Stranded Passengers sleep at Aruba airport floor following British Airways’ sudden flight cancellation

Passengers aboard British Airways flight BA 2156 were left stranded overnight at the airport in Aruba. The flight was initially scheduled to fly to Antigua and London however it was cancelled due to technical issues.  

According to the reports, the cancellation left travellers stranded overnight at the airport, several without accommodation during the highly busy travel season. It is said that the chaos took place after a series of delays, with the flight officially being cancelled at 12:20 am, forcing the passengers to disembark and retrieve their luggage. 

Sources reveal that the ordeal began around 7 pm when travellers were informed about technical issues while they were already aboard the aircraft. It was said that initially the airline informed about a 90-minute delay, but this stretched into multiple updates throughout the evening, finishing with the cancellation of the flight at 12:20 am.   

As there was limited hotel availability in Aruba and no immediate assistance from the British Airways, several of the travellers had to pass the night while sleeping on the airport floor in very cold and windy conditions.  

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The airline later emailed an apology at 2 am and cited reasons such as safety concerns and also promised rebooking and refunds to the passengers. However, passengers remain frustrated with this move by the airline as they say there was a lack of clear communication and supporting during the incident.  

The airline explained that the engineers were not able to resolve the issue in time to operate the flight as schedule which led to the cancellation of the flight to Antigua and London.  

Following the frustrating ordeal, one of the passengers outlined, “Never in my life have I seen anything like this,” while another passenger said, “I can’t believe they did nothing to assist us and this is completely unacceptable.” 

The passengers also said that the crew members filed out of the airport to their arranged accommodations and transportation, which made the situation more worse as the travellers felt helpless.  

While the official mail sent by British Airways claims that passengers can apply for reimbursement, several are still uncertain about when or if compensation will come from them.