Stranded passengers Call For Action and get a refund

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dave Homrighausen and his wife were ready to enjoy a family vacation with their two sons.   They planned a trip to Fort Myers, Florida last year to visit grandparents.

But the family vacation that promised a lot of good memories turned into a nightmare before it even began. 

“It was just the ultimate bad experience,” Homrighausen said. 

The four boarded an American Airlines flight for Florida with a layover in Dallas.   But the flight became stalled due to stormy weather.   The family was stuck. 

At first, they camped in the airport overnight.  But the next day, American Airlines employees gave Homrighausen the bad news.  It could take several days for the family to catch a flight out either to Florida or back home to Kansas City. 

“They said it could be the end of the week before they found something back to Kansas City," Homrighausen said. 

Family members drove from Kansas City to pick up the stranded foursome.   At that time, American employees promised Homrighausen a full refund.    

Once back in Kansas City, he tried to connect with the airline by phone but could not reach a person who could carry out the refund.

"Calling businesses, finding people, finding phone numbers is something I do every day.  I could not find somebody to talk to," he said.   

So Homrighausen called for action.  

CFA contacted the media representative for American.   They blamed the delay on the airline filing for bankruptcy. 

The airline eventually refunded $1041, the price of three tickets and apologized for the inconvenience.

Homrighausen has advice to anyone who finds themselves stranded at an airport for days on end. 

"Collect names, collect information and really stay on top of it.  Maybe get a hold of you guys if that is not working," he said.