Air Jamaica - Overbooked flight - 15 hours to make a 3 hour flight from Jamaica to Newark

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on November 25, 2002:

From:

RE: Air Jamaica - Overbooked flight - 15 hours to make a 3 hour flight from Jamaica to Newark

On November 23, 2002, Air Jamaica turned the end of our vacation into a nightmare. We were traveling in a group of 8 when we reached the counter and were told the flight had been "downgraded" and six of us no longer had a seat on the flight back to Newark. After standing at the counter for an hour talking to an extremely rude rep, we were told we could be put on a flight to JFK, and transportation would be arranged to Newark.

A couple we were with said this was unacceptable and would never fly Air Jamaica again. At this point the rep walked away for a few minutes, and then came back and informed them they were now back on the Newark flight! Somehow 2 seats magically appeared on this "sold out" flight?

A moment later that rep's supervisor came by to tell her never to do that again. Apparently they would rather have empty seats on the plane. So then four of us were headed to JFK, but we were the ground transportation for 2 others headed to Newark. Then we sat on the plane at Montego Bay for two hours, finally arriving at JFK at midnight, only to be told that the name of the fourth person in our group was not on the list for the Newark shuttle.

We managed to get him on the shuttle, and arrived in Newark at 1am, only to coincidentally run into friends that were picking up 2 people from our party on the Newark flight. Apparently, due to an Air Jamaica security breech, they sat on the plane for FOUR hours (while their luggage sat in the pouring rain), and we actually beat them to Newark. I heard things got ugly when they ran out of food for the passengers.

So when we finally met up with them an hour later, they told us that a rep in Jamaica told them someone had SUCCESSFULLY delivered us a message that their plane was delayed and to wait for them in Newark, which was a lie.

We also heard that this was the 3rd day in a row in which Air Jamaica either cancelled or overbooked the flight to Newark. The only compensation that ONE of us in our party was given was a THREE MINUTE calling card that didn't work. We made it home at 4am. All told, it took us 15 hours to make a 3 hour flight. If you ever go to Jamaica, FLY DELTA.