American Airlines passengers forced to sleep on airport floor
If American carriers are responsible for a delay or cancellation, they are obligated to offer a voucher for an approved hotel
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Your support makes all the difference.Two American Airlines passengers were forced to sleep on the airport floor due to cancellations and major delays to their flights this weekend.
Sharing their experiences on social media, the first was a young woman from California who posted a picture of her legs extended on the floor of an unnamed airport.
The caption read: “My bed for tonight thanks to the amazing @AmericanAir.
“My flight was supposed to leave at 1am, [but] after we boarded they decided to ‘delay it’ until 1.30 pm… AA didn’t even provide us with [a] hotel.. just a $12 [£10] meal voucher… Great! I don’t have [a] hotel but I have $12,” she wrote.
In response, American Airlines wrote: “We are saddened to see this. Meet us in DMs with your record locator and let us explore rebooking options where possible.”
Another passenger named Preston Steger from Norfolk, Virginia, also posted a picture of his experience sleeping on the airport floor after his American Airlines flight was cancelled.
He wrote: “My @AmericanAir flight was cancelled shortly before 1am. So I tried airport camping. Not a great experience.”
Prior to his departure, Mr Steger had tweeted the carrier twice seeking clarification on whether he should expect departure delays at Charlotte Douglas International Aiport as he would “miss my connection” if so, but American Airlines did not respond to his queries.
Small print on the American Airlines website states that in cases where a delay or cancellation is caused by them, they will provided “a voucher for an approved hotel with available rooms if you are delayed overnight”, “transportation to a hotel and back to the airport by hotel shuttle/third-party transportation service, or a transportation voucher”, plus “meal vouchers if your delay is three or more hours after your scheduled departure”.
Should they fail to do this, passengers should get their own room and seek reimbursement.
The Independent has contacted American Airlines for comment.
Air passengers being left to sleep on the floor is not unique to American Airlines.
At the end of last year, video showed passengers at Stansted Airport strewn across the floor as they were forced to sleep in the terminal amid travel chaos caused by snow and ice.
Footage taken by Harry Barlock shows people using coats for blankets as they tried to get some rest.
Stansted closed its runway on 11 December to clear snow from the tarmac.
More than 40 flights were cancelled.
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