BA passengers forced to sleep on the airport floor during 77-hour delay | business

British Airways has been accused of providing "regrettable service" after more than 100 London-bound passengers were stranded in the US for almost three days due to a technical failure in a plane.

Passengers said the children were forced to sleep on the floor in New York's JFK airport after their flight from Orlando in Florida to London was diverted.

Flight BA2036 was scheduled to leave Orlando on November 1[ads1]st at 19.25 ET and arrive in London eight hours later. But after being held up by a "technical failure" and then a diversion to New York, it did not arrive in London until Sunday, November 4, 77 hours late.

The airline put passengers on a hotel for the night in Orlando and returned them to the plane after repairs were made. The plane was diverted to New York after a further "less technical problem". Passengers said that many people were stranded at JFK without information, accommodation or access to food or drinks for several hours.

Ceri Todd, from Mumbles in Wales, said she was escaping her husband and two teenage children who spent seven hours trying to sleep on the floor of the terminal before moving to a departure lounge.

Describe it as "the journey from hell," she said, there were fire engines on the JFK asphalt when the plane landed, but no BA staff greeted passengers. "There was a lack of leadership, lack of strategy, and there seemed to be no plan in place for when such things happen."

Another passenger, Rosie Slater Watts, said that her child had to lay down for more than five hours on a JFK terminal floor. She told the Guardian: "We were treated with contempt and as if we did not do anything. When we got on canceled flights, the chief executive informed us that they were not sure the plane had been fixed. In no way would we ever use BA again . "

BA said in a statement:" We appreciate that this was an exhausting and frustrating experience for our customers, and we have regretted the long delay in the aircraft. Customers were rebooked wherever possible and while were limited hotel rooms, our team on the ground was taken care of by customers in our first class lounge with linens, food and drinks to ensure they were comfortable during our stay. "

The company said it had not been able to find accommodation for all passengers because New York's marathon meant that the hotels were fully booked.