Thirteen years ago, I was flying SAA from Joburg to JFK with a stop in the Cape Verde Islands. After refueling, the pilot couldn't start one engine due to a faulty fuel pump and we were all put up in hotels until one could be flown in from London via Lisbon (the delay was almost 24 hours, but the beach was nice). Their had been some snow in NY a few days earlier and when we assembled in the airport lounge to leave (more like the inside of a hanger), the SAA captain stood on the airline counter and, using, the speakers, told us that we would go to Miami because JFK had been closed due to weather. Having just spoken with my wife on the phone, who said that the weather was terrific and the airports were open, I asked the pilot for further explanation. He had the perfect answer: " I'm a South African pilot, there's snow and ice on the runway, and I have virtually no expericence landing in those conditions; do you want me to practice on you?" So, we landed in Miami (after the last flights to NY that day), spent another night in a hotel and finally made it back to NY 27 hours late.