Why more planes are now getting stuck on the tarmac
By BBC Global
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“Extended tarmac delays” are on the rise in the US. That's the official name for when you're sitting on a plane, it gets delayed, and then you’re stranded on the runway for more than 3 hours. The US used to have tons of these. In 2009 there were more than 800. But over the last decade, we pretty much fixed the problem. That number dropped to about a dozen a year. But recently, these delays have come roaring back and 2026 is on pace to break the record. So why is this type of delay rising so quickly? In this episode, Katty Kay speaks with Nicholas Florko, a staff writer at The Atlantic, who’s done a deep dive on why these tarmac delays are getting so much worse and what that means for all of us as travellers. 00:00 What’s An Extended Tarmac Delay? 01:50 Why Are Delays Getting Worse? 03:08 What Have Airlines Done? 04:21 Changes in Fines 05:28 Rising Cancellations 6:53 Passengers Don’t Get A Vote You’re watching New Normal with Katty Kay — each week we bring you conversations with
Tags: bbc, bbcnews, factual, documentary, explainers, bbcglobal, world, history, science
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