We were left on airport floor for 15 HOURS when plane was forced to land ‘after crew smelled SMOKE’ – we were abandoned
A COUPLE has told how they were "abandoned” and left on an airport floor for 15 hours when their plane was diverted “after the crew smelled smoke”.
Jonathan Lo, 35, and Laura Day, 29, were stuck in Bermuda after their flight from Miami to London was forced to land over a “possible mechanical issue”.
The airline has apologised after flight AA38 had to change course about three hours after taking off on Monday, landing instead on the British island territory in the North Atlantic.
Jonathan and Laura - as well as 301 other passengers - have since waited over 15 hours in LF Wade International Airport in St George's.
They are scheduled to board a replacement flight to London Heathrow at 8pm local time - almost 20 hours after landing there.
It took almost 10 hours for passengers to be provided with food at the airport - and there were just eight toilets available and no showers, the couple claim.
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Jonathan told how the flight was the final journey of an "epic trip" which had seen him propose to Laura in Cape Town, South Africa.
The couple - who live between London and Birmingham - had been "dozing off" when the captain told passengers there was "an indication of overheating electronics".
Jonathan said: "A little later on it was backed up by a further announcement to say that, actually, they could smell smoke in the aircraft cockpit.”
He said when they landed in Bermuda there was "quite a dramatic scene" with fire engines following the aircraft.
But he understood this to be standard procedure and a precaution.
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"All was going quite smoothly until we got into the terminal," he added.
Jonathan said passengers waited for over three hours for their first update on the situation.
It only became clear they would need to sleep at the airport at around 5am local time. Airport staff provided them with blankets and pillows taken from the aircraft.
Jonathan said "tempers rose" at times among the travellers - which includes people travelling for work and many British families returning after the bank holiday weekend.
The hundreds stranded in the hall were not provided with food until airport staff offered breakfast at 12.30pm local time, he said.
"That's a whole whopping 10 hours after people have landed with children and were really hungry," he said.
"(We feel) abandoned by the airline really... literally in the middle of the Atlantic.
"When we landed, we didn't know how long it was going to be... had we been kept updated regularly, we would have been able to make plans and I'm sure the airport staff would have been able to make plans quicker.
"I was speaking to a gentleman earlier, who basically said 'well I'm going to miss my appointment in London anyway, can I just turn around and go back?'"
Jonathan had also been planning to meet up with Ms Day's parents in London to celebrate their engagement in person.
"We only have the window of the next four days, because of our travelling schedule... when we actually get to share the news," he said.
"They know of course, but to actually get to speak to them properly about plans and everything before they go to Australia - it's all a bit frustrating."
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American Airlines said in a statement: "American Airlines flight 38, from Miami (MIA) to London (LHR), diverted to Bermuda (BDA) this morning after a possible mechanical issue.
"We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans, and we apologise for the trouble this has caused."
