A Miami couple who were stranded in Bora Bora by an airport strike during their dream honeymoon have revealed how they finally returned home.
Earlier this week, Omid Kazravan posted a series of TikToks detailing how he and his new wife, Karrah, were stuck on the picturesque island and trying to get back to the US.
After weighing multiple options, the couple decided to team up with other stranded tourists and charter an 18-seater plane (which could only carry 10 people on board due to regulations) for $7,500.
But in an update posted yesterday, Omid complained that the group was forced to board a much smaller plane that was not the private jet they had booked.
Omid and Karrah Kazravan were forced to hire a private jet after being stranded in Bora Bora during their dream honeymoon amid sky-high costs due to airport strikes.
Omid went on to share photos of the plane they eventually boarded, noting that it looked like a “cylinder in the air with no space” rather than the “fancy private jet they saw on Google.”
He goes on to tell viewers that another nearby hotel had been trying to take over the plane for its stranded guests.
He explained: ‘We woke up at 6am to start coordinating everything because we had to make sure everyone was within the weight of the plane.
‘Once everyone paid we finally got all the information from the broker and it turns out they put the wrong date so we were like what the heck is this for tomorrow and sure enough after a lot of back and forth it turns out the broker had a typo.
‘When the plane arrives, the ticket agents tell us that it was not our plane and that we should go and come back with them.
‘The pilot had to come out and let them know it was the plane and it turns out another one of the Bora Bora resorts, the St Regis, was actually trying to take over our plane.’
He described the trip from Bora Bora to a “small private airport” in the “cylinder-shaped” plane as the “longest 35 minutes” of his life.
Omid then shared photos of the plane they boarded, noting that it looked like a “cylinder in the air with no space” rather than the “fancy private jet they saw on Google.”
He described the trip from Bora Bora to a “small private airport” in the “cylinder-shaped” plane as the “longest 35 minutes” of his life.
The video, which has racked up nearly 45,000 views, was captioned: “Normally when you charter a plane you think of something luxurious. This was far from that.”
The couple had initially been stranded due to the ongoing strike at the national airport by unionised workers on the day of their departure.
The businessman went on to say that it was only an eight-hour boat ride from the most expensive island, where a normal can of Coca Cola costs $9, to the mainland.
The industry action prompted Air Tahiti and Air Moana to cancel all domestic flights through Bora Bora airport as strikers demand officials meet their needs.
No international flights have been affected as a result of the strike.
“We have to take matters into our own hands. There has been no communication from the national airlines. They are not even sending emails,” Omid told viewers in his previous videos.
‘We literally had to call them five times to get an email saying our flight was cancelled.
The businessman went on to say that it was only an eight-hour boat ride from the most expensive island, where a normal can of Coca Cola costs $9, to the mainland.
After weighing different options, the group chartered an 18-seater plane that could only carry 10 people on board due to regulations for $7,500.
The strike has prompted Air Tahiti and Air Moana to cancel all domestic flights through Bora Bora airport as strikers demand officials meet their needs.
They also contacted the US embassy for help and were informed that a cargo ship would soon arrive to take them to the airport.
After some research, Omid discovered that the freighter was also eight hours away with no seats or chairs of any kind on board.
As they began to think about what to do with the rest of the stranded tourists, the resort suggested they rent a small plane that would have cost $10,000 for eight people.
Air Tahiti has so far issued a warning stating: ‘Due to the strike by Tahiti airport staff, disruptions to the flight schedule to Bora Bora, Rangiroa and Raiatea are expected.’
The company has not provided any other information.
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