‘Very stressful.’ Kings Park High School marching band stranded 13 hours after flight cancellation
Parents say they spent 13 hours at JFK trying to secure seats on another flight, unsure whether the students would make it to Orlando at all.
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Students with the Kings Park High School marching band say a long-awaited trip to Walt Disney World ended in disappointment after their flight to Florida was canceled at the last minute, leaving dozens of students and chaperones stranded at the airport for hours.
The band was scheduled to depart Saturday morning from John F. Kennedy International Airport on a flight operated by Delta Air Lines. Students and their parent association had spent months preparing and fundraising for the trip, which cost more than $2,000 per student.
Instead of boarding their flight to Orlando, parents say they were informed at the airport that the flight had been canceled.
What followed, according to families, was confusion and uncertainty inside JFK as chaperones worked to find an alternative way to get the group to Florida.
“It was very stressful. Very anxiety-building,” said freshman Jessica DiSalvio. “We were in an airport for 13 hours and didn’t know when we were leaving, if we were leaving. If we were going to stay in the airport all night or if we were going home.”
“There were mixed emotions all around, but I could tell one of the biggest feelings was upset and anger,” said sophomore Michael McKenna.
Chaperones spent roughly three hours on the phone with Kaleidoscope Adventures, the company that organized the trip, trying to determine their options. Kaleidoscope Adventures said Delta rebooked the group onto alternate flights, but the new itineraries would have separated students from their chaperones and included overnight layovers.
Parents say that arrangement raised concerns about student safety and the location of the group’s luggage, making it an unrealistic option.
Some students also report they still have not received their checked bags.
“My luggage, along with people in our group’s luggage, which was perfectly fine to go in the overhead, were checked and we still haven’t received our luggage,” said sophomore Juliana Martinsen.
The trip was meant to be a highlight of the school year. Students were scheduled to participate in workshops with Disney World’s color guard and marching band on Sunday. On Monday, they would have performed in a parade at Walt Disney World.
Much of the cost of the trip had been raised over the past six months through fundraisers.
While parents say they were told the cost of the canceled flight would be refunded, they remain concerned about recovering other expenses tied to the trip.
“There’s a lot of other money involved,” said parent Patrick Corbett. “You’ve got the hotels, the bus and everything else that the kids pay for, so we’ll see.”
The Kings Park School District said a pilot shortage was to blame for the cancellation. In a statement, Delta did not confirm that explanation but said, “A flight cancellation is always our last resort and we sincerely apologize to this group for the impact to their travel plans.”
For many students, the disappointment was especially difficult because of how long they had worked toward the experience.
“I would love to do it with people this year or next year,” DiSalvio said. “Even if some of the graduating seniors have to come back and do it with us, I would love that.”
