Woman’s Stressful Journey Home to NYC via Africa After Flight Reroute

A Chaotic Journey Through Morocco

Bela Perez had planned for a routine flight home to New York after her trip to Barcelona, but what started as a weather delay turned into a stressful and confusing experience that took her across the Atlantic. The journey involved unexpected detours, missed connections, and a lack of compensation from the airlines involved.

Unexpected Changes in Travel Plans

Perez’s original flight from Barcelona to New York was canceled due to a winter storm. She and her two friends were rebooked on a flight with a layover in London. However, upon arriving at the airport, she discovered that she and one of her friends had been removed from that flight, along with about eight other passengers.

According to Perez, airline staff informed them that their only option was to contact the official airline they had originally booked through. This led to a new route that would take them through Morocco before finally landing in New York. The change in plans caused a significant delay, with the flight departing about three hours later than expected.

A Stressful Connection in Africa

The layover in Morocco required a terminal change just as boarding for the New York flight began. Perez raised concerns about the timing but felt ignored by the airline staff. She claims they were told they would have enough time to make the connection, which proved not to be the case.

Instead of being allowed to disembark first, the group was forced to take a bus to another terminal, go through an additional security checkpoint, and sprint across the airport. They managed to board as the final passengers, but the possibility of missing the connection loomed over the entire experience.

“If we had missed that flight, the next flight out of Morocco was about eight hours later, and it would’ve taken us from Morocco to Madrid, so we would have had to go back to Spain to get to New York,” Perez said. She noted that they had already lost a full day due to the weather delays.

Financial Strain Adds to Frustration

The financial aspect of the ordeal added another layer of frustration. Perez claimed she had to pay $230 to check her underweight checked bag with the new airline, whereas the fee with the initial airline was typically $80. She said she was assured over the phone that the difference would be covered.

However, when she followed up after returning home, the airline changed its stance. “They assured me on the phone that they would be compensating this cost because they were the ones to put us on this airline, but when I followed up after the travel day, they said that there was nothing they could do about it,” she alleged.

Social Media Attention and No Resolution

Perez shared her experience on TikTok with the text overlay, “POV: we just got to airport and found out our airline took us off our flight from Barcelona to NYC and rebooked us on a flight to Africa.” She hoped the attention might prompt a resolution, but instead, she claims nothing has changed.

“The airline did nothing to compensate us after my video went viral,” Perez said. “They just continued to refuse to compensate us in any way, which is obviously very frustrating.”