Passengers flew 16 hours from Auckland... back to Auckland, after JFK terminal closed Because of a closed terminal at JFK in New York, a flight from Auckland, New Zealand, had to return to Auckland. The trip was 16 hours from beginning to end — or should we say back to beginning.

Passengers flew 16 hours from Auckland... back to Auckland, after JFK terminal closed

Passengers flew 16 hours from Auckland... back to Auckland, after JFK terminal closed

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Because of a closed terminal at JFK in New York, a flight from Auckland, New Zealand, had to return to Auckland. The trip was 16 hours from beginning to end — or should we say back to beginning.

JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:

Imagine getting on a 16-hour flight that ends in the exact same place it began. That's what happened yesterday to the unlucky passengers of Air New Zealand Flight NZ2.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

The plane left from Auckland and should have arrived at New York's JFK International Airport Terminal One in the early evening. Unfortunately, an electrical fire in the terminal caused a power outage, shutting it down and affecting more than 130 flights.

SUMMERS: So somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, halfway into its nearly 9,000-mile journey, Flight NZ2 had to make a U-turn back to Auckland.

CHANG: What a nightmare. A 16-hour flight is bad enough, but at least you get somewhere, right? The airline is rebooking those unlucky passengers, so here's hoping their next long flight actually ends up in New York City.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

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