Bank holiday travellers facing a 20-hour wait on an airport floor in Bermuda say they have been "abandoned in the middle of the Atlantic" after their flight was diverted.
Passengers on board the American Airlines flight AA38 from Miami to London saw their plans change drastically on Monday (August 29) when the plane was forced to make an emergency landing just three hours after taking off from Miami International Airport.
The travellers have since been left stranded at LF Wade International Airport in St George's, Bermuda, where they are scheduled to board a replacement flight to London Heathrow at 8pm local time — a whole 20 hours after they landed.
It is understood the plane was deemed unable to continue following mandatory tests on the aircraft in Bermuda.
Witnesses described being awoken on the plane by an announcement of "an indication of overheating electronics" before being greeted by a dramatic scene of fire engines on the runway upon landing.
One man, who was returning from the final leg of an "epic trip" that saw him propose to his wife, told the PA news agency that the initial warning was then followed by up by a further announcement which said they could "smell smoke in the aircraft cockpit".
Jonathan Lo said passengers had initially been understanding of the situation until they were transferred to the terminal, where passengers waited three hours until they were given their first update.
The lack of information and the fact they were not allowed to leave the airport led to tempers rising among the hundreds of delayed passengers, many of whom were families returning to the UK after the bank holiday weekend.
This was worsened by breakfast not being provided to them until 12:30pm —"a whole whopping 10 hours after people have landed with children and were really hungry," he said.
Others reported seeing rows of people sleeping on the floor at night while the airport left lights on above them.
Mr Lo said the events had left them feeling "abandoned" by the airline in the "middle of the Atlantic", adding that they would have been able to make plans themselves had they been provided more regular information.
American Airlines said in a statement: "American Airlines flight 38, from Miami (MIA) to London (LHR), diverted to Bermuda (BDA) this morning after a possible mechanical issue.
"We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans, and we apologise for the trouble this has caused."
