Stranded Cork students finally arrive home amid airport ‘chaos’

A group of 25 students from Cork, stranded in the US last week due to a major snow storm, have returned home amid what their teacher said was “airport chaos”.

The students from Coláiste Éamann Rís, along with teachers including Brian Kenny, saw their trip unexpectedly extended by two nights as they joined the millions of people in America impacted by grounded flights due to freezing temperatures.

Mr Kenny told The Echo that he, another teacher, and 17 of the students arrived home on Tuesday, followed by the remaining eight students and guardians on Wednesday. “We’re back now, thankfully,” he said. “We had to divide the group, but we were delighted to actually get on the flights.

“There was some airport chaos. It took us two hours to get through security, and the second flight was delayed by five hours.

“The novelty did wear off for some quite quickly, but the kids were fantastic throughout the whole trip; they were so well-behaved and very understanding of the situation,” he added.

“Families have not been asked for any money at this point [for the extra nights]. The travel insurance should cover it, so that is a relief. I won’t be forgetting this trip.

“I don’t want to see another airport or snow for a long time,” he said.