Lost: Stranded in San Andres Edition

One might wonder how they end up in this position. First on a lovely tropical island, soaking in the warm salt water and bright sun, and the very next, lying on a cold airport floor, almost begging to be taken home. Never have I heard of an airline not only refusing to bring in an aircraft to a location, but also, denying exhausted, mistreated passengers, their fundamental right as customers. To add a twist to it, the airline even realizes it fucked up and casually tries to cover its tracks by removing all records of the return flight. Sounds incredibly legal, right? No answers, no compensation, no flight records, no cash even, and a whole lot of evidence and strong memories of being stranded in a place which normally should be referred to as paradise. All thanks to the lack of governance and apparently any sort of rule of law, in one of the largest and "best" Latin American airlines: the Chilean company, LATAM. If 50+ hours of airport protests and mobs sounds fascinating to you, then please, follow me on this incredible, hopefully once in a life time, journey.

My name is Nino and until very recently, I was a rather sad LATAM airlines passenger stuck in a tiny airport on the island of San Andres, Colombia. Now recounting a story of struggle, bad luck, terrible management, but also hope and the power of human unity. I can admit, I might be slightly exaggerating, or as I prefer to call it, poetically describing the whole ordeal. However, you will find the whole incident backed up by photos and videos of my fellow travelers, or rather, somewhat friends at this point. Considering that the situation successfully bonded a group of one hundred completely random people to not only get along, but to stand together for their fundamental right to go home!

Let me introduce you to flight LA 4267 scheduled to fly to Bogota, Colombia from the island of San Andres on Sunday at around 5am. For those who are not familiar with the area, San Andres is a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean, approximately on the longitude of Nicaragua. Being a tropical island, it is very much subject to abrupt weather changes and storms. Especially during the rainy season, which is still very much present in the month of December. December also happens to be a popular long weekend month in the country of Colombia (although almost every month can be considered that with their 20+ holidays in the year).

So let us focus on the long weekend of December 10th. Hundreds of excited travelers flooding in to the island for their quick tropical getaway. However, as tropical weather normally does, it took a turn towards rain and strong winds with the forecast lasting up until Thursday, December 14th. In fact, when I woke up abruptly to catch my 5am flight on Sunday, the electricity in my lodging was off, there was strong wind and not a sign of a car or a human in the street.

Let me also introduce you to the airport of San Andres. It is quite a sight. Very much resembles an oversized barn. Open. Nice breeze blowing through with the rain. Almost no space. Dirty floors and bathrooms, limited food, and most importantly, cash only. A fantastic place to be stranded for over two days, and what a stranded adventure it was...

Outside View of San Andres Gustavo Rojas Pinilla Airport

Day 1: Sunday

As we arrived to the airport, two flights were scheduled to leave at the same time. Our flight with LATAM to Bogota, and slightly later, a VivaColombia flight to Medellin. The bungalow that is the airport of San Andres was intensely blown through and the passengers were beginning to worry that there might be delays due to the severe rain and wind experienced on the island earlier in the night. However, the Viva passengers were asked to kindly enter the boarding area before us while we just stood there awaiting further information. We received no announcement whatsoever and were admitted into the boarding area with an hour delay. I even had the honor of becoming a personal translator to the three American girls that spoke no Spanish and were very terrified and confused by the whole situation.

Surprise number one awaited us by the gate. It was the start to a rather regular pattern for the rest of the trip. The LATAM representatives gathered us all together and refused to provide further information regarding the flight (which was already officially delayed at that point). After having kept us waiting for an hour or so, they informed us that they will only have MORE INFORMATION in approximately four hours. They refused to explain why such a delay happened in the first place and claimed that at that moment, it was the weather that was barring them from entering the island. All this while there were planes from other airlines landing and flying out rather regularly. No LATAM plane had arrived for us that night, or so we were told, and it didn't look like any plane was going to arrive that day either.

Flight Delay Notifications Received on the First Day

The more information ended up being... nothing. After serving us snacks and juice boxes, the LATAM representatives continued their silence and the passengers only received an unofficial update after forcing the information out of them. There was no LATAM plane on the island, as we had already guessed, and no plane was actually expected to arrive until 1pm. The earliest possible departure time would be 2pm, they confirmed, constantly blaming the weather. Even though the airport was still open and flights from other airlines were operating. So how is it that all other planes can calmly land and depart and it is only one airline that is experiencing all the issues?

To shortly summarize the wait for the rest of the day. We had received email notifications of our departure being moved to 2pm, then 3:20pm and then.... nothing. The airport announced that it had to close around 4-5pm. The other airlines stopped flying around 3pm. During this whole day, not a SINGLE LATAM airplane had landed on the island. Due to operational issues and rules, once a plane could not land once, it could not return to the same location. While other airlines gave constant updates regarding the flights, delays, cancellations, and accommodation even, the LATAM representatives remained completely silent. Occasionally serving some snack or sandwich. Every update we had received from them was after arguments and fights which would last for around half hour.

Once the airport was declared closed for the rest of the day, everything plunged into pure chaos. Hundreds of people from all the failed LATAM flights (since none had departed ALL DAY) fighting to get to any sort of counter. People looking for some sort of accommodation for the night, with no plans and post-vacation budget. Few had the opportunity to find and stay in a nice hotel for the night. While the other airlines provided some sort of alternatives, LATAM selectively offered accommodation for the night. Very few actually got the opportunity to stay with them and receive some sort of voucher. The vast majority of us were left to fend for ourselves. Either sleep on the airport floor or find something in our vicinity. This was all after we spent a few hours fighting our way to the counter to receive SOME sort of confirmation that we would be on the first flight out to Bogota the next day. It was 8pm at that point, I had been at the airport for approximately 16 hours...

Luckily for me, I had made friends with the three American girls and a lone traveling American guy. The guy talked to the airport security and helped arrange a local housing/apartment deal called a posada. It was definitely not my first choice and everything was cash only but it was a roof and some sort of bed for the night. Better than being homeless. So with only a picture (taken on my phone by the LATAM rep, yes, very reassuring and professional) of my name listed to be on a 1pm flight for the next day, I slept, with high hopes of finally making it out the next day and of my boss forgiving me for being stuck half a workday on a tropical island.

Day 2: Monday

Our anxiety had us at the airport more than three hours in advance the next day. The Bogota flight was scheduled for 1:15pm, adding up to a 30 hour delay at that point. Funnily enough, the airport itself has been open and functional since the early morning of that same day. Why they would not schedule for the morning when the airport opened, God only knows, we got no answers as per usual. New boarding passes in hand and having scavenged some remaining food from the overcrowded and very limited food court, we head to the boarding area. Only to discover that our airline had chosen to give priority to already scheduled flights for the day. Yes, you read that right. We have been stranded for over a day but the previously scheduled flights got priority. OK.

The airline representatives adamantly maintained that we would fly out that day as we watched the other LATAM passengers board their scheduled flights as if nothing had been happening. You'll get their eventually, we were being reassured, only to receive yet another flight delay notification. Yes. 1.5 days later, it was US who received the notification of yet ANOTHER delay. The typical story, first, one hour, then two, all while the representatives would refuse to provide any sort of update. Due to these additional delays, our flight got moved to around 3pm, which was the perfect time for the island weather to deteriorate and prompt the airport to close for yet another 12 hours...

The uproar from the crowd cannot be described with words. While the other airlines began confirming the cancellations, rescheduling people's flights and offering accommodation, our representatives chose to maintain their stone-cold silence. Yelling, screaming, arguing, and cursing ensued. Where is the manager, the people demanded. Are we seriously going to be stuck here for over two days now, how were we given NO priority over such a lengthy delay?? Despite all the arguments, the airline only officially confirmed the cancellation in an hour. Then they demanded for all of the passengers to go downstairs to the check-in area, a chaos of a few hundred people already in line from more recently scheduled flights, wait in the said line, and get put on some sort of flight for later that week.

The people were just not having it. They formed a mob and absolutely refused to move. This time no accommodation was offered to anybody. The mob demanded to be put on the first flight out for the next day and refused to leave the boarding area. Since no accommodation was provided, the airport and airline representatives could not force the people to leave. And thus began the stakeout/wait to be acknowledged and finally provided a service which has been overdue for 36 hours.

No water was provided, only juice boxes. Nor were blankets. Or at least, only to children and elders. The rest of us just got the cold, stone floor. Through further arguments and negotiations, our group got the LATAM coordinator for the island of San Andres to pay us a visit. Except her visit proved to be absolutely useless. Rather than answer questions about the delay and future compensation, she only claimed that nothing could be done, we got stuck only due to bad weather conditions (HA, bullshit, the others could fly half the day, where the hell were you guys?!), and we could not complain since none of us had purchased travel insurance. The earliest flight she could promise us, or at least could POSSIBLY provide us, would be at 11am the next day. She refused to reschedule for earlier, even though the airport was due to open at 6am (need to check the weather for 4 hours apparently!). While she was booed out of the room by all the people who got fed up with the bullshit, the biggest realization began to hit people: two whole work days were officially lost. And strict Latin American work rules do not exactly account for crises like these, you are either there, or out.

The only beauty of that wait: everybody got together. A bunch of us huddled in a group, got beers (some wonderful person had been buying them from the airport convenience store), put on reggaeton, and talked about life. Got to know each other, where we are from, where we have been. Told stories of adventures and families. That was the only comfort in the intensely stressful, draining situation. So as the mothers hugged their children close, and the elderly people curled up in multiple layers of clothes, we drained our beers and hunted for a comfortable chunk of floor to sleep on. I found a slightly less breezy corner by a stand and used my thin jacket as a blanket while I rested my head on my backpack. Goodnight world...

Overnight Stay Conditions in the Boarding Area and the LATAM Counter Lines

Day 3: Tuesday

It has now been more than 48 hours. The other airlines had already resumed all operations. Their stranded passengers were flown out. Yet we, unsurprisingly, have heard absolutely nothing. No updates. The crowd anxiety is turning up. We are sleepless and exhausted. Most of us do not have cash left to buy food or water in the fantastic, cash-only airport. The only ATM was at the check-in area and happened to not work.

Having found myself in the no cash position, I sat there, munching on some crackers I had from the day before. Should've laid easy on that beer but hey, it was for a moral crisis. One of the guys from our hangout group saw me, took me over to the store, and bought me a breakfast pastry and coffee. We don't let people die from hunger in Colombia, he told me, despite all of my protests. But I was incredibly grateful, even somewhat hopeful for the human race.

The Crowd Protesting the Flight Delay at the San Andres Airport

10am had approached, yet no LATAM plane was still in sight. As the other airlines took up the entire boarding area, our group kept looking out the windows, waiting for a sign.... and there it was! A miracle! We were informed that TWO LATAM planes arrived at the same time. We would be leaving after all! However, the representatives said that now we would have to wait for all the other flights to board first and that the second LATAM flight to another location was to leave first. I still cannot tell if they said that just to fuck with us but either way, it was the last straw.

The crowd lost it. It was the last goddamn straw. They formed a mob and blocked the entire boarding area passage. "No nos movemos! (we will not move!)" they chanted and refused to let anyone pass. Give us priority! Acknowledge us! We have stayed here for over 50 hours now!

The airline representatives, and even airport security were completely helpless in the face of over one hundred furious people. Either we go now, or nobody else leaves, was the ultimatum. Half were fighting, while the other half began breaking down into tears. What if the weather worsens and we do not get to fly out yet again?? I saw a grown man crying his eyes out whole hugging his wife, an elderly man shedding tears while sitting alone in a corner. Some young american girl protesting and then breaking down herself. It was truly disheartening. Back to square one we go.

All was well though. They gave in and let us board immediately. Although, had to add an insult to the injury and keep us waiting in the plane for another hour while they searched for more passengers to fill the empty aircraft seats. No new boarding passes were given. Seating first come first serve. No order. The flight was not shown nor recorded on any website. My panicked mother combed through the whole internet searching for it, only to find... nothing. I lost my second invalid boarding pass in the mayhem. Most had connections, with rather long flights, ahead of them. No proper assistance or planning was provided to help them out. And while I was drafting the original of this story, on December 13th, there were still people in the process of getting home, due to long or delayed connections.

"Putos" (translated: Bitches) Written Overnight on the LATAM Rep Stand

Postmortem

I have not been able to find the record of the flight anywhere. It is as if the Tuesday flight never happened. My LATAM flight reservation shows that I have returned to Bogota on Monday afternoon. I have not found any record of the flights I was supposed to fly either. Not even in the flight statistics websites.

I have been denied a refund, compensation, or even a filing of a claim over phone customer service. I had to make multiple attempts through various media to reach them. The company refuses to acknowledge any fault or responsibility... There were still hundreds of passengers stuck in the airport when we were leaving, rescheduled to leave as late as the end of the week.

It was even more entertaining to find out that the flight we were originally supposed to take on Sunday 5am, had indeed arrived in the night and left before its scheduled time. With a completely different group of people. Yet, the airline refused to clarify who authorized this unscheduled flight and why...

Will the corporate corruption ever end? How long are we to put up with corporations, especially airlines, getting away with whatever it is that they desire? Beat up passengers, thank you United, stranded in airports for obscene amounts of time, gracias LATAM, when are we going to start holding them accountable for their actions and demand respect not only as customers but as humans? We are still entitled to our basic rights and no one, especially not corporations, can take them away from us.

Thank you #NoVueloLatam