NBC Connecticut Investigates has confirmed from Avelo Airlines that five of its flights were diverted on New Year's Eve from Tweed to Bradley Airport.
Passengers we spoke with say they were left hanging, without communication or transportation.
Six different Avelo customers we spoke with said they felt the airline did not provide good customer service after the diversions.
Arlene Horenstein talked with us about her experience arriving at Bradley International Airport.
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“There’s nobody there. The only person who was working the jetway was actually from Air Canada and I think they just pulled her off, she knew nothing. I spoke to the pilot and he said we’re waiting for information from headquarters," Horenstein said.
Horenstein said she and her husband were two of hundreds of passengers on five separate flights that were diverted.
Because it was New Year's Eve, Horenstein says rideshares were tough to find.
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“Fortunately I have a very good friend, thank you, Anne, who was willing to come rescue us," Horenstein said.
The next day, she had to drive to New Haven, which is 55 miles away, because her luggage went back to Tweed.
Avelo told NBC Connecticut that the diversions were due to weather, combined with Tweed’s shorter runway.
Horenstein said, “…not blaming them for the weather. The weather is the weather.”
Avelo’s contract of carriage says this, in part, about diverted flights:
"In the event Avelo diverts a flight, Avelo, at its sole discretion, will take reasonable steps to transport the customer to his/her final destination and/or to provide reasonable accommodation at the diversion city, if available."
But Horenstein told NBC Connecticut that she and her husband were not contacted by Avelo after the diversion.
“The main problem is the lack of communication and nobody to help," she said.
NBC Connecticut Investigates learned in 2022, Avelo flights were diverted to Bradley a total of 27 times.
While Avelo did respond about the cause of the New Year’s Eve diversions, we have not heard back from them regarding customers’ experience with the Tweed to Bradley diversions.
