British Airways passengers stranded in airport after days-long delays: 'No food, no drinks, no seats, no info, no organization'
British Airways is mired in controversy after a “minor technical issue” caused three days’ worth of delays to passengers, who found themselves stranded in an airport amid travel woes.
The airline’s flight 2036 was scheduled to head to London’s Gatwick Airport from Orlando, Fla., on Thursday evening when it instead was grounded in Florida for 24 hours because of technical issues, the New York Post reported. According to travelers on social media, the airline booked hotel rooms for more than 200 fliers in Florida before passengers were able to get back on the flight the following evening to London.
Once passengers boarded the flight on Friday, however, the plane was quickly diverted to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday morning. This time, hotel stays weren’t provided by the airline because of limited capacity due to the New York City Marathon. Instead, passengers were left to sleep on the floor of the airport terminal with insufficient food and zero communication from the airline.
@British_Airways This isn’t even half of it pic.twitter.com/9T1Puu0laN
— Jenny Collom (@Jenflitch) November 3, 2018
@British_Airways over 30HRS without any sleep, 13Hrs without a single meal, stuck at JFK after emergency landing from Orlando. No promised hotels booked (only for staff). No food no drinks, no seats, no info, no organisation 🤷🏻?♀? pic.twitter.com/gmJ9KsBFPr
— wendy murphy (@wendywoobear) November 3, 2018
Imagine having a little daughter spending their birthday in a terminal,sat on a rock hard floor and not knowing when they’re going to eat, sleep or have a safe place to stay. Put yourself in the footsteps of that family and think about what you are doing.#BA2036 @British_Airways
— Casey Wilson (@caseywilson98) November 3, 2018
Oi @britishairways last night was on the floor of jfk airport . The night before was in a hotel room. But invite you to explain how I fit 3 adults and 3 under 12s into 1 double bed
— Nick (@glutenfreebrit) November 3, 2018
@British_Airways You should be ashamed of your conduct, not least lying in your statement that you'd fed us today – unless a packet of crisps and two Oreos after four hours standing in a queue here and zero overnight food counts. #60hourdelay #BAneglect
— DJ Jimmy Lee (@DJJimmyLee) November 3, 2018
Some people weighing in on the situation on social media pointed out that passengers could have found their own accommodations or bought food in the airport. However, Newsweek reported that JFK had closed most of its food purveyors in the middle of the night, while the airline didn’t have any staff on hand to explain when the flight may actually take off. In fact, the airline’s social media accounts didn’t respond to passengers until they were finally aboard a relief aircraft that eventually got them into London on Sunday.
Related Video: Airplane Groper Claims Trump ‘Said It’s OK to Grab Women’
British Airways sent the following statement to Yahoo Lifestyle about the incident.
“We appreciate that this was an exhausting and frustrating experience for our customers, and we have apologized for the long delay to their flight. Our aircraft diverted to New York on Saturday morning as a precaution, following a minor technical issue. We sent a relief aircraft out to New York on Saturday morning to get customers back to London Gatwick as quickly as possible. Customers were rebooked where possible and while there were limited hotel rooms available, our teams on the ground cared for customers in our first class lounge providing bedding, food and drinks to ensure they were comfortable during their stay.”
The flight landed at Gatwick Airport on Sunday.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
? Woman thrown off British Airways flight for trying to smuggle cat in her luggage
? Airline says photo of crew members sleeping on floor after flight cancellation is ‘fake news’
? Man arrested for allegedly groping woman on Southwest flight claims Trump ‘says it’s ok to grab women’
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
