bourbiza mohamed
A aircraft filled with American Airline passengers discovered themselves decreased to the standing of unlawful migrants when their flight was diverted to the Bahamas.
Few of the 100 passengers aboard Flight 2421 had passports with them as they boarded the two-hour flight from Puerto Rico to Miami on Saturday afternoon.
And it was noon on Sunday earlier than they lastly reached the Florida airport after their flight was diverted to the Caribbean island the place they have been compelled to remain in a single day within the terminal.
One passenger from North Carolina went viral with an impassioned TikTok that has been seen 2.6 million occasions since he recorded it in the midst of the night time amongst his hungry, thirsty and exhausted comrades.
‘It is like The Terminal with Tom Hanks,’ wrote one horrified viewer.
The passengers had been stranded for seven hours within the spartan airport terminal when the TikToker delivered his impassioned replace from the Bahamas at 5.40am
American Airways Flight 2421 was alleged to take little greater than two hours to succeed in Miami after taking off from Puerto Rico at 5.30pm on Saturday
No passports are wanted for US residents flying from the mainland to the American territory within the japanese Caribbean.
However Hurricane Debby was gathering power over the ocean and the battle turned one in every of 2,000 impacted by the Class 1 storm because it barreled into Florida.
‘We flew spherical in a circle for about half an hour due to climate then the pilot determined ‘hey we have to land within the Bahamas’,’ the TikToker instructed his followers.
‘It is a totally different nation. The pilot asks ‘who right here has their passports and who would not?’
‘Lo and behold all people would not as a result of all people anticipated to go from the US to the US.’
Three hours after taking off, the Boeing 737 touched down within the Bahamian capital Nassau, however the passengers’ troubles have been solely simply starting.
‘We land the aircraft, we’re sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours, we bought off the aircraft, seems the pilot cannot do extra time or one thing so we needed to get off the aircraft,’ the TikToker with the deal with @griptape_dimas mentioned.
‘We bought off right here, we will not go away the terminal cos we’re not allowed to be right here, we’re illegally right here and never solely cannot we go away the airport, we will not go away the terminal, we will not do something.’
The passengers discovered themselves herded right into a terminal chilled by air con the place they have been left with out meals, water, or blankets in a single day.
Passengers have been left with out meals, water, blankets or drugs within the freezing terminal
‘Throughout the first hour of getting right here we have been instructed ‘the aircraft’s going to return, oh they’re deboarding the aircraft, oh it is solely 20 minutes to get right here.
‘After about hour 5 all people is pulling doorways, all people right here is operating off like six seven hours of no meals, Briscoff cookies and sodas and freezing, zero data.
The 2 American Airline desk employees on the scene struggled to provide significant updates because the hours wore on however roped within the bilingual influencer to translate their bulletins into Spanish.
‘After hour 5 I knew that the entire concept of a aircraft getting unboarded with a brand new crew from Orlando was a bunch of nonsense,’ the TikToker lamented in his 5.40am replace.
‘Matter of truth we have been wanting on the pc, after some time they turned the pc off as a result of they did not need us taking a look at it.
‘Now individuals are having medical emergencies, there’s medicine on the aircraft, It is on the aircraft!
‘They instructed a gentleman right here he cannot go in and get it due to legal guidelines, crimson tape.
‘They will not name immigration as a result of they inform us ‘they’ll inform us the identical factor’.
‘We’re on hour seven of being right here; no meals, no water, it is chilly, there is no blankets, we’ve one toilet for 100 individuals, canine, youngsters, no data.’
Monitoring knowledge from Flightradar suggests their authentic plane took off with out them from Nassau at 10pm on Saturday, touchdown little greater than an hour later in Miami.
But it surely was 10.15am on Sunday earlier than the determined passengers lastly boarded a flight and took off for Miami.
‘This is not even a cool airport,’ the younger TikToker famous.
‘Mama instructed me do not get off the aircraft, you are mainly an unlawful immigrant proper now.
‘Hopefully they will give me my Bahamian inexperienced card.’
Hundreds of thousands of individuals discovered themselves gripped by the TikToker’s testimony with many predicted a hefty compensation for the affected passengers.
Monitoring knowledge from Flightradar.com exhibits the aircraft’s meandering path on Saturday night earlier than it was diverted to Nassau within the Bahamas
‘Get these ppl house instantly so this man can apply at CNN,’ wrote one.
‘Make certain AA provides y’all a correct journey the the Bahamas so you may expertise it correctly,’ steered one other.
‘For this reason you ALWAYS deliver your passport once you fly, even domestically since you by no means know if you are going to must cease out of the country,’ added a 3rd.
Dailymail.com has reached out to American Airways for remark.
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