CHICAGO (WLS) — It was a smoky, false start to a transcontinental flight.
Cellphone video taken from inside a Seattle-bound plane at O'Hare Airport on Monday afternoon showed smoke coming from near the wing of United Airlines Flight 2091, an Airbus 320.
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United Airlines said the plane headed toward the runway but stopped before takeoff due to engine trouble, and services at the airport were immediately halted, with arriving flights circling overhead.
Carmen Hernandez was heading home from Nashville.
“We were flying and they said, 'Sorry for the delay. We're having an emergency in Chicago so we're going to be a little late,'” Hernandez said.
The urgent explanation, without further details, made her feel even more uneasy, she said.
“We were scared. The woman next to me asked me, 'Do you know what's going on?' and I said, 'No, they haven't said anything, but the pilot seems a little nervous,' but he didn't say anything to us,” Hernandez said.
United Airlines said the smoking plane was towed back to the gate and passengers deplaned, and the flight was quickly back in service, allowing travellers home after a busy long weekend to return.
Arrival boards showed most flights arriving on time or earlier than scheduled, but not all journeys were smooth sailing.
“It was crazy. It was crazy going there and it was crazy coming back, that's what I'll say,” said Shavin Rodney, who was on his way back to Chicago on Monday.
The TSA had anticipated that too: The agency said it screened nearly 3 million passengers nationwide on Friday, a new record.
Tornadoes and thunderstorms across a wide swath of the country complicated already-crowded air travel, making a trip home to Chicago over the holiday weekend a bit more stressful than some passengers expected.
“Everybody was evacuating to the major cities because of the storm,” said Olivia Lackey, who returned to Chicago on Monday.
“In the end it was worth it but I wouldn't recommend traveling at this time if you're worried,” Shavin Rodney added.
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