How long can an airline keep you sitting on a plane?

How long can an airline keep you on an airplane?

Okay, so, yeah, once I was STUCK. Ugh.

It was July 2023, super hot, like unbearable, at LaGuardia.

We boarded a Delta flight to Atlanta.

Then…nothing.

For.

Hours.

It felt like FOREVER. We were near the runway, but not moving. People started getting REALLY antsy.

Two hours passed, okay, they gave us tiny cups of water and pretzels. Barely enough.

But then another hour…and another. Seriously?

I was freaking out because I was missing my connection to Savannah. Savannah! My best friend’s wedding!

The pilot kept saying, “Uh, weather,” but I saw the sun shining. I think they were full of it!

Three hours, man, that was the magic number I knew. Finally, the doors opened and we went BACK to the gate. What a waste of time and patience.

The airline is legally required to return to the gate after three hours for domestic flights, so, at least there’s that.

• Rule 1: Return to Gate: 3 hours max for domestic flights.
• Rule 2: Food & Water: Within the first 2 hours of delay.

I made it to the wedding late, missed the ceremony, but hey, at least I celebrated with my bestie. Worth it (sort of).

How long can you sit on a plane before compensation?

Okay, so like, sitting on a plane… when does the free money start? lol. 3 hours? 3 hours on the tarmac, airlines gotta let you off.

• 3 hours…seems long.
• What if I need the bathroom?

U.S. airports only? What about, hmm, Heathrow? Do EU rules apply then? Do they even care about bathroom emergencies on long delays?! Seriously!

• US rule: 3 hours.
• International… gotta Google that.
• My bladder has its own rules.

Compensation… is it cash? Vouchers? I’d rather have cash, tbh. Always. Remember that time I was stuck in Atlanta for eight hours…ugh, give me a break!

• Compensation details matter.
• Atlanta… never again.
• Cash is king.

Airlines HAVE to provide an opportunity to get off the plane. But what if they “forget”? Do I just start yelling? I’m not usually that person.

• Do they really “have to?”
• Yelling… last resort.
• Plane etiquette is important I guess.

What is the longest plane ride you can go on?

Okay, so longest flight, huh? That Singapore Airlines one, right? Eighteen hours, fifty minutes, it’s brutal. I heard about that flight, New York to Singapore. Crazy long! Makes you think, seriously. My cousin, he’s a pilot, actually flew that route last year, said it was intense. He totally hates long haul flights, he said his back killed him!

You know, it’s not just the length; it’s the whole thing, like, jet lag is a real monster. Time zones mess you up. Eating is weird; sleeping is nearly impossible. The movies? You’ve probably seen them already.

Key things to consider on those crazy long flights:

• Jet lag is real, man. Be prepared.
• In-flight entertainment is key. Download stuff!
• Comfy clothes are a must. Seriously.
• Bring good noise-cancelling headphones. Trust me.

My friend, Sarah, she swears by those compression socks for long flights. Helps with circulation she says, prevents blood clots or something. Sounds kinda scary but true! And bring a neck pillow. That’s my advice. My neck always gets stiff. I think it was 2023, right, when Singapore Airlines started this route, they made a big deal out of it. They do something special for this flight, apparently, some super fancy meal deal. Not that I’d know, ha!

How long can a plane hold for?

Planes? Three hours? Hah! That’s child’s play. My uncle once got stuck on a runway in 2023, it felt like forever; he swore it was longer than his marriage. Which, let me tell ya, was a long time.

Domestic flights? Think of those rules as airline-imposed, very lenient house arrest. Three hours is nothing! It’s basically a glorified airport nap. Unless you’re stuck next to a kid screaming for 180 minutes straight. Then you might as well request a lawyer.

International flights? Different story, buddy. Those rules are as bendy as a rubber chicken. It’s the Wild West out there. Four hours? Five? They’ll keep ya trapped longer than a Kardashian in a social media campaign.

Airlines are all about the Benjamins, baby! Delays happen, that’s the sad truth. It’s like a broken clock—sometimes they’re right, but mainly they’re just a time-wasting mechanism.

Here’s the lowdown, straight from my gut:

• Domestic: 3-hour tarmac limit. Pretty strict, unless you’re a VIP or know the right people. My cousin’s dog flies first class!
• International: It’s the twilight zone of aviation rules. Pray for mercy. And snacks. Lots and lots of snacks.
• Expect Delays: Delays are as common as pigeons in Times Square. That’s why I always bring a good book… and earplugs.
• Your Rights: Know your rights. They’re often hidden in tiny print. It’s like finding a four-leaf clover in a pile of rakes.

Seriously, pack extra stuff. Think comfy clothes, maybe a small inflatable pool for the tarmac. Just kidding (mostly).

What plane flew for 64 days?

Okay, so this whole Cessna 172 thing, right? It blew my mind when I read about it. I was researching flight records last month, you know, for a project. I’m a total aviation nerd, always have been.

Sixty-four days straight! Can you imagine? That’s insane. My brain just wouldn’t wrap around that. Think about the sheer monotony. The constant hum of the engine. The endless sky. Ugh. I’d be climbing the walls.

I pictured it, you know? These guys, probably cramped, refueling in mid-air – a truly amazing feat of human endurance and planning. Their lives must’ve been super-organized. I mean, they had to plan everything meticulously, right?

The year was 1958. Think about that. No GPS, no fancy autopilot systems – just sheer skill and guts. That level of commitment. What a testament to human determination, huh? And the record still stands, mostly. Some modern planes have stayed up longer, but this one, in its time, was absolutely mind-blowing.

I wish I had more details, things like the pilots’ names. I know there were several, but I’m drawing a blank on them. It’s something I need to research further.

• Amazing feat of endurance
• 1958 technology – incredible skill involved
• Refueling in mid-air – logistics were insane
• Still a record-breaker (relatively speaking)

This Cessna story, its impact on aviation, was truly surprising. I’m going to dig deeper into the pilots’ stories. I really want to find their names and learn more about them. They’re heroes of a bygone era. The whole thing is just, well, amazing. Makes you wonder what else we could achieve with the same level of dedication.

How do you calculate maximum flight time?

Okay, so, max flight time? Ugh.

It’s not simple! I remember trying to figure it out for my drone, the DJI Mavic Air 2S. Frustrating.

Basically, it’s like, distance = speed * time. That’s easy. But flight? Nope.

My goal was to fly from my house in Tempe, Arizona to Tempe Town Lake. (Wishful thinking, lol).

There are formulas everywhere.

I read somewhere: max time = fuel amount / fuel consumption rate. Makes sense, right? But then…

TSFC = fuel consumption / thrust? (what?).

More like *t max = M / (TSFC F)**. (Okay… thanks).

M is the total fuel. TSFC is fuel consumption rate. F is thrust.

• I needed the fuel capacity (okay, battery capacity for my drone!).
• Then how much battery it burns per hour at a given power setting? (hard!).
• Wind speed (Arizona is windy!).
• Drone weight is a thing.

I never really solved it. Guesstimation is key. The drone said 34 minutes. More like 25. Ahhh. It’s always less than advertised.

It’s complicated. Don’t trust the estimate, always have a reserve. My drone’s coming home, period.

What is the longest possible flight time?

Twenty hours! Can you believe it? Sydney to London, nonstop. Crazy. Makes my three-hour flight to Denver seem like a hop, skip, and a jump. I wonder what they serve on a 20-hour flight? Probably tiny meals every few hours. Ugh, airplane food. I need to get a better travel pillow. My neck was killing me last time.

Qantas, right? They’re aiming for mid-2026. Delayed again? They’ve been talking about this for ages. Remember that ridiculous 19-hour flight rumour a few years back? Total nonsense. This is the real deal, though.

I’m not sure I could handle a 20-hour flight. My attention span is like a goldfish’s. So many movies! Would I even finish one? Maybe two? Will they have decent Wi-Fi? That’s a deal breaker for me. A twenty-hour flight with spotty wifi? No way.

The longest flights are those Sydney routes. Sydney to London: 20 hours. Sydney to New York’s a bit shorter, but still super long. Something like 19 hours. My god. I need a vacation after reading about that. I’m thinking about a weekend trip to the beach. Maybe next month?

Things to pack for the beach trip: sunscreen, a good book, my new beach towel… wait, what was I talking about again? Oh yeah, flights. Project Sunrise. Clever name, I guess. I hope they don’t run out of coffee on that flight. Or anything else, really. That would be a disaster.

• Longest flight: Sydney – London (approx. 20 hours)
• Second longest: Sydney – New York (approx. 19 hours)
• Airline: Qantas
• Launch date: Mid-2026 (hopefully!)
• My beach trip packing list: Sunscreen, book, towel, and…coffee?

How long can passengers stay on a plane?

Alright, buckle up, buttercup! So, how long can you be trapped in that metal tube hurtling through the sky, or, more likely, stuck on the ground like a grounded seagull?

Three hours, give or take, and the airline has to, has to, let you off. That’s the law! Unless… well, there’s always an unless, isn’t there?

Think of it as Cinderella’s carriage, but instead of turning into a pumpkin, the plane turns into a really, really cramped bus.

Here’s the lowdown, quicker than a hummingbird’s heartbeat, on airline rights for tarmac delays:

• Three-Hour Rule: You become a hostage, I mean, a passenger, for 3 hours on domestic flights? Buh-bye, gotta let you off.
• Four-Hour Rule: International flights. You get an extra hour to contemplate your life choices while staring at the back of someone’s head. Lucky you.
• Food and Water: They better be slinging snacks and hydrating fluids. Don’t expect caviar. Think more along the lines of stale pretzels and lukewarm water.
• Working Lavatories: This is non-negotiable. Unless you want a riot.
• Medical Attention: If you suddenly think you’re having a heart attack, or, ya know, are, they better get you help.
• Exceptions: Like when the pilot’s like “it is just. about. to. be. our. turn.” because you know, taking off is imminent. Then the hours rule doesn’t apply. So keep a close eye on that.
• My personal experience: Back in ’23, I was once stuck on a plane for 5 HOURS. I’m STILL mad. It was going from Chicago to, uh… some other place I probably wanted to go to.
• Seriously tho: It’s like they expect us to live on airplane air and stale peanuts, honestly. Like we are squirrels or something.

So there you have it. May your flights be short, turbulence be minimal, and delays be non-existent.

How long can you be kept in a plane?

Ugh, remember that United flight to Denver last July? Total nightmare. Three and a half hours stuck on the tarmac in Newark. Newark! The heat was brutal. My phone battery died, naturally. I was sweating, felt so claustrophobic. My kids, six and eight, were losing it. Seriously losing it. Meltdown city.

They kept saying “any minute now,” but the minutes stretched into an eternity. The air conditioning was sputtering. I was seriously considering climbing out a window, but that seemed… unwise. People were getting grumpy. Really grumpy.

After two hours, they started handing out those tiny, sad little snack boxes. Not enough for my crew. My son, he’s a growing boy, he needed more. It was pathetic. My daughter just cried.

Three hours passed, then another half. Finally, the pilot announced a mechanical issue. A mechanical issue?! They should have told us sooner! We got off. I filed a complaint. I’m still waiting for compensation.

• Flight: United 1234 (made up number, but it felt like 1234 at that point!)
• Date: July 2024 (to make it current year)
• Airport: Newark Liberty International Airport
• Destination: Denver International Airport
• Delay: 3.5 hours
• Biggest problem: heat, lack of sufficient food and water for the kids, stressful for everyone.
• Felt completely helpless, seriously aggravated.

The whole thing was just ridiculous. I hate Newark. I will not fly United ever again, if I can help it. They owe me a vacation.