- A passenger said Hawaiian Airlines only compensated him with a $12 food voucher after his flight was delayed, per PIX11News.
- The flight from New York City to Honolulu, Hawaii was delayed for over 30 hours on Tuesday.
- Hawaiian said staff reported smelling an odor which forced the flight to be delayed for maintenance.
A passenger said he only received a $12 food voucher from Hawaiian Airlines after his flight with the airline was delayed for over 30 hours.
Jeff White, the passenger, said he was stranded at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Tuesday for more than a day after his flight to Honolulu, Hawaii was delayed, according to a report by local television station PIX11 News.
"It's been a circus," White told PIX11 News, adding that several hundred other passengers were also stranded at the airport waiting for the flight to be rescheduled. According to White, Hawaiian was unwilling to return the passengers' bags so they could take another flight to Hawaii.
"There are small children … elderly people, and mothers with newborns who were unable to retrieve their baggage due to this delayed flight," he told PIX11News.
White said in the report that passengers, including him, only received a $12 food voucher from Hawaiian as compensation. According to an April report by local news outlet Hell Gate NYC, a turkey sandwich from CIBO Express Gourmet Market at JFK Airport costs at least $14.99.
The flight was delayed as there was an issue with toxic air flowing through the vents of Hawaiian's aircraft, White and another passenger who declined to be named said in the report.
White said passengers were upset about the ordeal and that their travel "has been ruined."
"This is supposed to be Hawaiian Airlines. They are supposed to get us to the land of aloha," White told PIX11News, adding that "people have lost wages, income, and vacation time" because of the delayed flight.
According to Hawaiian's website, passengers are eligible for refunds and travel arrangements on other carriers should the airline's flights be delayed, misconnected, or canceled.
"We will transport you, subject to availability and without stopover, to your destination, next stopover point, or transfer point shown on our portion of your Ticket, in the same class of service, at no additional cost to you," Hawaiian notes on its website.
Hawaiian disputed White's claim that passengers were only given a food voucher.
"All affected guests were offered meal vouchers and a $1,000 travel credit," a representative with Hawaiian told Insider in an email.
Hawaiian said in the email the flight was delayed after staff "reported an odor during a pre-departure cabin check of HA51." Maintenance teams then had to inspect the aircraft, Hawaiian said.
"Troubleshooting of the issue continued into yesterday morning, causing our flight crews to exceed their maximum number of legally allowed duty hours and requiring them to return to the hotel for rest," Hawaiian said, adding that the safety of passengers is its "highest priority."
Hawaiian Airlines is certified as a 3-star airline, according to Skytrax.
Hawaiian did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside regular working hours.
July 24, 2023: This story has been updated to include a response from a representative of Hawaiian Airlines.