Lions fans en route to Germany caught up in nationwide FAA ground stop

DETROIT Flights resumed at Detroit Metro Airport after a ground stop left passengers facing hours of delays and confusion.

Among those caught up in the disruption were Detroit Lions fans hoping to make it to Munich for the team's game. One Lions fan I spoke to said she finally took off around 9 p.m. after having boarded a flight earlier in the day. She had to deplane her original flight, then rebook a new flight to Paris.

Rachida Patterson and her family were already on their way to the airport from their home in Detroit when they learned of the initial delay.

"We were like panicking. We were upset because we were already on our way to the airport," Patterson said.

Max Stark and his wife Andrea, both from Livonia, also had their travel plans thrown into question. Their original flight Thursday was canceled due to weather.

"We're excited for Germany, obviously we're excited to go see the Lions play, but yeah, at this point, wondering if we're even going to get there at all," Andrea Stark said.

Randall and Thelma Woodard of Detroit were en route to Munich via Istanbul and were waiting in the long lines for Turkish airlines. The trip to the game was for Randall's 50th birthday. Even during the ground stop, they said the airline expressed confidence they would make it to Munich.

"We asked the agent, has she heard anything? And she told us because our flight was international, we were fine," Randall Woodard said.

Its almost like a lifetime trip a little bit, so I really want this to happen for him, said Thelma Woodard.

To help ease the stress, DTW therapy dogs were dispatched throughout the airport to comfort frustrated travelers. Nancy Langley, who owns therapy dog Lexi, said she was not planning to be at the aiport this evening, but she saw the story on the news and decided to come. Lexi sported a blue Lions bandanna.

"Just people frustrated trying to figure out what's going to happen because they don't know what kind of delay it is," Langley said of what she's heard from passangers. "It (petting a dog) just relaxes people... If they're anxious, it brings them down from a 10 all the way down to a 1. It drops their heart rate when they're high, so it really does calm people down."

Even as flights resumed, the ripple effect of the ground stop continued to create uncertainty for passengers. Roy Thomas, who was flying home to Dallas, said he was taking the situation in stride.

"If they take off they take off, if they don't they don't," Thomas said of the flights. "At least I've been rebooked, I have a hotel for tonight."