New this weekPlot hole: Petroni has the engines at full power to move the plane out of the rut. Once the plane is free, he never pulls the power back. With that power, the plane would accelerate down the runway until it took off or hit something.
Character mistake: When Dean Martin is telling passengers the flight plan, he mentions Toronto, Montreal, Cape Race and Saint John, Newfoundland. However, Saint John is in New Brunswick. St. John's is in Newfoundland. (01:11:15)
Answer: You are right. I have seen the film 100 times and never questioned that. There is no reason for only some of the crew to be on the plane, but it was needed for the scene to work.