“We land the plane, we’re sitting on the tarmac for two hours, we got off the plane,” said one passenger. “Turns out the pilot can’t do overtime or something so we had to get off the plane... We can’t leave the terminal because we’re not allowed to be here; we are illegally here and not only can’t we leave the airport, we can’t leave the terminal.”

Passengers found themselves confined in an air-conditioned terminal without food, water, or blankets overnight.

“One customer complained: ‘We’re on hour seven of being here; no food, no water, it’s cold, there’s no blankets... We have one bathroom for 100 people... No information.’”

Eventually, after twelve hours in Nassau and with worsening conditions including medical emergencies due to lack of access to medication left on board, passengers were flown onward to Miami.

An American Airlines spokesperson stated: “On August 3rd, American Airlines flight 2421 with service from Puerto Rico (SJU) to Miami (MIA) was impacted by severe weather and diverted to Nassau (NAS). The flight continued on to MIA once weather conditions allowed us to safely do so. Operating safely is always our priority — especially in dynamic weather events — and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience experienced as a result of the weather.”

Similar diversions have occurred previously; last year JetBlue diverted a Newark – Fort Lauderdale flight also ending up in Nassau. These situations are undesirable for both airlines and customers alike.