AMERICAN Airlines customers were delayed for over two hours after the company sent the wrong plane to the airport.
On Monday, passengers on flight 780 to Naples International Airport saw their summer getaways get of to a bad start when they were diverted to Rome.
They were then all transported by bus to Naples – a 145 mile journey of over two hours.
And it was all because of the aircraft that took off from Philadelphia just before 8 pm.
The American Airlines flight scheduled to land at 10 am local time was diverted 70 miles before it got there.
According to a company representative who spoke to The U.S. Sun, American Airlines flight 780, initially scheduled to fly from Philadelphia (PHL) on June 2, had to be diverted to Rome (FCO) due to operational constraints.
Aviation experts have explained the airline failed to notice the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was too big to land at Naples.
American Airlines usually uses Boeing 787-8’s for that route to Italy which are 20ft smaller.
It was explained that airports accommodating larger aircraft like the 787-9 are required to have a higher-category emergency service for firefighting and rescue, which Naples lacks.
The airline expressed regret to the passengers affected by the diversion, noting that customers were transported from FCO to NAP via bus, apologizing for any inconvenience caused during their travel.
No statements have been issued by either the Rome airport or the one in Naples.
But it comes as other flyers have slammed American Airlines of having a “broken process”.
Several passengers have recounted tales of sudden diversions, cancellations, and delays while travelling with the airline.
“I will NEVER fly American Airlines,” one wrote in a scathing comment on Facebook.
It came after a passenger said she was left “heartbroken” after delays with the airline saw she and her partner miss their connections to Barbados.
“Our flight got delayed by American Airlines causing us to not be able to make our connections today, so we will not be making it to our destination today,” she wrote on Saturday.
“They also downgraded our flight on a FOUR HOUR FLIGHT and separated Garrett and me on the plane….”
In an update she added: “Now they said I can’t request a refund until AFTER we complete the new flight they put us on.. this is crazy.
“Their [sic] process is definitely broken here.”
Around the same time, a fellow traveller vowed to “never fly American airlines again” calling his recent experience “a nightmare”.
His journey to get to Costa Rica involved a flight from Tulsa to Dallas which was delayed for two hours meaning he and his partner missed the connection.
He further claimed the airline could not provide a different connection so they drove over five hours to Dallas to pay $268 in parking and on the way home they were hampered by even more delays.
But, American Airlines has announced that it will be using new “automatic delay” technology this summer which should help flyers make their connections.
