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Thousands of Boy Scouts stranded at Charlotte airport, parents say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thousands of Boy Scouts were stranded at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport Friday night, parents said.

The Boy Scouts were headed home from the World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia.

Channel 9 learned that the airport and American Airlines knew ahead of time and prepared for all the Scouts, but severe weather caused extra delays and cancellations.

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There were so many Boy Scouts they couldn't all fit in the check-in area, so the airport staged them outside.

Some Scouts who came from Serbia said they had been at the airport since 6 p.m. Friday.

"We didn't have a place to stay, and we decided to sleep here at the airport with our fellow Scouts from all over the world," a Scout said.

An American Airlines spokesperson said they gave water and pizza to Scouts who were waiting outside and in the lobby.

"We held more than 70 percent of our flights to accommodate hundreds of passengers in case of delays that were caused by check-in and/or processing through security," American Airlines said in a statement.

Not everyone made their flight Friday, so some were delayed until Saturday morning.

More Scouts are scheduled to fly out throughout Saturday.

American Airlines Full Statement:

"American Airlines, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and the World Scout Jamboree have worked together over the past several weeks to prepare for the departure of several thousand Scouts headed home following the event in West Virginia. Unfortunately, getting the Scouts home today has been extremely challenging. Severe weather the night before resulted in numerous delays and cancellations and increased traffic in the lobby area, which became overcrowded. The Scouts were staged outside and were provided water. American provided pizza in the evening for those in the lobby and snacks & drinks at all of our special service counters on each concourse. We held more than 70% of our flights to accommodate hundreds of passengers in case of delays that were caused by check-in and/or processing through security. For those Scouts who were unable to make their flight we were able to accommodate them on the next available flight. We know it has been a long day for the Scouts and many of our passengers and we look forward to getting them to their final destination safely."

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