By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIAN passengers have accused Copa Airlines of leaving them without food, water and adequate assistance during a nearly 12-hour ordeal aboard a flight diverted to Colombia, with one traveller alleging racial discrimination and others claiming they were left to find their own accommodation after disembarking.
The passengers were travelling from Nassau to Panama when their flight was diverted to Barranquilla, Colombia, following a powerful earthquake that struck Panama on Friday, October 9.
In a Facebook post, a passenger using the name Lareinae Toote said a journey expected to take about two and a half hours turned into an exhausting ordeal, with passengers remaining aboard the aircraft from shortly before noon until almost 11.30pm.
“I boarded shortly after 11.45am, and I did not get off that plane until 11.20pm. Almost twelve hours!” she wrote.
Ms Toote said passengers were repeatedly told they would depart within another 30 minutes, but those times passed without clear explanations about when they would be allowed to leave. She alleged that passengers were left waiting for fuel without food or water and that the aircraft's air conditioning repeatedly switched on and off, making the prolonged wait increasingly uncomfortable.
“During those hours, there were also multiple incidents onboard that required police involvement, and some passengers needed medical assistance,” she wrote.
“This was not just an inconvenience. Being stuck on a plane for nearly 12 hours under these circumstances was physically and emotionally exhausting.”
The ordeal reportedly continued after passengers were allowed off the aircraft at 11.20pm. Ms Toote said they had been told accommodation would be provided, but no airline agents were available to assist them.
Another Bahamian passenger, identified on Facebook as Elaina Cuffy-Stuart, said she was also aboard the flight and alleged that some passengers received preferential treatment during the prolonged wait.
Ms Cuffy-Stuart claimed some Colombian passengers were allowed to leave the aircraft, affecting the passenger manifest and preventing the flight from returning to Panama because not everyone originally listed on the flight was present.
She also complained that announcements were frequently made in Spanish, leaving English-speaking passengers confused about what was happening.
“Snacks and drinks were being handed out to Hispanic natives, another clear example of the blatant racism shown yesterday,” she wrote.
Her allegations of discriminatory treatment have not been independently verified.
Ms Cuffy-Stuart further claimed that a Colombian woman stormed the cockpit area, demanded to be allowed off the aircraft and beat on the door before eventually being permitted to leave.
“Imagine if one of us Bahamians did that,” she wrote.
Ms Cuffy-Stuart, who said she was travelling in business class, also alleged that she witnessed economy-class passengers entering the cockpit area, sitting in flight attendant seats and going through the snacks.
She said the difficulties continued after passengers disembarked, claiming airport officials refused to serve people who did not speak Spanish.
She alleged that Bahamian passengers were left to fend for themselves at an unfamiliar airport without working Wi-Fi, accommodation or rebooking arrangements.
She also claimed Copa Airlines' call centre and website were unavailable, leaving her uncertain about how she would continue her journey.
A third passenger, identified on Facebook as Mericha Rochelle, said she was grateful the group had not experienced the earthquake in Panama itself, despite their frightening experience in Colombia.
“After everything we experienced, I’m just grateful I didn’t have to go through an earthquake in Panama. I know God was protecting all of us on that plane from something far worse as scary as our experience was,” she wrote.
Ms Rochelle said she doubted she would fly with Copa Airlines again and that the experience had changed her view of Colombia as a destination. However, she also expressed gratitude to people who helped the stranded passengers after they were allowed off the aircraft.
The passengers' ordeal followed a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck southern Panama on Friday, October 9, prompting evacuations, damaging buildings and temporarily disrupting air travel.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at a depth of about 12.6 kilometres, with its epicentre in a sparsely populated area near Pitaloza Arriba in Herrera province, approximately 200 kilometres from Panama City.
Damage was reported in several communities, including Penonomé, where buildings were damaged or partially collapsed. Power outages were also reported across six provinces.
The Associated Press reported that a second powerful earthquake, measuring magnitude 6.6, struck the region on Friday. The tremors prompted evacuations, while a tsunami warning issued after the initial earthquake was later lifted.
Reuters reported on October 9 that operations at Tocumen International Airport, Panama's main international gateway, were temporarily suspended following the earthquake before resuming later that day.
The Panama Canal, a major international shipping route, continued operating normally.
The disruption extended to international aviation, with flights diverted to alternative airports as authorities responded to the emergency. Colombia made several airports available to receive diverted international flights, including those in Barranquilla and Cartagena.
At least 27 people were injured and nearly 900 homes damaged, according to emergency authorities cited by Reuters. No deaths had been reported at the time.
The government declared a national state of emergency over the weekend, allowing it to allocate up to $100m in relief funding.