Should you always bring a passport when traveling? Passengers on this nightmare domestic flight believe so
Most people don’t bring their passports with them when flying domestically, but one traveler discovered that might be a mistake.
In a video posted by @ItalianKate on TikTok, she filmed another passenger (@griptape_ on TikTok) as he explained how their flight from Puerto Rico to Miami ended up with them stranded in an airplane terminal.
He explained in the video with 1.5 million likes and 8.2 million views that they were on American Airlines flight 2421 and were circling around for two hours before the pilot announced they needed to land in the Bahamas, where the passengers would disembark.
“Puerto Rico to the US is a domestic flight,” the person explained. “This is a different country.”
He added, “We landed at 8:30, it is now 5:40 in the morning.”
Because they were on a domestic flight, when the pilot asked who had their passports, no one had them — meaning they couldn’t leave the terminal, let alone the airport, because they legally could not go through customs.
The speaker explained that most people on the flight only spoke Spanish, so he had to translate the information from the gate agents over the speaker.
Elderly people and dogs were among those stuck at the terminal, and during the seven hours they were there, they only had Biscoff Cookies as their source of food.
He explained that they were only able to speak to the two gate agents who were sharing as much as they could, but American Airlines wouldn’t give any information.
“Now people are having medical emergencies and things like that, we have medication on the plane… They told a gentleman here that he can’t go in and get it,” the man said.
“We have one bathroom for 100 people, dogs, children,” he continued. “Hopefully, we get a refund at the end of this.”
The average time for a flight between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Miami, Florida is about 2.5 hours, and by the time the TikTok was filmed, about nine hours had passed since they departed from Puerto Rico.
According to American Airlines, the passengers were put in this rare situation due to the weather.
“On August 3, American Airlines flight 2421 with service from Puerto Rico (SJU) to Miami (MIA) was impacted by severe weather and diverted to Nassau (NAS),” an American Airlines representative told Thrillist.
“The flight continued on to MIA once the 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.”
However, the airline did not say whether or not the passengers on the flight were compensated for their troubles and time in the Bahamas.
Moral of the story: It can never hurt to bring your passport even on domestic flights, especially when flying to areas known for storms or hurricanes.
“One of the benefits of traveling between the US and Puerto Rico is the fact that you can travel passport-less,” Going’s travel expert Katy Nastro told the outlet.
“There’s no saying you can’t use your passport as a form of ID, so if it gives you a bit more peace (of travel) mind, then go for it.”