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A shiver ran through our spine the minute we saw the words "70 hours late." Thursday – yes, latest Thursday, November 1st – British Airways flight 2036 was scheduled to leave Orlando at 19:25 to arrive at London Gatwick airport at around 7:30 am the following morning. But the passengers have not really arrived London until 3:30 on November 3, after a mechanical delay, tornadoes, another mechanical problem and a diversion has accumulated, making it one of the longest flying experiences we've seen in a long time. To break down exactly what broke down, here is a timeline of the transformation of BA2036 into a nightmare.
Round One: Mechanical delay
Passengers took the plane as usual Thursday, waiting to eat Cadbury eggs in eight hours. But when a mechanical problem has arisen, caused by the thermal sensor of the brakes, which determines if the brakes are sufficiently cooled to allow a safe take-off, according to L & # 39; Independent-The passengers should rather stay on board more than two hours, according to the tweet of a passenger. And, as always with track delays, they had to stay in their place, with little food or water to face them. "Why on earth is loading a plane that he can not steal, he was offered a cup of water and a pack of pretzels," said passenger Tim Humphries. Twitter.
After a few hours, the passengers disembarked in the plane and learned that the flight had been delayed by 27 hours, while the spare part was flying on British Airways flight 2037 between Gatwick and Orlando. They did not have to spend the night at the airport (no, that would come later), and British Airways installed them in the Rosen Shingle Creek, a hotel located about 15 minutes from the airport. By this time it was past midnight.
To make matters worse, weather conditions, including tornados, delayed this Incoming flight from London, which means that spare parts and the British engineer flown over to repair the plane from flight 2036 were also delayed further. Thus, more than 27 hours later, travelers returned to Orlando 's MCO airport to catch the plane.
Second round: it was not quite fixed
Flight 2036 finally took off on Friday night (), but after an hour of flying, the pilots realized that there were still mechanical problems, the reports of the BBC. "The captain said on the tannoy [PA system]Passenger Sarah Wilson told the BBC that the initial problem was back. Instead of flying over the Atlantic Ocean for nearly 4,000 kilometers, the plane was diverted to the John F. Kennedy International Airport "as a precautionary measure" Airways spokesman said to the Orlando Sentinel.
Third round: the ground
Once at JFK, however, new problems emerged. Thanks to New York City marathon, many hotels were full, leaving few options to British Airways to accommodate passengers, which, by the way, they are required to do under EU law. However, many travelers shared pictures of people sleeping on the floor and on suitcases and reported that the airline was not communicating well with what they were supposed to do. The airline stated that "customers were booked to the extent possible and that hotel rooms available were limited, our field teams took care of our guests in our first-class lounge, providing them bedding , food and drinks to ensure their comfort during their stay, "the Orlando Sentinel reported. (EU-based airlines are also required to support reasonable meal expenses or provide food.)
https://twitter.com/Lee_Sullivan85/status/105900536045453939200
Fourth round: finally at home
After hours of delays between hotels, planes and airports, the 200 or so passengers on the flight finally returned to Gatwick after British Airways sent a new plane to JFK on Saturday night. The plane arrived in London Sunday around 6:30 L & # 39; independent, more than two days after its initial arrival time.
So what would we do?
Honestly, when TravelerThe editors have heard about the fate of these passengers, we thought, "Why did not they just change the flight?" But this situation is not so simple. The fragmented approach to this delay, from mechanical error to meteorological delay, to deviation, means that it did not accumulate at one time, but it did not occur at all. is slowly developing. "I am the person who (usually, almost always) keeps up with my flight, no matter how bad the situation – because I can not imagine, you know, how bad it is Actually get. Also, do not I have to pay to change my flight? And who knows if this one will be delayed? I continue to stay until, 15 hours after I was supposed to, I arrived, "said the editorial staff. Katherine LaGrave.
What we call can agree that if we took this flight, we would immediately seek a flight allowance under EU regulation 261. The law requires that, when travelers make a flight of more than 1,500 km with a delay of more than four hours to or from an EU airport, airline based in the United States. EU due to a mechanical problem, a change of aircraft or a shortage of crew (frame, there is a lot of hyperspecificity here), the airline gives them up to € 600 (or $ 685). LaGrave has a full explanatory here-But all you have to do to get a travel voucher or cash is to file a complaint with British Airways (or your airline).
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