I boarded on American Flight 460 and was ready to head to Philadelphia. The flight crew was confident I would make the connection and be good to go. Approximately 1 hour into the flight, the Captain came on the speaker and identified this flight had engine issues. Due to the weight provided by the fuel, we had to circle around Phoenix before landing at 15:56. We were deplaned, waited at the gate, and reboarded at approximately 17:15. This ensured there would be ZERO chance to make the connecting flight in Philadelphia onto Lisbon (AA 258). The major issue at play was I booked a separate reservation through TAP Air Portugal, since my final destination of Sao Tome (TMS) was NOT served by American Airlines or any Oneworld partners. I was able to get to Philadelphia around 00:23 (on May 13, 2023); however, this was well beyond the time my connecting flight to Lisbon left (21:20 on May 12, 2023). During this flight, I purchased the $25 Wi-Fi so I could attempt to change my flight from Lisbon to Sao Tome, which departed Lisbon at 11:40 AM on 5/13/23 and arrived in Sao Tome at 17:15 (TP 1531 – Record Locator RLPRH6). This was not possible since neither the Mobile App, nor the website would allow changes. In Philadelphia – American Airlines offered me a hotel, which I declined to stay with friends instead. This resulted in a $37.97 charge from Uber to get into Central Philadelphia. Arriving at my friend’s around 1:30 AM without my baggage (since it was held inside Terminal A and I arrived in Terminal C) – I was exhausted and fell asleep. The next morning, I called TAP Air Portugal to let them know about this misconnect and that’s where things really got fun. I was sent to a call center that basically stated my flights were canceled and I would have to rebook an entirely new fare for $1,000 (after paying nearly $1,000 for the original ticket). I begged if it was possible just to move the outbound flight one day, and I was told no. I asked what options were available to salvage this trip, and I was told nothing – my flight was canceled. I spoke with the manager and still no resolve. I had booked the first night of lodging on May 13, 2023 in Sao Tome at a cost of $150, and the second night of lodging on May 14, 2023 at a cost of $250. These were not refunded. I tried reaching every avenue with the airline and was met with “your flight is canceled and you must rebook a new fare.” Additionally, I had arranged a local guide at a cost of 200 Euro. This guide lost out on an opportunity to make money in a country that does not see tourism. As much as I wanted to make the best of things – I decided I wasn’t about to spend any more money on flights and to just find something in Lisbon – a city I never intended to visit in the first place. I settled on the Moxy Lisbon at an additional cost of $209.15. I went to the hotel and fell asleep – defeated by the whole process in a city I never intended to visit in the first place. The best part – I bid for an upgrade on my flight back from Sao Tome to Lisbon (TAP Air Portugal Flight TP 1532 departing on May 15, 2023) and this was accepted AFTER the customer service representative stated my flight was canceled. I was charged $400 for a flight that the airline canceled and returning from a destination I wasn’t even able to visit. Absolutely shameful.
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