Universities aid stranded passengers
Universities today rallied to the aid of passengers stranded in the wake of the US terror attacks.
Dundee University and Glasgow Caledonian University officials offered student residences as accommodation to travellers whose planes were diverted to Glasgow airport yesterday.
Rooms that had been prepared for single students at West Park Villas in Dundee were used to take 136 passengers from American Airlines and Air Canada who arrived between 9pm and 11pm yesterday.
The Air Canada flight had been travelling from Frankfurt in Germany to Calgary in Canada when it was diverted to Glasgow, while the American Airlines flight was en route to Chicago from Glasgow when it turned back.
Manager at West Park Villas, Jean Forbes, said: ''It was a case of all hands on deck.
''The staff responded tremendously well, pulling out the stops to do what they could to help.
''People were running around with extra pillows and cups, a buffet was swiftly prepared for the passengers, who were tired and bemused with what had been happening.
''Many of the passengers were Germans who spoke little or no English.''
Meanwhile around 300 passengers from both flights were staying at Caledonian Court - a student residence at Glasgow Caledonian University.
A spokesman said: ''We are pleased to be able to help and we are doing what we can.''
Passengers staying in Caledonian University accommodation expressed their shock over the event.
Ludwig Kilgar, 67, from British Columbia, said he did not know why his flight had been diverted to Glasgow until it landed.
He said: ''We were just between North Iceland and close to Greenland and suddenly they told us that we had to go back because US airspace was closed and we had to return.
''And then we came back here and it took us about two hours to get to Glasgow.
''I thought there could be something wrong with the plane. They did not tell us what had actually happened until we landed.''
Maria Micoletti, 23, from Toronto, had been travelling around Europe for five weeks before boarding the Calgary flight.
She said: ''We found out what had happened when we landed. They just told us we couldn't fly into US space.
''We saw the news in a pub in Glasgow last night and we have been reading the papers. It is quite disgusting. We have no indication of when we might be going back but there is supposed to be a meeting later today.
''It's been a long time getting home.''
Canadian Jim Dasouri, 30, said: ''We only realised anything about the attacks when we landed in Glasgow. I think that at the time everyone was in a state of shock.
''We heard that the World Trade Centre had been hit but we did not realise until we left the airport that planes had been driven into it.''
He added that he was anxious to find details of the return flights.
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