A Delta airplane was delayed 12 hours on the runway, and now we know what purgatory must be like

Flight delays are usually annoying enough as it is, but can you imagine being stuck in the plane instead of inside the airport? For hours? For some people, that became a reality this week. On Tuesday, a Delta plane was delayed for 12 hours, and yes, all of the passengers were inside. Consider that a nightmare come to life.

According to Fox News, the plane, which was headed for Los Angeles, sat on the runway at Kansas City International airport for 12 hours (yes, 12 hours — so long it’s worth repeating a few times) because of ice, and then, to top it all off, their flight ended up getting canceled.

The Kansas City Star added that although the airline did allow its passengers to leave the plane to get food every so often, they were stuck there from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. As a sorry-for-the-inconvenience, Delta offered passengers a $100 travel voucher.

But is there really any way to make up for how miserable that experience must have been?

Needless to say, people are pissed, and this photo made its way to Twitter from the inside of the plane. See how the passengers have just given up and gone to sleep? Who could blame them?

In a statement to the Star, Delta spokeswoman Linda Hellerstedt said:

"Delta apologizes to those customers whose flights were disrupted as a result of yesterday’s weather. The significant amount of ice accumulation drove prolonged de-icing times, prompting some flights to return to the gate, which in turn impacted wait times for arriving aircraft as Delta crews worked to clear departing aircraft of ice. Delta has proactively reached out to customers and [has] re-accommodated those affected on alternate flights."

We don’t know who has it worse right now: the poor passengers who were stuck on the plane, or Delta, trying to make up for this mess. Either way, this is not a situation that anybody ever wants to be in.

The silver lining: Everyone ended up being safe in the bad weather, and that’s what’s really important. But nobody can deny that 12 hours sitting inside a tiny, cramped airplane had to suck. Maybe everyone will just drive next time?