A Brooklyn family was left devastated after missing out on their $8,500 dream cruise due to a delayed flight, which caused them to miss the ship’s departure.
Tisha LaSaine, the mother of the family had saved for a year to afford the week-long cruise, to celebrate her 50th birthday and her son Kaseem’s upcoming junior year at Hampton College in Virginia.
However, upon arriving at John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, they discovered their flight to Orlando was delayed due to a crew issue, according to a Daily Mail report.
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“We took off at 11:40 a.m. Our flight was scheduled for 9:54,” Kaseem told ABC 7, New York City’s local affiliate.
The cruise was set to leave Cape Canaveral at 3:30 p.m., leaving the family insufficient time to reach the port. Had their flight not been delayed, they would have landed in Orlando at 12:51 p.m., allowing ample time to get to the cruise ship.
With the average non-stop flight from JFK to Orlando taking about three hours, the 11:40 a.m. departure left little margin for error.
LaSaine confided to her mother that she doubted they would make it, and their fears were then confirmed when they arrived at the dock to find the ship had already sailed.
“I think I cried more than the kids, and it was for them,” LaSaine said.
Travel expert Gary Leff suggests ways to avoid such situations: “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 told AAA in 2022.
The family then returned to New York heartbroken. While LaSaine secured a refund from the cruise line for their missed eight-day trip, she still faced challenges with Delta Airlines.
The airline issued only an e-credit for their one-way flight to Florida, not covering the return trip to New York. The $250 per person credit fell far short of the full ticket price.
LaSaine then reached out to ABC 7’s “On Your Side,” a consumer advocacy team. Reporter Nina Pineda contacted Delta, successfully advocating for a full refund. Delta then ultimately refunded LaSaine $2,600, covering the total cost of the tickets.
“That’s a lot of money for me to lose that I put out in a few months,” LaSaine said. “I was so happy.”
