Should I believe colleague that flight from Jamaica is delayed?

[LivingOnAnIsland]

One of my colleagues was due back from Jamaica on Thursday (11th) and has sent a message to say she will be back early next week as the flights have been messed around because of Hurricane Beryl. I can't find anything online about this, and don't know if she's just decided to stay out longer and leave the rest of us to pick up the pieces or if it's genuine. Does anyone have any information?

A few months ago I was contacted by one of my direct reports saying his flight home from his city break had been canceled and he'd need an extra couple of days off, there was loads of stuff in the news about cancellations at the time so I didn't doubt he was telling the truth.

He absolutely did spend his extra couple of days enjoying the extended holiday, and I wouldn't have expected anything less.

If you aren't her boss it is NOTHING to do with you

I just read that 2 BA flights were hit by lightening and 100's of flights were cancelled during storm Beryl so yes I would belive her

Oh god @LivingOnAnIsland you sound like a nightmare colleague!!!

As a line manager, learn some professionalism. Trust until you have a reason not to trust, but ask for proof of the flight change for HR records. That way you fulfil HR processes and stop unnecessary ugly gossip and toxic cultures.

I second this. OP you sound like a toxic colleague desperate to get a team member in trouble.

You sound very creepy OP.... bordering on stalker territory 🤦‍♂️🙄😯

Our ferry back from Ireland was cancelled due to the incoming Storm Kathleen back in April and you'd have had to go into the ferry sites and dig for info on that, so I'd believe her.

These issues can also have a knock on effect.

A friend of mine got stuck in Dubai for several extra days when the airport was flooded a few months ago - the flight they were booked on the day after the storm did actually depart, but they filled it with people who were stranded at the airport from the day before. So checking her flight departed might not help!

What is this rest of this story? Why do you not. trust your colleague?

🤣🤣

Are you their manager? If not then this smacks of sneaking around trying to get a colleague in trouble. If management have any concerns then it's up to them to investigate this, not you.

I was in Florida for Hurricane Ian which was a full Cat 5, and it closed the air routes for two days - but of course that's the US where the infrastructure/organisation is vastly better than in Jamaica

So yes, though I've not checked the current situation I can well believe it'll mess things up for as long as your colleague's said

Oh, the irony 🙄

I would not like to work with someone like the OP. Always suspicious, always trying to catch you out, and going to odd lengths in an attempt to do so.

If you are still not convinced by all the previous posts:

The authorities declared officially, ahead of time, that Kingston airport would be closed due Hurricane Beryl from 0300 UTC 3rd July to 1000 UTC 4th July.

Montego Bay was declared similar from 3rd 0500 and actually declared opened again for normal traffic 4th 2258UTC

The whole Air Traffic System across the entire island and surrounding airspace was declared not available from 3rd 1200 UTC to 4th 1159 UTC -

Given the amount of traffic that goes into those airports that might just explain the disruption and backlog.

If you need to do more sleuthing to confirmed that flights were “messed around” you can find out more if you are prepared to wade through this lot:

https://www.jcaa.gov.jm/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ALL-NOTAM-as-at-2407090000.txt

I know someone who should have flown back last Friday and have only just flown back today. I also searched online about it and couldn't find anything I think the airlines don't publish it as it's not good advertising is it. They will be able to prove it though

I would also be inclined to believe her. Even when flights are running again it can be hard to get a seat as there are not always a huge number of additional flights and people will have already been booked to fly on the flights that are taking off. This happened to us after a tropical cyclone in Fiji and we weren’t able to fly home until a couple of days after flights resumed. Even getting a new flight home involved hours on the phone to unhelpful airlines.

Are you her manager? What's your issue with her taking more days?

It’s fairly straightforward to see what flights operated (or didn’t), as in flight numbers on which days but that obviously (?) doesn’t show who was on which flight, who got bumped etc.

If you really want to knock yourself out there’s still time to replay air traffic for the period and the area on sites like flight radar..that would at least show that there was not much to nil aircraft over the area and going into and out of the local airports for quite some time.

If that’s still not enough then anyone who really wants something like gold standard proof about the state of the airports, when they were closed or when they were not the place to go is the aviation navigation warnings (see my pp), but you need to be able to read the ICAO shorthand.

I was in aviation for some time, did a little bit of flying in that part of the world and if somebody told me they were delayed by several days because a Hurricane had gone through the island they were on I personally wouldn’t be the least bit surprised or suspicious.

I think the airlines don't publish it as it's not good advertising is it

In fairness even the airlines aren't responsible for a hurricane, and it makes a change from the catch-all "technical issues" they so often use

I got stuck in Bangkok for 6 extra days because of the Icelandic ash cloud, and could hardly blame the airline for that - though I blamed the blasted media who were insisting the routes would be closed for 6 months, even on the day they reopened them

If it's this desperate when a staff member has two days off, that business model needs to change.

The normal humane first reaction to your colleague being delayed should have been,

"Oh, I'm so glad they are OK. What a shame their holiday was ruined /really hope their Jamaican family are OK. Is there anything we can do?"

Very glad I don't work with OP.

Don't you have better things to do with your time?

What are you trying to do?

If you are the type of people who is always looking for a reason to backstab/criticise colleagues to make yourself look better then I feel sorry for anyone who has to share a workplace with you.

As a manager if you came to me with this I would be really concerned about your behaviour rather than your colleague's.

If your colleague is also of Jamaican heritage there is also another layer of concern that I would have as to what your motivations really are...

God, you’re one of “those” colleagues, even going so far to check up. The place has been battered by a hurricane, I hope you’re not management, as the welfare of your staff should be your top priority, not that she needs a further two days annual leave.

https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/uk-government-announces-hurricane-beryl-support-package-caribbean

considering the FCDO sent the RDT - which they only deploy when there’s a mass consular problem involving hundreds of British nationals - I can’t believe you even need to ask this, OP.

Your poor colleague.