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Seattle police
calm irate, late isle-
bound travelers

44 of them had waited since
Sunday for the flight on
Hawaiian Airlines

---

Associated Press

SEATAC, Wash. -- They expected a Christmas of sun and surf in Hawaii.

Instead, dozens of would-be travelers got chilly drizzle, two canceled flights and a visit from police before their plane finally left for the islands this morning -- two days late.

There were heated words last night after the second flight cancellation, and police were called to calm them down, but no one was arrested, said Bob Parker, a spokesman for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

"It's not illegal to be an unhappy customer," Parker said.

Passengers who had been waiting since Sunday for a flight on Hawaiian Airlines were given $200 ticket vouchers and a free round-trip ticket to the islands, said Keoni Wagner, a company spokesman.

"There isn't much you can do to repair not being able to be with family on Christmas, but we're certainly not going to operate if there's any hint of a discrepancy," he said, referring to mechanical problems.

"We've got to take care of that first."

One flight scheduled to leave late Sunday was canceled because an engine change took longer than expected to complete. All but 44 of the passengers were booked on other flights.

Yesterday, a flight at the same hour was canceled because of a possible problem with the flaps. By the time the plane was cleared for takeoff, airline officials decided it was too late for the flight, Wagner said.

Police were summoned after some 200 passengers -- including the 44 from Sunday -- confronted the flight crew. "Clearly our employees were concerned because the verbal abuse was to the extent that they wanted someone to restore order there," Wagner said.

This morning, the 44 passengers who had been delayed two days -- plus 260 others delayed one day -- boarded a special Hawaiian Airlines flight due to reach the islands in time for lunch.

"We did our best," Wagner said, "but we realize it just doesn't make up for missing Christmas."