Hundreds of American Airlines passengers were left stranded on their aircraft for up to three hours after landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in North Carolina early on Tuesday. Nine flights were affected, with travellers describing an uncomfortable ordeal on a hot runway and complaining that they were given little explanation for the lengthy delays.

The airport said the disruption stemmed from severe lightning on Monday night, which triggered major backups that carried over into the following day. RDU noted that deplaning during harsh weather is governed by each airline's own safety protocols. FlightAware data showed incoming flights held on the tarmac for two to three hours each, including services from Philadelphia, Dallas and Chicago. Passenger Purva Joshi, travelling from LaGuardia, said staff were vague and blamed insufficient staffing, leaving fliers frustrated by the lack of clarity.