The plane was scheduled to depart for Miami at 5:45 a.m. It did not push back from the gate until nearly 7:45 a.m. and soon halted for another delay. The pilot finally returned to the terminal at 10:45 a.m. after deciding it was not safe to fly.

Mannix said the airline made food available — at a price. He said he paid $3 for a cookie.

"We're pretty much cattle. We're at their mercy," he said. "They don't seem like they have a plan or are prepared. Like this is the first time they had a snowfall."

American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said an icy runway prevented the plane from taking off.

On Thursday, JetBlue promised a full refund and a free round-trip flight to customers delayed aboard an aircraft for more than three hours. Passengers with canceled flights were being offered a refund. All other passengers with travel booked through Monday were being offered a chance to cancel and rebook, without having to pay the usual fee.

Asked why the airline did not summon staircases and shuttle buses to unload the 10 planes with extraordinary delays sooner, Neeleman said, "That's a very good question."

"I think the ice condition made it very difficult for us," he said. "We were worried about our customers falling down the stairs and hurting themselves."

The Federal Aviation Administration has no rules regarding how long airlines may leave passengers aboard a grounded craft, but Port Authority guidelines consider passengers officially "stranded" if they remain aboard a parked plane for more than two hours.