For the past two days, one American Airlines traveler has reportedly been “stranded” on the Caribbean island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands because of a mechanical breakdown. Heidi Gould has been posting updates about their plight at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) to the AA Complaint Group on Facebook.

She stated that the Boeing 737-800 has been grounded due to mechanical issues with its air conditioning system. Data from FlightAware shows that the aircraft in question, tail number N917NN sporting a unique Air Cal Heritage livery, has remained grounded since its last flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) as AA2755.

Stranded In The Virgin Islands

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Despite the dire situation described by Gould, there’s no public information that shows an active mass stranding of travelers due to systemic issues. Even in the absence of a widespread problem that would prevent immediate rebooking, there are a myriad of causes that could make it very difficult to find another seat on a different flight. There is a low volume of air traffic in and out of the island, and while Gould did state that the airline has provided some compensation so far, no details about the delay in rebooking have been revealed.

Given the destination is on a remote island with just a handful of flights per week, almost all of those planes are booked full well in advance. An airline cannot simply generate an empty seat, and waiting on cancellations or standby can be a very long and frustrating experience. However, if the aircraft is down due to a mechanical problem, then American would be required to cover virtually all of the costs to the customers left without an airplane.

Gould gave a very negative description of the support that has been provided by AA so far, saying:

“The support [is] minimal to nonexistent. Compensation covers a fraction of what we, and others, are spending just to survive another day/night stranded here… We still don’t know when – or if – we’re actually leaving.”

The DOT’s Passenger Help Dashboard

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The Department of Transportation set up an online portal to help passengers identify what compensation they are entitled to depending on their circumstances. USA Today reported that the tool was launched with lists provided by the Aviation Consumer Protection website that show exactly what airlines are required to offer travelers based on the nature of the flight disruption.

One of the basic criteria required to be eligible for a refund is to decline any alternative flights or travel credits offered by the airline if you experience one of the following problems:

The caveat that makes this much less straightforward is the fact that Gould is currently on a Caribbean island with limited means of transportation and facilities. The airfield does not have spare aircraft stationed on site like a major hub in Miami would. There are also a limited number of other carriers providing service that would be able to offer alternative airfare options.

Stuck In STX: Trouble In The Caribbean

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St. Croix is a small island with limited hotel capacity compared to a hub like Miami. A lack of surplus lodging could leave travelers with insufficient vouchers to cover the cost of rooms when 150 or more other passengers are also competing for the same affordable accommodation. On top of all of these complications, the third-party staff that runs services at STX have limited access to the airline’s system.

It is probable that the local contractor staff do not have the ability to provide the full support that an American Airlines employee would. Despite many rollbacks of passenger protections, the Passenger Bill of Rights passed by the DOT in 2024 still holds carriers accountable in many scenarios, as Squaremouth reported. Yet, without the full details, it is impossible to know exactly why Gould has been left ‘high and dry’ in St. Croix.