AC

Thousands of Continental passengers have taken unexpected detours the last two months when their non-stop flights from Europe had to stop for fuel because of fierce headwinds over the Atlantic. The stronger-than-normal winds led to the diversion of 43 of 1,100 flights headed to Newark and Washington's Dulles Airport, United-Continental spokeswoman Megan McCarthy says. That's more than three times the 12 fuel stops the airline was forced to make in December 2010. Similar weather has led to 14 diverted flights this month. The detours most often have been to Gander and Goose Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador, but also have included Boston. The refueling stops tacked up to 45 minutes onto a trip, and the stiff winds could have added more to the delays, McCarthy says. "These are the most extreme winds we've seen in 10 years," she says. The planes weren't in danger of running out of fuel, McCarthy says. "Fuel stops are well within our established safety parameters, and they were done...