( CNN ) -- -- A poor decision by a regional airline was being blamed Friday for Continental Airlines passengers getting stranded overnight as their plane sat on a tarmac in Minnesota , federal transportation officials said Friday . Passengers on a Continental flight operated by ExpressJet sat on the tarmac for nearly six hours on August 8 . U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said a representative of Mesaba Airlines improperly refused requests by the plane 's captain and crew to let passengers off the plane . They were stuck on the tarmac in Rochester on August 8 from 12:38 a.m. to about 6 a.m. with nothing but pretzels to eat , LaHood said . `` There was a complete lack of common sense here , '' LaHood said in a written statement . `` It 's no wonder the flying public is so angry and frustrated . '' Mesaba , based in Eagan , Minnesota and owned by Delta Air Lines , was the only carrier able to assist Continental Flight 2816 , which was on its way from Houston , Texas , to Minneapolis , Minnesota , when it was diverted because of strong thunderstorms , LaHood said . Watch how pilot tried to get passengers off plane » . The flight 's 47 passengers described crying babies , overflowing toilets and cramped conditions . According to a Department of Transportation preliminary report , Mesaba 's representative refused to help passengers off of the plane , incorrectly saying the airport was closed to passengers for security reasons . In audiotapes released by the Transportation Department , the unnamed captain of the aircraft can be heard pleading with an airline dispatcher to find a way to get the passengers off the plane . `` We 're stuck here with no lavs , no nothing -- no food , '' he says . `` And they wo n't let them get off because the terminal is closed . '' Later , the dispatcher tells the captain that he has spoken to the commuter airline 's representative and that `` she says there is nothing she can do to help us out . She 's not going to let them off the plane . '' `` That 's ridiculous , '' the captain responds . LaHood , who called the incident a `` nightmare , '' said federal regulations allow passengers to get off of a plane , enter an airport and reboard without being screened by safety personnel as long as they remain in a secure part of the terminal . Mesaba said Friday that its employees tried to help . `` Mesaba respectfully disagrees with the DOT 's preliminary findings as they are incongruent with our initial internal review of the incident , '' CEO John Spanjers said in a written statement . `` Because Continental Express Flight 2816 diverted to an airport where they have no ground handling service , Mesaba offered assistance as a courtesy during this delay . `` While the investigation is ongoing , Mesaba is fully cooperating with the Department of Transportation and looks forward to the final report . '' Mesaba is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines , which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines . Delta CEO Richard Anderson said the airline is working with Mesaba , Continental and the Department of Transportation to help determine exactly what happened . In the department 's statement , LaHood said that the Continental crew was not at fault for the passengers being stuck . `` In fact , the flight crew repeatedly tried to get permission to deplane the passengers at the airport or obtain a bus for them , '' he said . Department of Transportation investigators have interviewed passengers , the flight crew , airport workers and others during an investigation expected to be completed in the next few weeks . The department `` is considering the appropriate action to take against Mesaba , '' according to the statement . The investigation did show that while the crew of the flight , operated by carrier ExpressJet , did all it could , higher-level officials should have become involved in the effort . The Aviation Enforcement Office has proposed regulations requiring airlines to have plans for how to handle lengthy tarmac delays .
Continental passengers were stuck on ##board nearly six hours . ' LaHood calls incident a ` ` nightmare , '' The crew did all it could . Regional bank charter was only one that could have helped , feds say . Mesaba says it disagrees with investigators ' findings , offered to help .