80 hours nightmare courtesy of Alitalia

On November 12th, 4 nuclear physicists go to Rome Fiumicino to board an Alitalia direct flight to Buenos Aires to attend a congress in Buenos Aires - they get boarding cards and go to gate. Flight was scheduled 10pm but it is canceled at 9pm.

Alitalia diverts the passengers to a flight to Sao Paulo, Brasil, but this flight has a delay and there is one expected crew member missing for this flight and none can be found. Flight to Sao Paulo is canceled, too at midnight. Alitalia offers to the scientists an hotel to spend the night.

The 4 physicists are back at the airport at 9am the day after but they have to spend all day there because the only option they get from Alitalia is a 7:30pm Alitalia flight to Madrid with a Lan Airlines connection to Santiago, Chile and then another LAN connection to Mendoza, Argentina. The Alitalia flight to Madrid lands at 10:30pm and the scientists go to the LAN gate for the Santiago flight with their boarding cards and……LAN does not accept the boarding cards issued by Alitalia.

After spending a night in hotel at their won expenses (200€), the lucky team is back the morning after in Madrid airport, but vague support from Alitalia to get an alternative flight. They give up and are back to Rome 3 days and half after.

The story (in Italian) here.