Syracuse

"Ladies and gentlemen, the fuel truck is here."

I celebrated quietly over my laptop.

"Unfortunately," the pilot continued, "the airport has only one set of air stairs, and only person to drive them, so they aren't available right now."

We're currently stuck on the tarmac at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, waiting to be refueled before continuing on to New York City. The weather there was so bad that we ran low on fuel circling JFK.

I'm puzzled, though. What do air stairs have to do with refueling--does a man stand on the stairs holding the hose?