Bill de Blasio makes fliers wait on tarmac so he can rush to ‘The View’
Mayor Bill de Blasio made Delta passengers wait in their seats on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport for 10 minutes Thursday after flying back from his less-than-stellar performance in the Detroit debate — so that he and his security detail could deplane first.
But it wasn’t a pressing matter related to City Hall or the potential firing of Eric Garner chokehold cop Daniel Pantaleo that necessitated the inconvenience to his fellow passengers — de Blasio had to rush off to tape an appearance on ABC’s “The View.”
And passengers on Flight 788 were not pleased.
“This is just a continuation of the rudeness and the bluntness of his performance last night,” said one fed-up New Yorker who declined to give her name.
“It’s par for the course, par for the course,” her companion fumed.
The flight carrying the mayor touched down at noon, but before anyone else could get off, a steward came on the intercom and asked everyone to stay seated because some passengers in the back of the plane — where de Blasio’s staff and security detail were seated — needed to get off right away.
A Post reporter, who was on the flight, asked the mayor’s campaign spokeswoman if Hizzoner would have a minute to answer a question about 900 classrooms testing positive for lead. She said no.
When the mayor’s entourage had finally exited the plane, the steward came back on the intercom and said everyone could now get up from their seats.
“Thank you!” many annoyed passengers snapped sarcastically in response.
A third passenger shook his head at the hold-up. “I don’t think it’s the best thing because we all have places to go,” said Ronald Watson.
The perennially rushed mayor — throughout his tenure he’s missed hiring deadlines and deadlines for contract payments and been late to numerous emergencies and public events — was heading off to tape “The View” in Midtown, a spokeswoman said in declining The Post’s interview request.
Adding insult to injury, de Blasio had been one of the last passengers to board the plane — five minutes late — when it departed Detroit on Thursday morning.
De Blasio campaign spokeswoman Jaclyn Rothenberg said, “The mayor was at the departure gate on time and didn’t make the plane late, he just prefers to board last.”
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