Here’s further proof you should never get on an airplane these days without a handful of energy bars and one of these: over 100 passengers of an American Airlines flight out of Miami were diverted to Dulles after it had pretty much closed up for the night, and consequently they were stuck for almost two and a half hours on the tarmac, then had to wait until after 4 a.m. to get their luggage this morning. The flight was supposed to land a little before midnight last night. “We regret the inconvenience, but the decision has to be safety first,” an AA spokesman told WTOP News.

A spokesman for Dulles said:

When the passengers were allowed off the plane, they had to wait until 4 a.m. for their luggage because American didn’t have personnel on duty.

“We have a relatively small operation at Dulles and it was already closed up,” Smith says. “It took a while for us to call in some additional employees from home.”

Didn’t the airport have some advance warning that the plane was being rerouted, though? Or was it more like an airport employee happened to walk by a window around 2 a.m. or so and saw a plane sitting out there flashing its lights?

“Delayed flight sits for hours at Dulles” [WTOP News] (Thanks to Keith and Jeff!)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.