Stuck On Runway For Seven Hours During A Snowstorm

Six German passengers are claiming they were held against their will on a British Airways flight from Berlin to London last week, after the jet waited on the runway for seven hours for a snowstorm to blow through.

According to Reuters, the passengers have filed a false imprisonment lawsuit against the pilot, stating they were "held hostage," in the words of one, on the runway at Tegel Airport while awaiting takeoff last Thursday.

After waiting onboard the plane approximately four-and-a-half hours -- and not being allowed to return to the terminal -- a man named Ingo Q. called a police emergency hotline on his cell phone to report the incident, the tabloid Bild reported Saturday.

Police responded to the call, and boarded the aircraft. Ingo Q. ran forward and screamed "I want to get out of here" -- but only three people who hadn't checked any bags were allowed to leave the plane.

Finally, Ingo, his wife and another couple from Biesdorf were allowed off the aircraft at 12:48 pm. The airliner finally departed at 2:36 pm -- over seven hours after the scheduled 7 am departure time.

"The plane stood there for a long time," said a Berlin police spokesman. "It's difficult to say whether the passengers are allowed off or not. It's something they have to work out with the captain."

FMI: www.britishairways.com