United passenger says weather diversion on flight to Chicago led to 20-hour travel nightmare

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A passenger on a United Airlines flight from Edinburgh, Scotland to Chicago says a weather diversion to Wisconsin turned into a nearly 20-hour travel ordeal that included hours on a grounded aircraft, time spent waiting outside on an airport tarmac and what she described as poor communication from the airline.

Heather Fields said her flight to O'Hare International Airport was rerouted to Green Bay because of storms. Passengers hoped to continue to Chicago and make connecting flights, but instead remained on the plane for about four hours after landing, she said.

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"It was quite shocking," Fields said. "The bathrooms filled up. Toilet paper ran low; food ran out. We were able to serve ourselves water. There was very little information as to what was happening," she said.

Fields, who now lives in Costa Rica, said the delays continued after passengers were told the flight could not depart because the crew had exceeded its allowable duty time.

"We taxied to the runway and almost immediately the pilot announced that actually they had timed out, their FAA timeout, and that they weren't going to be able to fly to Chicago. And they were going to need to take us off the runway and wait for a replacement crew," Fields said.

Passengers were then instructed to leave the aircraft and wait outside on the tarmac for another five hours, according to Fields.

"Nobody knew what was happening. But you start to see law enforcement come through gates and then start to circle around the plane," she said.

After being allowed off the plane near a customs building, passengers assumed they would be processed there, Fields said.

Instead, they were told no agents were available and continued waiting outside.

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"There's a certain point where you think to yourself, 'am I allowed to leave?' Which is a funny feeling, an American coming onto U.S. soil. And so I asked, as other passengers did. It became evident that United didn't have a plan for us," Fields said.

Fields said United provided pizza, but not enough to feed all passengers. After several more hours, a replacement crew arrived and the flight departed for Chicago at about 10:30 p.m.

"We went through customs in the international terminal and then everybody rushed to domestic to make whatever connection or try and get put on a connection," Fields said.

She said she was unable to get through TSA security again at O'Hare to reach the domestic terminals because it was closed at that hour.

Fields ultimately arrived in Denver about 20 hours after she had originally been scheduled to land.

Fields said United initially offered her $200 in flight credits after she complained and exchanged emails with the airline.

She said the amount was later increased to $500, but she remains dissatisfied with the compensation.

"I shared that with United and it was really frustrating to receive a very short message just saying that was due to weather," Fields said.

In a statement to the I-Team, United said, "We apologized to this customer for her experience, provided her with an electronic travel certificate and refunded some of her fees as a gesture of goodwill..."

The airline also said, "Customs and Border Patrol in Green Bay were unable to clear customers but allowed them to deplane on the tarmac into a controlled area. We provided food and beverages and after getting a new crew to operate the flight it departed for Chicago."

Fields said the experience was especially troubling because some passengers appeared to struggle with the lengthy delays.

"It was really frustrating that that we were not able to make choices for ourselves, but our basic needs weren't being met. And I think that's the crux of it for me to look at the elderly people that, you know, the woman who felt like she would faint. And then later I see her trying to sleep on the cold airport floor. You know, she's my mother's age. I see a woman in a wheelchair. And I wonder, how is this for her?" she said.

Fields said her flight credit remains at $500. Generally, airlines are not required to provide credits or compensation for weather-related delays. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires a full refund if a flight is canceled due to weather or if a passenger chooses not to travel because of a significant delay. In this case, the passengers were already in the air when the disruption began.