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Subscribe to RSSA group of turtles brought everything to a screeching halt on a primary runway at JFK before being relocated. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Flights were temporarily halted at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on Wednesday morning after about 150 turtles ambled onto a runway.
JetBlue first tweeted news of the slowdown: "JFK is experiencing delays as the airport clears turtles off the runway."
Port Authority spokesman Ron Marsico said flights were delayed only about 15 minutes.
AP
A photo provided by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Wednesday shows turtles captured for relocation at New York's JFK airport.
“We had about 150 turtles coming out of the bay this morning," said Marsico. "They crossed the runway to a sandy beach area to lay their eggs."
The diamondback terrapin turtles were gathered on runway 4L, plus nearby taxiways, starting at about 6:45 a.m., NBC affiliate WNBC-TV in New York reports.
The turtle migration occurs annually at the airport, which is located near Jamaica Bay. The turtles typically head out of the bay to nest on the beach each summer. Marisco added that "staff has been out there since quarter to 7 this morning relocating them.”
Allison Steinberg, a JetBlue spokeswoman, said the airline saw no significant delays. "All traffic was moved onto a different departure runway and we are seeing very little impact now.
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Msnbc.com senior writer Elizabeth Chuck and NBC affiliate WNBC-TV in New York contributed to this report. Joy Jernigan is a senior travel editor for msnbc.com. Follow her on Twitter.
Leave a Comment:
Good for JFK and the staff.
I like turtles.
I like turtles too
Soup
Hey, do ya think they should waste taxpayers' money and put a 'turtle tunnel' underneath that runway, just like that buffune in Florida wanted? HAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
Is not amazing how turtles still get some space at JFK. Maybe they could give couple ideas that could be helpfull to human.
Like all of nature...the TURTLES were here first, long before JFK's runways were ever built! Is it possible that they penned an article back then when concrete was poured dissrupting their egg laying season?
Kudos. Nice to hear that for once money took a back seat.
Yes, indeed a clear conscience comes priceless. This compassion marks the cross roads where the turtle beats the rabbit, wins the hearts of the good and restores faith in our future.
I'll bet Mitch "Turtle" McConnell was out there stopping everything... — He could make a fine turtle soup!
I'll venture some malicious, human hating crows had a hand, err,um, I mean wing in all this. Bet those who had the turtles do this are somewhere laughing their ass feathers off. Course now, it could have been some domestic branch of al-qaida too, or maybe a pack of welfare sucking illegals. We might ought to go, at least, to "yellow alert".
Flight delays? Turtles Don't Fly!
Its TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN!
(Or, across in this case)
Teenage Mutant Ninja???
Since it was Kennedy Airport..any drunken turtles named Ted??
Nope,,, no drunken turtles named ted,,, only stupid turtles named Bush!!
No Brian, just a dead woman drowned in a car named Mary Jo.
Nope, just one idiot named Brian that brought down the gene pool.
You idiots amaze me. How the hell did you manage to pull this story down to your political mudslinging? You are no better than the monkeys that fling their crap at each other.
Monkey's don't do that unless they are mentally ill. C'mon-Take it back.
Nope, you earned it.
mjgst22: Nope. Monkeys flinging poo is funny and worth the time spent watching.
The smallest of turtles stops the mightiest of jets. Surely the turtle is our new overlord.
Good thing they didn't kill them. Didn't they kill rabbits some years back for doing the same thing?
I swear there's a turtle and the hare joke in there.
No, but there was the one about a turtle who got mugged by a gang of snails.
The policeman asked him, "How many snails were there?"
The turtle replied, "I don't know...it all happened so fast!"
Didn't we use Stimulus funds to build turtle tunnels already? Oh wait. I think that was in Florida and not at JFK. Never mind..................
"Flights were temporarily halted at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on Wednesday morning after about 150 turtles ambled onto a runway." ... the turtle were said to be yelling "HELL NO WE WON'T GO!", but nobody knows why...
Something is going on today. First the turtles and now large non-native lizards being sighted in south Florida. This is strange indeed.
Why is it strange that animals are observed going about their business despite our interference.
I think it's strange (and sad) that some are so disconnected to the "Mothership" that they would feel the need to remark "Strange"
I am pleased to see LIFE still comes before MONEY with most people.
when the greatest pause to acknowledge the divinity of the meeker-we are all elevated.
If weather can delay the flights at JFK, so can the turtles. Now we will need turtle reports just as weather reports.
I believe the delay was due to need by TSA to conduct full body searches on the turtles but those damn things wouldn't come out of their shells!
Steve of all of the above, you are most likely right, ever try to grope a turtle??????
Freakin' funny :)
Oh my - turtles - LOL!
Are you a Turtle? You bet your sweet a$$ I am!
Queue music to Wizard of Oz flying monkeys.
Did homeland security and TSA clear and frisk those turtles for runaway secure area access !!! Might be Terorist Turtles!!!
Are you a turtle?
I hope that the terrorist don't read this article they might catch the turtles before they get on to the run way and strap bombs on them! But seriously you should fear the turtle Any college sports fan knows what I'm saying...
I can just hear the terrorist thinking... Hmmm turtles have open runway clearance at the airport...excellent turtle idea from the infidels.....
We have to save the wee turtles!
"If I don't save the wee turtles who will? Ah! Save me from the wee turtles! They were too quick for me."
My only concern is were they properly screened by TSA agents before entering the active runway? If not, I say they should be promptly arrested and forced to submit to security procedures, including a full-shell patdown.
I'd rather have my tax dollars go toward a turtle tunnel than the systematic gassing of Canada geese currently being done by the US Government.
This was a humane and sane way of handling the situation, when I've experienced flight delays due to incompetence, computer glitches, or neglected aircraft maintenance. I'm glad the person on duty at the time who was in a position to make the decision on this is not an arrogagant human being, but rather one who understands that other species have a right to exist on this planet as well. Who is to say in whose space it is?
Mike Bloomberg, stay out of this one!
A sensible comment. I totally agree!
This is only part of the story . The trutles will have to cross back over the runway , after their yearly orgy and the laying of the eggs . Then the baby turtles will have to follow the same path .
Did any body think to tag these turtles ? Then they'll need to tag the babies . Next they'll have to have J.F.K. Turtle Police . To " Protect and Serve ". To make sure , no terrorist turtles enter the country , by the way of J.F.K.
Did they body scan each and every one of them ? There might have been an underwear bomber among them .
I shouldn't have done that . By typing the words "underwear bomber " . Now I'm on a F B I watch list . Have to report in every month , and not be able to get on a plane . I hate the thoughts of being checked for a underwear bomb . Those people put their finger in ice water , before making such test . Look for my picture at the Post Office .
I'll be the one , who looks like I've just got a prostate test , with an ice cold finger .
See what I've done . Just to give you a chuckle .
RON
Sometimes, I feel as if I could ride the turtle and get where I'm going faster than the airline will get me there.