20 year old daughter having to spend night at JFK airport.

[DaughterStranded]

Not an AIBU, but posting for traffic as really worried.
20 year old DD has arrived at JFK airport to find connecting flight to South Carolina cancelled due to signalling issues. The next connecting flight will go 7am tomorrow morning. There are no earlier flights to any nearby airports available.
DD has decided to spend the night at JFK airport. I am worried she will fall asleep and get robbed of her phone/money. Anyone else had this situation to deal with? Any advice or tips anyone?

It’s a well known fact that homelessness is an issue in many airports across the US. That’s all I’m saying…

Maybe they've dealt with the problem by now, but this article headlined "Homeless Are Filling JFK Airport" is from January 2023.
https://www.fox5ny.com/news/jfk-airport-becoming-shelter-for-homeless-new-yorkers

My DD told me she had to spend the night at Manchester Airport 2 weeks ago. I paid for a hotel for her. No way was she being left vulnerable like that.

If you can afford it pls get her a room x

That is outside of the secure areas. I don’t think it’s a huge problem as it apparently is at JFK in public areas, but I’ve seen homeless sleeping in parts of Heathrow near the trains at times also.

@Babanafroufrou Thank you! I will have aook at this information.

@Babanafroufrou Mumsnet came to the rescue in my hour of need. So grateful.

@likethislikethat In fact DD wasn't asking for a solution. She was intending to sleep at the airport. She was ringing for a moan about the flight delay. It was me who had the problem with her doing it. Doesn't matter how streetwise you are, if you fall asleep alone at airport, you would be more vulnerable to being robbed of valuables or worse sexual assault. Why leave DD vulnerable if a solution is available? Also, as DD is on the holiday insurance cover I get with my bank account, it would have been worth her telling me about her predicament to see if the insurance company would offer any assistance.

RTFT?

I have never seen homeless in US airports Especially not in ticketed areas..pass thru TSA with ticket only. I also think it’s quite different than overnighting “when I was young”. But I really came on here to say to all of MN…head over to the USO section of the airport. It’s for all military personnel/ families with or without uniforms and most larger airports have them. USO has cots which will be handed out to military and then if any leftover first come first served. I learned this in Chicago Midway. The airport was freezing cold…all stores closed…prerecorded messages like hold onto hand rail go on all night…and work crew was using electric drill to secure fastenings on all the chairs and benches. And the benches have arms so there is no where to recline. It’s was noisy mind numbing and miserable until I discovered the USO section. Felt safe there. also as last resort and if unused…the breastfeeding room which locks from inside. Even if I hadn’t gotten an USO cot I would have slept on the floor next to them.

I got one from a Latin American one! :)

They will most certainly never tell everyone on board that you can get a refund, you always have to look online.

If she can’t get a hotel then maybe the Chapel ,Prayer room is a good quiet place to kip for a bit. Keep passport and money etc close in clothes etc obs.

That will be before departures though, not in the ticketed area.
certainly didn’t see it when I was at JFK in June 2023 or July 2022

They do if your flight departs or arrives in/ from the U.K. and EU I believe

For those saying US airlines don’t have to help, read this:
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/guide-eu261-flight-compensation/

although the U.K. isn’t in the EU anymore, this is one of the laws we kept, so it also covers the U.K.

That’s brilliant 😃 thank you for letting us know .. I have grown lads with families and if they was on their own I’d worry you know ? … so I can only imagine how worried you were ! Take care both 😉

Sorry i meant stuck solo without their family … I worried enough when teens 🤦🏻‍♀️😆

@Donsyb The airline said that the cancelled flight was due to factors beyond their control. I think that this absolves them from any need to pay compensation unfortunately 😞

Yep, you won’t get homeless walking in off the street and going through security to airside.

One problem at some US airports is that the baggage belts can actually be landslide, which can make for some perhaps slightly misleading images.

As for Heathrow, there was at least one regular homeless man at LHR T5 who was pretty much adopted by the resident crew and staff ..but he was always very definitely landslide.

What was the actual reason? They often try to get away with that first to avoid paying out.

Working on the assumption from the OP that we are talking about Monday 27th, PM into evening.,.

For info on the 27th the weather agencies such as NOAA were warning of widespread thunderstorms down most of the US eastern seaboard and westwords from Florida across towards Texas for much of the later part of the day.

That certainly translated into airspace closures and as a result what’s known as “ground stops” either for a whole airport or just for selected routes at places such as JFK.

As others have said EU rules/EU261 may not apply.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/ground-stop-one-americas-busiest-airports-one-years-busiest-travel-weekends
…

American carriers flying within the US - i.e. not to/from the UK/EU - are not bound the same or similar rules that airlines in other countries/regions may be, though.

I have had multiple flights cancelled and rescheduled in the US and have never had any recompense beyond refunding or rebooking the ticket.

That includes with our US business travel agents tightening the thumb screws on them and me personally phoning and emailing the various airlines' customer services all over the world. With Delta, for example, if you're booked on a connection with them by Virgin Atlantic they'll send you to KLM customer services as they deal with their European codeshares and tickets.

I must have had at least 20+ long flight delays and cancellations within North America over the past decade on business.

You paid nearly FIVE HUNDRED QUID for a few hours in a hotel room rather than saying "Oh bad luck darling but I'm sure you'll be fine in the airport. Text me in the morning"?! You are an absolute mug OP.

My daughter is 20. I would 100% help her in this situation. I would help my son out if he asked and he works for the police!

I know my mom would help me and I'm in my 50's!

There are some very harsh vipers on here.

And yes, I would totally wince at the cost of the room, but I'd do it if I possibly could.

Christ! I've just seen it was £440 for the room?! 😂

There's no way on earth I - or DH - would spend that on a room for our DD just to avoid a few boring slightly uncomfortable hours in a perfectly safe airport, regardless of how easily affordable it would be. Our daughter is 24 now and was off travelling around North America and then Asia herself at 20/21; I don't think she'd have even bothered to mention this issue, let alone accept spunking such a sum on a room.

If she was genuinely in danger obviously money would be no object in helping her sort the problem, but wow, £440 to avoid sitting in JFK? Bonkers!

I'd be reluctant to even spend company money on such an extortionately expensive room for just a few hours waiting at an airport when I'm away on business.