BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Two passengers have sued American Airlines for false imprisonment, fraud and negligence because they were kept aboard jets on the ground for more than nine hours, according to media reports Wednesday.

    Kate Hanni, of Napa, Calif., and Catherine Ray, of Fayetteville, Ark., were on flights diverted from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport to Austin on Dec. 29, 2006. After landing, passengers sat in the planes for more than eight hours, unable to leave despite overflowing toilets and little food or water.

    Passengers were deprived of medication and "suffered hunger, thirst, anxiety, physical illness, emotional distress and monetary loss," according to the lawsuits. The lawsuits ask for unspecified damages as well as legal expenses.

    Both suits were filed in circuit courts; Hanni's in California and Ray's in Arkansas. They seek class-action status, claiming the airline's decisions affected 12,000 passengers that day.

    The flights were among hundreds diverted when an unusual system of storms snarled traffic over the airport.

    "A major weather event that no one predicted" happened and caused 119 flights to be diverted that day, the most since 9/11, said airline spokesman John Hotard. He said a record number of American flights were diverted Dec. 29, 2006, because of severe thunderstorms.

    The cases came amid public and congressional calls for stronger regulation of how airlines treat customers. "We're looking for justice for the passengers," Hanni said in an interview Monday.

    (Agencies)