I flew back from La Guardia this past week, and on my flight was none other than former senator Tom Eagleton. We boarded early and were set to take off, but there was a commotion up front, a policeman showed up, and the flight was delayed for over an hour with no explanation from the cockpit.

I'm piecing together a plausible story from talking with people who were near what was happening, so this may or not be accurate. Here goes:

Apparently Mr. Eagleton hasn't been well, and after boarding the plane, he asked if he could have oxygen for the flight. Aircraft must use special oxygen tanks to avoid problems at lower pressure, and this particular flight had no such tanks on board. One can request such tanks in advance, but Mr. Eagleton had not done so. The flight crew determined that he should get off the plane, receive any necessary medical attention, and board the next flight that was suitably equipped to deal with his condition.

He refused to disembark, and that's when the policeman was called in. An hour later, he was convinced to get off, but meanwhile all the rest of us were kept from timely arrival because of his behavior.

Now he may not have been at his best, I would think he would care more about the N-1 passengers wanting to get on their way than to stick to plan that would in no way work to his advantage. I also am unsure why he was travelling alone when he apparently was sufficiently ill to cause such concern.