Happy Valley-Goose Bay mayor says United Airlines layover not really a 'nightmare'

Their plane was diverted — and then they were abandoned. At least that's how the fate of a group of airline passengers is being described in coverage both in the U.S. and Britain.

On Friday night, a United Airlines flight from Chicago to London, England was forced to land in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, in central Labrador, due to maintenance issues.

And once the plane hit the tarmac, the passenger complaints about the town started to fly via social media.

"We were a little bit caught off-guard, but I always try to find the positive in things," Jamie Snook, mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay tells As It Happens host Carol Off. "It was nice to see a lot of people on Twitter and elsewhere correct that information. It seemed like a lot of fond memories of Goose Bay were brought up by people who have visited us before."

Many of the passenger complaints on social media focussed on the overnight accommodations provided by United. All 176 passengers were put into nearby military barracks, while the crew stayed in hotel rooms.

"The accommodations they received were standard military barracks that our Canadian forces use regularly," Snook says. "Our allied training partners throughout Europe used them regularly . . . they're pretty standard. A little on the basic side. They're not five-star, but considering the alternatives where someone could've slept that night — in a terminal or whatnot — I would've been quite content."

The 20-hour layover in Happy Valley-Goose Bay also included breakfast at the barracks. Passengers were flown to Newark, New Jersey the next morning and put on a connecting flight to London. They arrived in London on Sunday 2:30 p.m. local time.

"We apologize to our customers for the disruption, and we recognize this was a considerable inconvenience, so we will be refunding their tickets to London and providing additional compensation," United Airlines spokeswoman Mary Ryan said in an email to CBC News.

Flight diversions to Happy Valley-Goose Bay happen quite often, according to Snook.

"Goose Bay has one of the longest runways in North America," he says. "It's been a regular place for airlines to divert."

Notably, the town took in many airline passengers stranded during the events of 9/11.

"At that time, it would've been the exact same barracks that were used, the exact same company involved with all the support to that effort," he adds. "There was a much different level of appreciation during that event, but all the exact same facilities."

Notable passengers to make unexpected stops in Happy Valley-Goose Bay include Canadian opera star Measha Brueggergosman. She made the most of her time there and took the mayor up on an offer to go snowmobiling.

"Sometimes these strange travel plans offer opportunities, if you have a bit of an adventurous spirit," he says. "You never know what could happen."