KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KCI Airport was closed for most of Friday morning after an airliner slid off one of the taxiways while getting ready to take off.

Crews were treating all of the surfaces on the airfield for most of Friday morning. After closing runways twice, the airfield fully reopened just before noon.

But with several flights still canceled or delayed, stranded passengers are now struggling to change their travel plans.

Workers had to help 129 passengers get off of a Delta flight to Detroit on Friday morning after the airliner’s nose gear slid off the taxiway. Shuttle buses brought passengers back to the terminal.

After trying to re-open for a short time, airport managers suspended operations and crews have been working nonstop ever since to make it safer for the big jets.

Passengers on that Delta flight told FOX4 they thought they were going to beat the weather, but conditions turned icy quickly.

“We were on the plane going to get deiced and all of a sudden we felt a jerk like when you go to slam on the brakes on your car, jolting forward,” Delta passenger Ashley Guiemette said.

“We didn’t really know. Then the pilot came on and said we just slipped off the runway. So they were bringing stairs to us off the plane. Then we heard the stairs were completely iced, so they had to deice the stairs to get us off.”

Rescheduling has proven difficult for many passengers. Some rebooked on flights scheduled after noon. Other have flights later in the day, and some have said they can’t find any available seats. They don’t expect to travel until Saturday.

As for the Delta jet stuck off the taxiway, crews planned to tow it out later. Airport managers said it’s not blocking much of the airfield.