'Poor communication' criticised as Birmingham flight turned around after three-hour delay
A passenger on board a flight from Birmingham to New York which had to be diverted back to the UK has criticised the airline claiming there was a lack of communication.
The American Airlines flight, AA131, should have departed Birmingham Airport on Monday at 9am.
But passengers faced a three-hour delay before take-off, and then the flight turned around over the west of Ireland.
It landed in London Heathrow, before a new flight was chartered to take the passengers yesterday lunchtime.
Dr Alasdair Brooks, from Lichfield, a editor of a history newsletter, was on board the flight as part of a journey to Dallas.
The 47-year-old said: "First it was an hour-and-a-half delay to get on the plane, and then we were stuck on the tarmac for more than an hour.
"The only thing we were told was there was a problem with the front tyre.
"Then after setting off, the pilot came on to say there were two means of providing pressure to the cabin, and one had failed, meaning he had decided to turn around.
"It was frustrating, but the passengers were understanding.
"However, when we got to Heathrow we were left with little information on what to do next.
"They provided food and a hotel, but it was unclear where to go to get flight to the US."
Dr Brooks, editor of Post-Medieval Archaeology, added: "American have handled the situation really badly, starting with the lack of information on why we were three hours late taking off to begin with, and continuing through to their handling of passengers with connecting flight in New York."
Yesterday, an American Airlines spokesman said the plane was diverted to London due to a mechanical issue.
He added: "We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience."
