Stranded in Boston on the way to New York: Refundmore secured compensation and coverage of additional expenses
It was supposed to be the start of a four-day holiday in New York for Pernille and her son. Instead, their SAS flight on 1 June 2022 ended with an unexpected landing in Boston, several hours of chaos at the airport and a night without any information on how their journey would continue.
In the end, they had to find both a hotel and onward transport themselves. When SAS subsequently failed to respond to their claim for compensation, the case was referred to Refundmore.
Summary of the case | |
|---|---|
Airline | |
Route | Copenhagen → New York, diverted to Boston |
Problem | Diversion and lack of onward transport |
Arrival at destination | New York the following day |
Number of passengers | 2 |
Additional expenses | Hotel, taxi and bus to New York |
Course of events | The case was resolved through legal proceedings |
Outcome | Compensation and additional expenses covered |
Total payout | Approx. £910 |
The flight ended up in Boston instead of New York
About an hour before the scheduled arrival in New York, passengers were informed that bad weather had made it necessary to land in Boston.
The crew explained that the flight would hopefully be able to continue to New York once the weather improved. If not, staff in Boston would assist passengers with hotel accommodation and a new flight connection.
But that’s not how it turned out.
After landing, the mother and son first waited around 45 minutes for their luggage. When they then tried to find an SAS member of staff, there was no one to be found.
The approximately 100 passengers were directed to the check-in area, but it turned out that the SAS staff had already gone home.
They had left around 100 people at Boston Airport without any information whatsoever.
Pernille
If a flight is significantly delayed, cancelled or diverted, passengers may in some cases be entitled to assistance, compensation or a refund under the applicable air passenger rights.
A four-day holiday suddenly became even shorter
The situation quickly became stressful. Many hotels around the airport were already fully booked, so Pernille and her son, Frederik, hurried to book an available hotel room.
But the problem wasn’t just accommodation. There was still no information from SAS about when or how they would be able to continue their journey to New York.
To avoid losing even more of their short holiday, they therefore decided to book bus tickets to New York themselves for the following morning at 7 am.
After the chaos at the airport, checking in at the hotel took a further two hours or so. The result was only about four hours’ sleep, followed by a 4.5-hour bus journey to New York.
Our day in New York wasn’t exactly energetic and nice. We’d slept for about four hours and then spent four and a half hours on a bus.
Pernille
SAS never contacted them to offer an alternative flight.
In the event of major flight disruptions, there may also be situations where passengers can have reasonable extra expenses covered, such as for hotels, food and transport.
SAS did not respond to the claim for compensation either
After returning home, she tried herself to get the extra expenses covered and to claim compensation from SAS.
These included expenses for a hotel, taxis and onward transport to New York, and the total additional costs had run to several thousand kroner.
She completed SAS’s compensation form, but never received a reply.
After about a month, she therefore decided to take the matter further through Refundmore.
If a flight is delayed by several hours, passengers may in some cases be entitled to compensation for flight delays.
It took three minutes to set up the claim
She was already familiar with Refundmore, and other passengers in Boston had also mentioned the possibility of getting help.
Setting up the claim itself took just a few minutes.
It took three minutes to set up the claim, and from then on I could really just sit back whilst Refundmore kept me informed.
Pernille
However, the case turned out to be more long-lasting than expected. It ended up going to court and took around two years.
Throughout the process, she was kept regularly updated on the proceedings and on why the processing time might be lengthy.
You explained clearly that the processing time was not something you could control. So it was entirely fair.
Pernille
The result: around £910
The case concluded with both she and her son receiving compensation, whilst their documented additional expenses from their stay in Boston were covered.
In total, she received around £910.
I received compensation for both my son and myself, and our additional expenses were also covered. In total, I received around £910 into my account. So thank you for your help!
Pernille
Have you also experienced a flight delay or cancellation?
If your flight has been delayed, cancelled or diverted, you may be entitled to compensation or reimbursement of additional expenses.