Travel nightmare: Tropical vacation ends in airport chaos for Charlotte family
A local family’s trip to the Dominican Republic turned into a travel nightmare on the way back home.
They were supposed to fly back to Charlotte on Monday after a trip to Punta Cana. But after multiple delays and cancellations from American Airlines, what was supposed to be a quick flight turned into 48 hours of travel headaches.
A home office is no tropical beach vacation, but for Deanna Dura, it’s welcomed scenery.
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“We paid thousands of dollars for our airfare for our trip, we had a wonderful vacation,” she said. “That ended on two, three very stressful days with zero communication.”
On Monday morning, Dura, along with her husband and son, headed to the airport in Punta Cana. They boarded American Airlines Flight 547, got ready to take off, and that’s when the delays started.
“Shortly after we closed the doors, the pilot came on and said ‘I’m sorry to tell you bad news,’” she said.
They were told air traffic control at Turks and Caicos was down so they needed a new flight pattern. Then they got ready to take off again.
“He came back on. He says ‘folks, bad news. We just discovered that there’s a mechanical problem with the airplane, so this flight’s officially been canceled,’” she said.
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As they waited at the airport, delay alerts rolled in at 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 8 p.m., and then 11 p.m. Eventually, they had to get their bags, go back through customs and were shuttled to a hotel almost an hour away for the night with the hopes of a Tuesday morning flight. They bussed back to the airport ready to get home.
″We went back out through customs to exit the country again, we went to the gate,” Dura said. “And while all of this is happening, we’re getting more updates on our phone saying that it’s been delayed again.”
Their flight was moved to Wednesday morning, so they went back to the hotel to start all over again Wednesday. They eventually did get on a flight home Wednesday after yet another delay.
“I’m upset,” she said. “The accountability thing just kills me that we as passengers have no rights whatsoever, that we just have to sit there and take it because that’s just that’s how it is.”
Dura said she is filing a claim with the airline, and Channel 9′s Hannah Goetz has reached out for comment.
READ MORE: Action 9: Your rights when you fly
What are your rights as a passenger?
A lot of passengers worry about issues just like these, so Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke has more on your rights when you fly.
If your flight is canceled, you’re entitled to a refund -- period. That includes all the fees that went with it, like baggage.
If your flight is “significantly” delayed, you get all your money back too. But what qualifies as significant is a gray area.
A lot of passengers get upset because they’re not entitled a refund due to of bad service. If your flight is canceled or delayed and you pay for a rental car, hotel, or extra meals out of your own pocket, the airline does not have to reimburse you. But it’s good PR if it does, so ask for the money, or at least a credit.
As for sitting on the tarmac, airlines can’t make you sit there for more than three hours for domestic flights and four hours for international ones. There are some exceptions, like safety. Just remember, if you decide to get off, the airline doesn’t have to let you back on or unload your luggage, so the plane may end up taking off without you and you’ll have to get your bags later.
(WATCH BELOW: FAA: Fuel leak triggers plane’s emergency landing at CLT)
