A Brooklyn family got their money back, but the memories they wanted are gone forever.
Tisha LaSaine had been saving for the vacation she would take along with her mother, her twins, and her oldest son, who was heading off to his junior year at Hampton College, according to the New York Post.
But when the June 30 departure date arrived, the dream turned into a nightmare. The family arrived that day at John F. Kennedy Airport to find that their Delta flight would be late, according to WABC-TV.
Delta Airlines said that day’s flight to Orlando was “delayed due to a crew issue.”
“We took off at 11:40 a.m. Our flight was scheduled for 9:54,” Kaseem Miller, LaSaine’s son, said.
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The flight was supposed to land at 12:51 p.m. They expected the flight would give them time to make the cruise’s scheduled 3:30 p.m., departure from Cape Canaveral.
After they landed they drove across the state, but were unable to get there in time.
“I went to my mom and told her, ‘Mom, I don’t think we’re going to make it,’” LaSaine said.
The family told WABC, they reached the dock and saw the ship leave without them.
Should the family have made better travel plans?
“I think I cried more than the kids, and it was for them,” LaSaine said.
“We missed the whole trip. That’s a whole week. That’s 8 days,” Miller said.
The $8,500 LaSaine had paid for the cruise was eventually refunded. Getting money back from Delta took a little longer, LaSaine said.
“I was like, that’s a lot of money for me to lose that I put out in a few months,” LaSaine said.
Eventually, what began as an e-credit and refund of $250 per person turned into a full $2,600 refund, according to WABC, which said it helped advocate for the family with Delta.
NY family loses out on dream vacation as delayed flight causes them to narrowly miss 8-day cruise — watched from dock as ship sailed away https://t.co/84qlzCPOCB pic.twitter.com/S9ZL5QMprP
— New York Post (@nypost) September 5, 2024
Some experts said that avoiding that kind of situation should be part of the planning for any cruise.
“If you’re catching a plane, when to fly in for your cruise depends on several factors. I always advise flying in at least one day before you’re scheduled to embark, just in case you encounter any delays or cancellations,” according to the travel blog The Points Guy.
“That way, you have time to rebook yourself on a different flight if something goes wrong,” the blog said.
Travel expert Gary Leff said travelers should plan for delays.
“Don’t book short connections, such as less than an hour. And book your travel to arrive sooner than you actually need to get to the destination, so that later flights can still get you there in time in case of delay or cancellation,” Leff said, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
