door causing the cabin temperature to plummet.

Due to the unavailability of custom officers at the airport, none of the passengers could get off the plane.

This resulted in the 240 passengers being stuck on the freezing plane for more than 14 hours with a dwindling supply of food.

Many passengers took to social media to vent their frustration.

According to reports, the flight’s captain had enough and read aloud United CEO Oscar Munoz’s e-mail address over the speakerphone.

The captain instructed passengers to e-mail the chief executive and explain their frustration.

“The airport did not have customs officers overnight so we were not able to let customers depart the aircraft,” United said in a statement.

“We apologize to our customers and our crew is doing everything possible to assist them during the delay.”

According to CBS 2, the airline gave out $500 credit, a $100 gift card, and vouchers for food and a hotel stay.