Passengers Sue AA for Wrongful Imprisonment

Two American Airlines  passengers forced to sit in their planes on the runway for more than 8 hours on a stormy day are suing the airline for false imprisonment. Several hundred flights were diverted one day in December, 2006, due to bad weather near Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, and the two passengers claim they "suffered hunger, thirst, anxiety, physical illness, emotional distress and monetary loss," reports the Star-Telegram.

"The toilets became full and would not flush, and the stench of human excrement and body odor filled the plane," alleges one of the suits. The aggrieved passengers tried to lobby Congress to introduce a customer protection bill, but to no effect. American Airlines has not responded to the suits, but a spokesman said the airline has installed new software for routing flights during inclement weather. (More American Airlines stories.)