Airplane’s ventilation system, not students, to blame for Bahamas flight delay: organizer

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An American Airlines flight to the Bahamas was delayed by nearly 24 hours on Monday, and the airline made it clear at the time that a large group of “unruly” high school graduates were to blame.

However, Breakaway Beach, the travel agency that organized the student trip, said in a recent report that American Airlines unfairly punished the group of teenagers for what now appears to have been nothing but behavior. ‘student and a mechanical problem,

American Airlines Flight 893 to the Bahamas was significantly delayed on Monday due to what the airline initially said was a group of around 47 graduates. According to The Boston Globe, American Airlines said the group refused to comply with federal face mask requirements, vacated their assigned seats, played loud music, shouted foul language and repeatedly ignored flight crew requests.

The group’s removal from the flight, the statement said, caused several additional delays as the airline had to remove its luggage from the plane and bring in a new flight crew as staff reached completion. of his shifts.

According to Eugene Winer, president of Breakaway Beach, the plane actually had a mechanical problem, in which its ventilation system was not functioning. Winer wrote in a statement to the Globe: “Meanwhile, some passengers, including students, may have removed their masks due to the lack of air conditioning / ventilation, completely unbearable conditions.”

The airline told Newsweek in a previous report that the group of more than 30 Boston-area high school students were repeatedly reminded of the policy by the plane’s crew members.

However, according to Winer, the complaint that the entire group ignorantly ignored the mask warrants was not true.

“A passenger was officially escorted off the plane but was not issued a ticket or charged with an offense,” he told The Globe.

“This passenger’s actions resulted in the entire group of graduates being labeled“ unruly ”and“ disruptive. ”The escape was said [by American Airlines] that an individual’s actions were the responsibility of the whole group, ”added Winer.

Winer wrote that American Airlines initially refused to let the students continue the flight, which was further delayed because a pilot was not immediately available to replace the one who had reached the maximum number of flight hours.

The airline allowed the students to re-board the plane, but the flight was not able to depart until Tuesday morning, when another pilot would be made available, Winer wrote.

Winer and the parents of the 47 students were also disappointed with the way the airline handled the situation. “The act of one individual is not the responsibility of others, and students who played by the rules should not have undergone this type of treatment,” said Winer.

A parent, who said she was facing her daughter during the debacle, told The Globe, “American [Airlines] use our children as scapegoats. As far as I know, this second plane also had a mechanical problem. … There is something more to this, and our children are just easy targets. “

Newsweek reached out to American Airlines for further comment, but did not get a response in time for publication.

An American Airlines flight to the Bahamas was delayed by nearly 24 hours, and the airline initially blamed a group of “unruly” high school students, but a recent report instead revealed mechanical problems. In the photo, an American Airlines plane lands at Miami International Airport on June 16, 2021 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle / Getty Images

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