JetBlue passengers say they were ‘kicked to the street like dogs’ from Turks and Caicos airport after return flight to Boston was delayed

Shocked JetBlue passengers claimed they were “kicked to the street like dogs in a foreign country” and forced to spend thousands on “sketchy” accommodations when their return flight to Boston was delayed nearly 24 hours.

Holiday travelers leaving Turks and Caicos Saturday night had already been delayed several hours when they learned they wouldn’t be returning stateside until the next day, according to Boston 25 News.

However, passengers — mostly families with young children — were allegedly told by JetBlue employees they weren’t allowed to stay in the airport and wait, forcing them to find their accommodations at the last minute on the tourist-heavy island.

Brett, whose last name wasn’t provided, said that JetBlue employees “forced” him out of the airport and that he was left with no answers even when he asked what they expected them to do.

“We just kept saying where do you want us to go? What are we supposed to do? How are you kicking us to the street like dogs in a foreign country?” Brett told the outlet.

He said he paid $1,000 for an Airbnb big enough to accommodate his family of ten, located on a part of the island he described as “sketchy.”

“It was in a horrible, sketchy area, the actual Airbnb itself was okay, but the area was like something out of a horror movie,” Brett said.

“Wild dogs were chasing the cab as we were driving by like very sketchy neighborhood and kids are freaking out like ‘What are we gonna do?’”

Marty, a father traveling with his wife and small children, told Boston 25 News that he tried scouring for rooms to rent at nearby hotels, but everywhere he looked was booked.

“This was far beyond a delay, this was sending people to the streets in the wee hours of the night and asking them to fend for themselves with no solutions,” Marty explained.

Marty said his travel agent was able to find him a small hotel room for his family, but others were left with paying a high price for last-minute accommodations.

“Just very unsettling, traumatizing experience you have three young kids all looking to you for an answer, a wife looking at you for an answer, for the first time as a husband and as a father and as a man I had no idea how I was going to shelter my family for a night.”

Passengers who could find a place to stay the evening were left in even further shock to find dozens of cots stacked up outside the airport, brought in for those who had nowhere to go.

“To put people out on the streets like animals was definitely something I will never forget for the rest of my life,” Marty said.

In a statement, JetBlue acknowledged the “significant delay” due to “heavy Air Traffic Control congestion and extended holding in the area” and apologized to its customers for the inconvenience.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this delay caused and understand this was a frustrating situation,” the airline said in a statement to Boston 25 News.

“While the delay was created by circumstances beyond JetBlue’s control, we understand the impact this disruption had on our customers’ plans. Given that, we’ve provided instructions for affected customers to submit reimbursement requests for eligible out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Customer Service Plan.”

As a “gesture of goodwill,” JetBlue said they also “issued $200 in travel credit for future JetBlue flights.”