United flight from New Jersey to Ireland diverted to Canada, stranded for days due to weather

NEW YORK -- An international United Airlines flight was diverted and grounded for days over the weekend.

United flight 23, from Newark to Dublin, instead landed at St. John's International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada last Thursday because of a medical emergency. Then, severe weather kept them there for several more days.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, was onboard.

"About halfway over the Atlantic, there was a medical emergency, and we ended up with you, and we're still here," Dolan said, as he presided over Sunday Mass in Canada. "We are sure grateful, very grateful for the hospitality that you all have shown to us."

The airline said they needed "to address a medical issue with a passenger onboard."

SEE ALSO: Delta flight makes emergency landing at O'Hare after smoky odor detected on plane, officials say

"Then, basically, the next three-and-a-half, four hours or so, we sat there on the tarmac with almost no information from United," passenger Phil Magness said.

The passengers were taken by bus to a nearby hotel. They were then told to return to the airport Saturday at 4 a.m., only to find out five minutes before boarding that flight had been canceled due to severe weather.

"The airline's communications with passengers has been sparse to nonexistent, which is really frustrating here, but, at the same time, it'd be nice if the airline was communicating with us openly," Magness said.

Dolan was able to leave Canada and make his way to Ireland for an abbreviated trip, ABC New York affiliate WABC reported.