Passengers were left with no choice but to sleep on airport floors after BA flight 2036, which had been due to arrive at Gatwick at around 8.30am GMT on Friday (November 2), was repeatedly delayed en route back to the UK.
The flight had been due to depart Orlando on Thursday evening. However, after embarking, passengers were forced to wait on the plane for four hours due to a technical fault.
They were eventually disembarked and put up in a hotel. The flight finally departed at around 9am GMT on Saturday, only for the aircraft to be diverted to New York’s JFK airport around 40 minutes after take off due to another technical issue.
Passengers eventually arrived home at Gatwick on Sunday (November 4) some 77 hours after they were due to touch down.
BA has apologised for the “exhausting and frustrating experience”
In a statement, the airline added: “Customers were rebooked where possible and while there were limited hotel rooms available, our teams on the ground cared for customers in our first class lounge providing bedding, food and drinks to ensure they were comfortable during their stay.”
Sarah Wilson, who was returning home with her family following their £11,000 “dream” family holiday to Disney World, told the BBC: "It was the journey from hell when it was supposed to be a holiday on a lifetime that we’d saved up for years to go on."
