Airline Passengers Stranded in Arctic Continue on to L.A.

Hundreds of Los Angeles-bound airline passengers who had been stranded in a remote arctic town were flown to New York on Saturday, where they were able to board other flights to Los Angeles, officials said.

The 368 passengers on the London-to-Los Angeles Virgin Atlantic flight landed Friday in Iqaluit in the Northwest Territories of Canada so that a passenger who had suffered a heart attack could be taken to a hospital.

The travelers were flown out of Iqaluit early Saturday on two chartered jets and landed at Kennedy International Airport, according to Richard D'Ambrosio, a Virgin Atlantic spokesman.

D'Ambrosio said about 12 passengers chose to stay in a New York hotel to rest for a day, but the remainder took other airlines to Los Angeles.