Be Prepared … For Flight Cancellations

Troop 1014 stranded at Reagan Airport for 24 hours

Their motto is "Be prepared," but this is something they weren't expecting.

About two dozen Boy Scouts from suburban Chicago are on their way back home after spending 24 hours stranded at Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport.

Troop 1014 was in D.C. for the National Jamboree. They were all set to go home when Mother Nature threw them for a loop. Their flight home was cancelled because of bad weather Wednesday, and they were such a large group that they had trouble re-booking.

The result -- a day spent roughing it at Reagan National Airport.

"We're used to camping in tents, not in airports on [the ground]," said Matt Blondin, one of the stranded Scouts. "We're just stuck here with this."

The scouts spent their time playing cards, telling stories and making jokes. Progress was made at about 1 p.m. Thursday, when one group of scouts was able to catch a new flight -- to St. Louis this time. (The plane left D.C. about 45 minutes late, but still was on schedule to make their connection to Chicago.)

A second group of scouts was scheduled to leave three hours later.

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