ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta travel group was prepared for a cruise of a lifetime and ended up living a travel nightmare.
Channel 2’s Audrey Washington was live at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Clayton County for Channel 2 Action News at 6:00.
A couple of people in the group actually broke down in tears as they talked about their experience.
Now when they arrived here at the airport, they thought they would end up in Barcelona. That never happened.
For this group of would-be travelers, it was more than just a trip it was supposed be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Nichole Hodo hosted a group of 20 for their self-titled “Three Decades, One Epic Party” trip.
The plan was to celebrate several birthdays at one time with a cruise to Spain, France and Italy.
These are pictures of the group at airport as they prepared to board an American Airlines flight to Philadelphia and then from Philly to Barcelona. Their cruise set to sail out the next day on Oct. 12 at 5:30 p.m.
But once the group boarded the plane, they learned the plane needed more fuel.
They said, though the flight attendants promised a speedy maintenance process, the plane sat on tarmac for nearly four hours.
Hodo said a flight attendant told her their connecting flight would be held for the group.
“They stated that they’re waiting, so you’re good,” she said.
But when the plane finally arrived in Philadelphia the group’s flight to Barcelona was long gone. They tried to book another flight, but that plane didn’t have 20 seats available.
The group ultimately missed the cruise, which left them feeling “hopeless, helpless, stunned.”
Now they want a full refund for the entire trip.
“They could’ve let that gate up, all of us could’ve exited, and we could’ve found another way to Barcelona, Spain,” Hodo said.
American Airlines just told Washington customer relations will reach out to the travelers and issue a refund.
The airlines spokesperson said, “Our goal is to provide a positive experience for our customers on every flight. and we’re disappointed we fell short of that commitment for these customers. Our Customer Relations team is contacting them to apologize for their experience and address their concerns.”
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