SAS flight SK916 from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Copenhagen Airport (CPH) was forced to turn back over the Atlantic due to a technical issue. The aircraft was diverted to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey, leaving passengers without new flight details or access to their checked luggage.
Emergency landing at EWR
The flight, operated by an Airbus A330-300 carrying up to 262 passengers, spent over three and a half hours in the air before landing at Newark Airport (EWR).
SK916 was scheduled to daprt JFK at 6:55 p.m. local time on Friday, Oct. 23, for an overnight flight to Copenhagen, and was due to arrive at CPH at 8:40 a.m. on Saturday. Flight tracking data shows that the aircraft departed at 7:24 p.m., 29 minutes behind schedule.
Passenger Michael Flarup, who was flying with his son, wrote on X that he noticed the aircraft “flying in the wrong direction” about two hours into the flight. When passengers asked cabin crew about the situation, the crew said that the captain will make an announcement shortly. Eventually, they were informed that the aircraft had developed a technical issue and the pilots didn’t feel comfortable crossing the Atlantic.
The aircraft landed at Newark at 10:58 p.m., where fire trucks and ambulances were positioned on the runway. What followed were a series of difficulties for passengers who were then stranded in New Jersey.
Passengers, stranded at Newark, struggle to get compensation
In the same X post, Flarup said:
“After waiting an hour at baggage claim, we were told they couldn’t get our luggage off the plane. We were given a QR code to report our missing bags, but absurdly, SAS’ system wouldn’t accept the report because we never arrived at our original destination.”
SAS told travellers that they would receive new flight details within a couple of hours, but no rebooking information was provided , and the original booking disappeared from the SAS app.
By midnight SAS emailed passengers, instructing them to arrange their own accommodation and offering reimbursements of up to €250 per room. Flarup said that despite several calls to SAS, he couldn’t get any support to help him locate his and his son’s two checked suitcases or register them as missing.
He wrote:
“Safety comes first. But the handling of hundreds of stranded passengers afterwards really needs to be better. People need clear information and a way to get home, especially in the middle of the night.”
What the EU says about compensation
As a European carrier, SAS is subject to EU air passenger rights regulations. Under these rules, airlines must provide passengers with free hotel accommodation for overnight delays, along with transport between the airport and hotel, and meals and refreshments in reasonable amounts during long delays.
Passengers may also be entitled to €600 in compensation for cancellations or arrival delays of four or more hours on routes exceeding 3,500 kilometres. This obligations reply regardless of the cause of the disruption.
What are your thoughts on this incident and how SAS handled passenger compensation? Let us know in the comments.
