by The first hint of our trip home from the Caribbean might not go as smoothly as planned with an American Airlines (AA) email that arrived in my inbox the evening before our departure.
“Bad weather may disrupt your travel plans,” he suddenly warned, before explaining that storms forecast for Miami the next day could disrupt flights. It was pointed out that we could change our booking without penalty.
With our departure to Miami at 2.34pm from Sint Maarten in the Dutch Caribbean designed to connect with British Airways’ 10.30pm Miami-Heathrow service, I couldn’t see how this offer would help.
We had to go to Miami, but as we had a comfortable layover of over four hours, I figured we could absorb a bit of disruption so I wasn’t too worried.
Arriving at Sint Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport the next morning, our flight was already a bit delayed, but there was still plenty of time. Then I saw a news report that storms and flooding had forced the temporary closure of Miami International Airport. Another delay to our flight, then a third. Things were starting to look tight.
The airport was packed, understaffed and the refurbishment meant there were only a handful of seats and no place to grab a coffee or snack. Queues were snaking everywhere, with tensions rising as passengers realized vital connections were in jeopardy.
We waited over 90 minutes in the so-called “priority” queue, much of which was spent watching one couple grab a batch of appetizers at the desk before coming out. By then, I knew we wouldn’t bond. But the check-in agent found a later flight to London with AA, departing Miami at 11.40pm.
Incredibly, we ran through security, bursting with relief. That feeling of euphoria lasted 10 minutes, until my phone buzzed with an alert from AA that our flight from Sint Maarten had been cancelled. It was like mental torture.
‘We were going home – or were we?’
We were reliably told by a third party ticketing team that AA took no responsibility as it was a “weather event” and we had to find our own accommodation for the night. I was surprised that they could wash their hands of us so easily and they felt abandoned.
In Europe, the Air Passenger Rights Regulation obliges airlines to organize accommodation on such occasions. Unfortunately, there is no such provision under US federal law and it will be up to individual airlines to decide whether to do so.
We were told that AA would email new flight arrangements that evening, but nothing came of it and, having hastily booked a nearby hotel online, we went to bed not knowing if we would get home that day next is how we would come.
It was a tense night, but the next morning – it was now Sunday, when we should have been landing at Heathrow – we went back to the airport armed with a fierce determination to get on an aircraft, an aircraft on any, as could.
AA confirmed we were on a midday departure to Miami, which was good. However, direct flights to London that evening seemed to be full, so we would have to fly via Barcelona. Again, our hopes rose. We had a plan. We were going home – or were we?
At noon, when we should have been taking off, the AA flight crew still hadn’t arrived and nobody knew where they were. Twenty minutes later, they entered, to bitter applause from the waiting passengers, and we began to board.
But due to additional delays, due to refueling (why couldn’t that have been done earlier?), we left 90 minutes late, which put our connection in doubt.
When we arrived in Miami, where we had to clear immigration and customs with their long queues (this was Spring break, one of the busiest times for US airports), it was only 10 minutes before our flight departed Barcelona. Not a chance.
Rerouted on different flights
More messages came from AA on our phones. We were rebooked, but I was being rerouted to London via Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina and my husband, who was on a different reservation number, was being rerouted via Atlanta.
As we said our goodbyes, with a promise to meet again at Heathrow, we noted that both flight routes had short connecting times of an hour and, as my flight had been delayed, my connection reduced to 40 minutes.
Fearing that one or two of us might be stranded in various parts of America overnight, we backtracked and lobbied AA for seats on the London flights that evening in case spaces came up.
It wasn’t, so we inquired about it the following evening (Monday), it ended up spending another night in a hotel. But these flights were also fully booked. Will we ever escape?
As a member of the British Airways Executive Club, I thought it was about time I graduated and promoted my Gold Member status (both BA and AA are members of the Oneworld Alliance). Finally, an update – the agent found seats on the last AA flight on Monday night to London at 11.40pm.
Our relief knew no bounds, but I couldn’t help but wonder if we would have gotten on the flight without my priority status.
The next step was to retrieve our suitcase, somewhere in the vast bowels of Miami’s baggage handling system, but after an airport worker told us it could take at least three to four hours to get, we decided to stick to our hand luggage. and buy toiletries instead.
From there, everything went smoothly, eventually, and we arrived back at Heathrow 48 hours late after spending more than £500 on hotels, taxis, food and adventures.
When I contacted AA later about our nightmare trip home, a spokesperson said their options were limited in such cases.
“Typically we have to strike a balance between operating in safe weather conditions and crew flight times which are often affected by the weather,” he explained.
“When there are delays beyond our control, we have to use the first available seats to rebook passengers, which can be limited when unexpected disruptions occur. Sometimes we get lucky with seat/aircraft availability, but a lot of the time it’s not as simple as rebooking.”
Final sting in the tail
At Heathrow, there was one final sting in the tail: the long-stay car park at Terminal 5 had charged an extra £63 for the extra two days – despite our late arrival being completely out of our control.
A Heathrow spokesman said that when customers overstayed the permitted time without prior notice, they were charged the normal daily rate on top of the excess.
“If a customer amends their booking or contacts the customer service team via our website or via the ‘manage my booking’ web form to discuss the issue, it enables the cost to remain at the pre-booking rate rather than day rates being in place,” she said.
I wish I’d thought of this when I was in the States but, funnily enough, I was caught trying to get on a plane to get home. At least I’ll know for next time, but obviously I hope there won’t be a next time.
What our consumer expert says
As she points out, Sara’s experience is a useful reminder of the value of European legislation that obliges airlines to offer meals and accommodation to stranded passengers and, in some cases, also offer compensation for delays and cancellations (though not usually in relation to. weather delay). But that legislation only applies to international airlines that operate direct point-to-point flights to Britain (or other European countries).
Some travel insurance policies offer a certain amount of cover for flight delays. It usually kicks in after 12 hours and she pays a fixed amount per hour of delay, so Sara may have a claim on her policy. Another thing that would help in this situation is if Sara had been booked on a package tour – then the operator would have to look after her and make sure she had accommodation when needed and arrange her return flight.
– Nick Trend
