Local & Community
Airline Passengers Stranded in Palm Springs Overnight Slept in the Airport without Food or Water.
Following the cancellation of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop Friday evening, the travel nightmare for some passengers is far from over. Authorities and airlines alike are telling passengers it will take time to get everyone back in the air headed to their destinations.
That's certainly the case Friday night at Palm Springs International Airport. We found a handful of passengers who had bedded down for the night in the terminal to wait for a flight Saturday. A few had pillows and blankets but most were making the best of it on the floor or trying to sleep in seats.
Kevin and Linda Boston were wrapping up a vacation in Palm Springs and supposed to fly back home to Tennessee Friday at 2pm. That didn't happen but they say American Airlines representatives told them to stay at the airport in case circumstances changed. Circumstances did change after 5pm when the FAA announced the lifting of the ground stop but the Bostons told us they continued being advised of delay after delay. Finally, after 8pm, they says American's counter agent tried to arrange food and hotel vouchers but couldn't provide them because the airline had categorized the delays as "weather related."
Compounding the situation is the fact all restaurants and almost all the food options in Palm Springs International are behind the TSA checkpoint and since they're not ticketed yet for a flight, stranded passengers can't access them. Even if they could, they were told the restaurants closed at 8pm. The airport vending machines, a few of which are accessible without going through security, weren't an option either; they're out of order.
So the Bostons are spending Friday night in the Palm Springs Airport with the hope they'll be able to board a flight home on Saturday. In the meantime, a NBC Palm Springs news staff member went and got them hamburgers and water to tide them over until morning.
Flight monitors inside the airport Friday night indicated a flurry of flights were scheduled to depart Saturday morning.
By: David Reese
November 13, 2026
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