Serbian passengers arrived from freezing New York: They finally landed to Belgrade after 3-day trip from Moscow (PHOTO)
They were all sent to busses at one moment
Our passengers safely landed in Belgrade after few days from Moscow. They went through three days of agony during the unprecedented storm in New York.
Aleksandar Kojic from Belgrade is one of the passengers who stayed in New York with his friends and his wife during the New Year holidays, and he couldn't imagine that he will spend the part of the vacation on the Airport, trying to return to Belgrade without luck.
- Our return was scheduled for 04.01 but it was obvious that it might be difficult because local TV stations reported on the bad weather and cancelations of large amounts of flights from JFK airport. We waited for the flight and they informed us around 12:00 that the flight was delayed, but it wasn't canceled. The airport was closed by then but it was expected for it to start working again around 18:00.
- We got meal tickets in the next hours because the flight was late, but received no information on the status of our flight. At some moment, an information appears that the plane we should return with was rerouted to Toronto, but they kept convincing us that we will return, although the other two companies informed their passengers that their flights were canceled - Aleksandar said for Telegraf.
They didn't have any major complains about "Air Serbia", until the moment when they were informed that the flight was definitely canceled.
- Chaos and disorganization of procedures and information lasted for hours. The search for accommodation and transport for passengers started when it was definitely confirmed that the flight was canceled, and we saw that other companies had everything organized in the case that the flight was canceled so they could be taken care of in the shortest time 0 Aleksandar said.
They all put us in some busses, the worst is that we had no information to what hotels we were going, we found out from the guide who led the group of people from Croatia.
- Local agency representative told us that we will be rebooked to other flights and that we should just call "Air Serbia" in the morning because they don't have the options to inform us to be ready at 12:00 and that transport will arrive to return us to the airport. We already called the contact center, and also relatives from Belgrade. The first information we received is that we will be rebooked for a flight on 11.01. but we said that was unacceptable.
- After that, they mentioned a flight on 08.01, and then the flight over Zurich, at the end, they told us that we were rebooked for the flight of "Aeroflota" to Moscow, and then "Air Serbia" will fly us to Belgrade. We got each of the information in separate phone calls, and every time they sounded like that they have no idea what we are talking about and as if they didn't know we lost a flight.
- The transport to the airport didn't come at the scheduled time and they didn't know anything in the contact center so they redirected us to the local representative, and we didn't know how to reach them. Passengers on earlier flights took taxies on their own expense which took them to the airport - Aleksandar shares his unpleasant experience.
When the bus finally showed up and transported them to the airport, there was new waiting, of eight hours.
- Unlike "Air Serbia", the representatives of "Aeroflota" informed us what was going on with the flight, and we took off around midnight 06.01. We landed in Moscow around 16h local time and we waited for the flight to Belgrade for around 5 hours.
Finally, the drama of four passengers whose dream vacation turned to nightmare has finished on Christmas Eve, they took off to Belgrade at exactly 23:00h.
Few states later, time zones and a group of friends came to their home. However, New York will remain as a happy memory, adventure and the greatest New Year's wish to get home as soon as possible.
(Telegraf.co.uk / Dragana Ivanic)