A devastated family was forced to watch their cruise ship sail away without them after their flight to the ship’s port was delayed and there was not enough time to arrive.
Tisha LaSaine, who lives in Brooklyn with her children, saved up for a year to go on a weeklong cruise that was supposed to celebrate her 50th birthday and the start of her son Kaseem’s junior year at Hampton College in Virginia.
But when the family of four arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, they were horrified to discover their flight to Orlando had been “delayed due to a crew issue.”
They were devastated and quickly realized they had made a common travel mistake and had not left enough time to take the $8,500 cruise.
“We took off at 11:40 am. Our flight was scheduled for 9:54 am,” Kaseem said. ABC 7New York City local branch.
The only problem was that their cruise ship was due to leave the port of Cape Canaveral at 3:30 p.m.
Tisha LaSaine, left, her son Kaseem Miller, right, and their twins were scheduled to take a cruise from Orlando. Their flight was delayed, so they missed the entire trip.
If their flight had not been delayed, they would have landed in Orlando at 12:51 p.m., which would have given them plenty of time to get to their cruise ship.
But when the average direct flight from JFK to Orlando takes about three hours, the family was cutting corners with an 11:40 departure time.
LaSaine told her mother, who was also making the trip, that she didn’t think they could make it.
And their worst fears were realized when they finally reached the dock, only to see that their ship was already out to sea without them.
“I think I cried more than the kids and it was because of them,” LaSaine said.
Travel expert Gary Leff says there is a way to avoid a tragedy like this.
“Don’t book short connections, such as less than an hour. And book your trip to arrive earlier than you actually need to get to your destination, so that later flights can still get you there on time in the event of a delay or cancellation,” Leff told the roadside assistance organization. AAA in 2022.
After missing the cruise, the family flew back to New York immediately and LaSaine fought to get a refund from Delta.
ABC 7 On Your Side, a consumer-focused news team from the station, sent a letter to Delta and successfully pressured them into refunding him in full. Kaseem is pictured thanking ABC reporter Nina Pineda with a hug.
They flew back to New York completely heartbroken.
LaSaine was able to get a refund from the cruise line for missing her entire eight-day trip, but ran into trouble when she tried to request the same from Delta.
Delta only gave her an electronic credit that only covered the one-way flight to Florida, not the return flight to New York. It was worth $250 per person, not even close to the full price of the ticket.
That’s when LaSaine sent a letter to ABC 7 On Your Side, a consumer-focused team at the news station dedicated to helping people who have unresolved issues with a company.
Nina Pineda, the reporter who interviewed the family, contacted Delta about this issue and was able to pressure the airline to issue a full refund.
Delta reimbursed LaSaine $2,600, the full value of the airline tickets.
“It’s a lot of money I’ve invested in just a few months,” LaSaine said. “I was happy, very happy.”