Frustrated Traveler Berates American Airlines Workers During 12-Hour Delay
"You're gonna pay for everything!" the woman yelled.
— -- Talk about a meltdown.
In a dramatic video obtained by ABC News, a passenger berates American Airlines workers in a New York airport, apparently worried that a delay –- which eventually stretched to nearly 12 hours –- could jeopardize her Disney cruise.
“You lied to me! You lied to me!” the woman screams in the profanity-laced video. “You’re all gonna pay for my Disney cruise, and you’re going to pay for everything else here!”
Her flight, scheduled to depart LaGuardia Airport en route to Miami at 9 p.m. on March 24, was repeatedly delayed and eventually departed New York at 8:50 a.m. the following day. It arrived in Miami at 11:47 a.m., 11 ½ hours after its scheduled arrival.
According to the Port of Miami, the Disney cruise slated to depart from Miami that afternoon left more than five hours later, at 5:10 p.m.
American Airlines tells ABC News a variety of issues influenced this delay: First, the plane was diverted from Miami to Philadelphia due to heavy winds at LaGuardia. Then, due to a ground stop issued by the FAA, the plane was not allowed to take off from the Philadelphia Airport for several hours. By the time the plane finally arrived at LaGuardia, the crew was close to its work hours limit, and required by the FAA to take a 10-hour rest before continuing on to Miami.
According to consumer advocate Charlie Leocha of Travelers United, passengers should be “proactive” in situations like this.
“Best advice for that flier… plan ahead. Do not wait until the last minute to get to your cruise,” Leocha said, adding that the family could have considered purchasing travel insurance to alleviate any concerns.
“When it comes to talking about weather, you just have to sometimes take a deep breath and say, ‘alright, let me try again tomorrow,’” he said.
But the woman in the video doesn’t seem prepared to let the delay go.
“I’m sitting here since eight o’clock, with a 9-year-old who’s waiting for our vacation, and my 13-year-old, and me,” the woman in the video says as the camera pans to a sobbing child. “If there’s no flight, just say there’s no flight. Say there’s no flight! … We’re waiting all our lives for this!”
A Disney Cruise spokesperson told ABC News everyone slated to depart on March 25 made it on the cruise. Disney is the parent company of ABC News.