"Stranded in Paradise"? Yeah, being stranded sucks but that headline makes me a bit jealous.

well looks like US Airways has just lost another 274 repeat customers, minimum.

The island may be paradise but I'm betting they aren't enjoying it. That would really suck. I hope US Air pays and pays and pays.

The comment about bringing in another plane makes me wonder though. Was it mechanical or weather related?

@Matthew Hughes: Paradise is relative, I suppose - warm weather and nice beaches don't make sleeping on a bus much more comfortable is my guess!

Its no secret that airlines have zero responsibility for weather problems. At least they weren't stuck on the plane.

They couldn't at least let them stay on the plane? It's not like the plane was going anywhere anytime soon. I don't get why they were booted off the plane AND out of the airport.

You can't buy this kind of bad PR for Dominican tourism and for US Airways.

@karmaghost: USAir doesn't get many repeat customers... Aeroflot, shickens and all, has a better reputation.

chickens, that is

This seemed reasonable to me until that guy mentioned that US Airways ateabdung. That is simply inexcusable for US Airways ateabdung anyone, let alone 200 people.

How is this in any way US Airways problem? It's no secret that the airlines are NOT responsible for extra expenses incurred because of weather related delays and cancellations.

US Airways is my number-one-all-time-least-favorite airline-- I love to hate them, even more than I love to hate United-- but daaaaaaaamn, what do the passengers expect them to do?

They can't fly during a hurricane-- that much is a no-brainer. It said in the news report that NO ONE is flying out of Punta Cana, so it's not like they chose to cancel their flights unnecessarily. And they don't own the airport, so they can't allow the passengers to stay there. The decision to kick all of the passengers out of the airport was the Dominican Republic government's decision to make, not US Airways'.

If this is anything, it's yet another lesson in "BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE." If the passengers had travel insurance, they'd have all of their expenses covered. And perhaps this is also a lesson in "DON'T TRAVEL TO THE CARIBBEAN DURING HURRICANE SEASON IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE STRANDED WHEN A HURRICANE HITS."

C'mon, 272 people chose to travel to the Dominican Republic during hurricane season and didn't plan for the possibility of, say, a HURRICANE? They obviously aren't Consumerists, or they would have known better/been better prepared.

i've been fortunate enough to have stayed in the DR before, but you couldn't pay me enough to be in that airport for any longer than necessary. it's more than a little terrifying, and i can't even imagine being taken off a plane and out of the airport by armed guards. i hope they take US Air for everything they're worth...which isn't much.

Dominican tourism couldn't care less. Most of Punta Cana was sold to private investors and they had to do all the infrastructure (roads, electricity, even the airport) because the government wouldn't spend a dime on it. Once you're out of the private lands, you see a sea of poverty with the same lack of infrastructure and you get taxed to death for it (I'm talking taxes worthy of a First-World superpower). The people never get to see a penny of those taxes, but it pays for the politician's mansions. Tell them if they care what happens at the beach.

This is why most airlines need to be allowed to finally fail.

It has been my experience that the first rule of air travel is never fly on US Air.

I couldn't play the video. What happened to the plane they were supposed to be on? Did US Airways leave it at the airport (because no planes were supposed to be flying out of there), or did they fly it out anyway, just without the passengers?

If the first thing, then I think it's probably legit... a plane is not a hotel and is not designed for overnight accommodations after an already long flight. If the second, there's no excuse... they were either trying to get their property to safety (without the passengers??) or planning to use the plane "strategically" for a different flight.

Anyone know which?

ateabdung?? don't they have editors around here? what the heck is that?

@Fly Girl: Well, in there defense, other than going back to the resort to which they were staying, if that was even an option, I would say there was no possible plan B's available.
Punta Cana is not a city like Santo Domingo, there are no Airport hotels or anywhere at all safe to go, other than the resorts.
The Punta Cana airport is beautiful, but it's not much structure wise. It is mostly a gigantic open air hut.

@Fly Girl: I heard that December is prime Caribbean time. ;)

Battery dying but usairways is ateabdung 200 of us in Dominican republic and saying we have to leave airport without any hotel.

It sounds like things were handled badly when this flight had to be cancelled, but forcing these passengers to eat a bug seems completely uncalled for.

It's NOT usair's responsibility to find hotels since the flight cancellation was due to weather - The airport should have let passengers stay the night for shelter. This is the airport's bad decision, and not usair's.

@Matthew Hughes: any place where dengue and malaria are endemic is automatically disqualified from the "paradise" category in my book.

ateabdung = stranding in a quick finger-mashing t9 text message? Just a guess...

@Fly Girl: Really, not every disaster is meant to be a "lesson" in how other people aren't as smart and good at advance planning as you are. Travel insurance is fine after the fact, IF you can get the travel company to pay up (instead of claiming that hurricanes aren't covered under your policy), and just about every location has natural disasters at some point; it's not like they flew in DURING a hurricane.

Last time I flew USAir to Punta Cana, our departing flight was a nightmare.They had us wait in line for three hours to board, people were fist fighting, it was 95 degrees. After we got on board, we sat on the tarmac for 4 1/2 hours, no food or drinks (we had our child with us). We got into Charlotte, another 2 hour wait on the plane, no food or drink. Airport restaurants closed. My kid is crying, there's an hour wait to get through customs, it's a three hour wait in line to book another flight to Norfolk, the USAir people are being horrible....24 hours later, we got home.

This year, we used AA to Turks & Caicos, and had no problems. USAir will never see another dime of my money, I don't care how much cheaper they are.

@Fly Girl: Were the people supposed to book an extra night when they initially booked their hotel? Is that the Plan B you're thinking of? Yes, I'll tell you that always crosses my mind when I book a trip to a foreign country. "Hmmm, maybe I should book another night at the hotel in the off chance the flight gets cancelled, and there are no other hotel rooms available, and I get kicked out of the airport." I think that seems fair, right Fly Girl?

BTW, the video on this page does not even appear for me -- someone at Consumerist should check the source code for the page.

@michaelangelo1969: Spell-check is not an available option in Web 2.0
...maybe this will be fixed by Web 2.3 or so.

@williehorton: She actually makes a very good point in the first three paragraphs. I agree with her if you can get away from the blaming the OP and the attitude

@williehorton: Oops not you@AbsoluteIrrelevance:

Poor consumers, a shame these guys have no bill of rights.

The legacy carriers need your business now more than ever and all they can deliver for their customers is hell. How many years do you suppose they have left?

That's horrible! I can't imagine being stuck like that.

(I am getting no video either.)

@karmaghost: No, they probably didn't lose all 270+ customers for repeat business because USAirways practically has a monopoly in Philadelphia. Generally if you fly another airline in or out of there you have a much smaller choice of flights and they are frequently at higher cost.

wait...who did usair teabag?

@BeeBoo: Good God. Where I need to fly, it's cheapest to go through Philly, but good GOD, I've never not been delayed on my connecting flight from Philly to my next stop, or coming home. Apparently they pay the gate agents to give you blank stares and and throw their arms up when you ask where the plane is. Of course, they'll say it's on time until 20 minutes after the departure time, and then they'll announce a "small delay" Grrrr

Yes you can fly through a Hurricane

[www.hurricanehunters.com]

Of course there is a guy, I believe his rank is Airman Basic, who is assigned the task of cleaning the puke off the ceiling after each flight.... but is possible to fly through a hurricane.

I would try to get them to accept rule 240.

There's a reason going to the Caribbean during hurricane season is way cheaper than the November-June season. You get what you pay for.

I got stranded in Puerto Rico, once, in a similar situation.

It was awesome.

Would buy from US Airways again. (Ok, maybe note, but it was fun.)

From all accounts I've seen, the "Armed Guards" were locals trying to clear the Airport, not purposefully targeting the U.S. Airways passengers. That's just quick assumptions.

Not to defend the airline too much but while U.S. Airways is not legally required to put these people up due to acts of God, providing details on local hotels would have been nice on their part. Airlines having an emergency plan with brochures they can hand out providing details on local accommodation, transportation, and re-booking assistance would be a great benefit. That said, people need to understand that not everything can be prevented but alas most run around thinking their "entitled" for everything including acts of god and their own mistakes. If a storm brews up it affects everyone, not just them.

In any case a lawsuit against U.S. Airways for this would be an epic fail. The Bad PR is already out in any case and the airline will most likely provide reimbursement or refunds to the passengers affected.

Rule 240 is not in the US Airways COC and, since deregulation in the 70's, is no longer mandated by the gov't.

"DON'T TRAVEL TO THE CARIBBEAN DURING HURRICANE SEASON IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE STRANDED WHEN A HURRICANE HITS."

They only get brushed once every 4_years_in the Dominican Republic, a direct hit once every 17 years ( [www.hurricanecity.com] )....you're much more likely to get grounded over a thunderstorm or something, and that could happen almost anywhere.

@wgrune: Wow. 15 awesome points for decoding that. That makes the most sense to me.

@mythago and AbsoluteIrrelevance: No, I don't think they needed to book an extra night at their hotel or resort "just in case," but, like someone else stated already, prices in the Caribbean during hurricane season are DRASTICALLY cheaper than other times of the year, and they're that way for a reason.

It's not a matter of "IF" a hurricane (or MANY hurricanes) are going to come, it's a matter of when-- especially over the last few years, when the season has been longer and more severe than in the past.

I often take advantage of the low fares and hotels during hurricane season, BUT I plan for the worst-- I have back-up cash accessible to me and I have a travel insurance policy that covers any delays and cancellations that I might encounter. I obviously make sure that the travel insurance policy covers things like hurricanes. Those little steps ensure that, if and when the shit hits the fan, I'm going to be okay.

I don't know if you've ever purchased a travel insurance policy, but I travel constantly and extensively and I always travel with insurance. I've never once had a problem with my policy or in getting a claim paid promptly and in full. Travel insurance policies are easy to read and understand and their inclusions and exceptions are easy to understand, even by a layperson. And they're CHEAP-- pennies on the dollar.

Does it suck that the hurricane hit and their flight was cancelled and they were stuck in Punta Cana? Hells yes it does. Does it suck that the airport closed and all of the passengers were stranded? For sure. But is it anyone's fault? Anyone's responsibility? Nope. Sure, they're mad. I'd be mad, too. But there's not really anyone to be mad AT. It's a frustrating situation, but one that should have been anticipated and planned for.

When you travel to the Caribbean during hurricane season there are inherent risks involved. In this case, that risk became a reality. (And it was a serious risk-- there were fatalities in the Dominican Republic caused by the hurricane.) For the passengers on the plane that had travel insurance and had planned for and anticipated the risk, they were taken care of and just fine. For the rest, it was a lesson learned-- I'm sure they won't be traveling to the Caribbean, especially not without travel insurance, during hurricane season again!

US Scareways strikes again! Just flew in an hour ago into Philly on Delta. No problems. Of course, there weren't any Tropical Storms either.

@Fly Girl: Can you explain the part where travel insurance makes hotel rooms magically appear when the city's all booked up?

@muckpond:

"wait...who did usair teabag?"

Dude... who didn't they teabag?

@Kajj: Nope. But can you explain how US Airways is supposed to make hotel rooms magically appear when the city's all booked up?

Like I said... This is Mother Nature and Fay's fault, not US Airways'. In my comments above, I stated that people who had the foresight to purchase travel insurance will be reimbursed for any additional expenses incurred. That comment was directed at all of the commenters claiming that US Airways should have put people up in hotels.

My point is that it was, in no way, US Airways' responsibility to pay for the accommodation of the 274 people booked on that flight and that when people take trips to the Caribbean during hurricane season, it makes sense to plan for emergencies... Like hurricanes.

If the commenters, and the displaced passengers, want to complain about someone, their arguments should be directed towards the government of the Dominican Republic. The people of Punta Cana have no problem accepting U.S. dollars and milking the tourist trade for all it's worth, but they obviously haven't invested in the infrastructure necessary to accommodate and take care of those tourists in the case of a natural emergency-- something that is not a rarity in the Caribbean, especially not in the late summer and fall.

My point is that making this a consumer issue that is somehow related to US Airways is just too easy and lazy, because this has nothing to do with how bad US Airways sucks (and believe me, they suck) and everything to do with a country's lack of preparation in anticipation of a major natural disaster.