Being A Weather Anchor Won't Save You From All Travel Headaches
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: Roberta, saw your posting on Facebook you were delayed on a runway in San Antonio for over 5 hours? I thought there was a law saying you can stay on a runway that long? - Phil Meyers, Dublin
A: Hi Phil! Thank you for checking out my FB page! You are right about the law, so let me explain about my recent trip.
On Thursday I left for Oklahoma City with a transfer in Houston. Our plane was tossed about by severe thunderstorms when the Pilot announced the Houston airport was closed due to weather. So, we were ground in San Antonio - for 3 hours! Then, by law, a gate opened for us and we were allowed to disembark and re-board. We sat for another 2 hours when another announcement came, we were going to be bussed 3 ½ to Houston.
It took the buses nearly an hour and a half to arrive and when they did, there were not enough seats for all of us passengers.
I rented a hotel room and headed back to the airport Friday morning….and it was a mess! I knew I would miss my connection in Houston, so I rented a car and drove over 500 miles to Oklahoma City from San Antonio dodging thunderstorms the whole way! For this weathercaster, it was amazing and exciting to see the lightning and thunder all around me!
So the bottom line is yes, there is a time limit to staying on the runway, but once off the plane and then returning to the plane, the clock starts all over!
I was finally able to make it to most of my planned early Mother's Day, and even fit in a trip to the National Weather Service Headquarters. More on that later.
I would love to hear from you! Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me, Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearing from you!
