RAM delays New York-Casablanca flight for Moroccans returning for Eid al Fitr

Rabat – Royal Air Maroc (RAM) may cause dozens of Moroccans in the United States to celebrate Eid Al Fitr in John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, as it prevented them from flying to Morocco today, saying the plane is “overbooked.”

RAM flight number AT 203, scheduled to take off at 9:20 am from JFK in New York to Casablanca, was reportedly delayed for two hours, according to RAM officials.

However, dozens of passengers, mainly Moroccan Americans, were surprised to learn that they would not be able to fly on Thursday.

“I am with my family at JFK, our flight was supposed to leave at 9:20 am, they said that it was delayed couple hours and now they said that we cannot fly today and want to rebook us for tomorrow 1pm!” one of the passengers told Morocco World News.

She went on to add that attendants told passengers the Flight 203 is overbooked, only to come back two hours later to say that the plane won’t fly because of technical problems.

Witnesses told Morocco World News that the passengers were very angry and protested against the decision, especially because not all of them are based in New York.

“The police officer was just asking people to stop yelling,” the same source added.

Morocco World News obtained footage of some of the passengers telling the story. In the video, one of the passengers says he drove with his family from Maryland (292 km away from New York) to JFK airport after booking Flight 203.

“Once we arrived to the airport they told us the flight will be postponed for two hours, and later they told us the flight is overbooked, urging us to book for tomorrow,” he said.

The passenger, who seemed very angry, told MWN that he is not sure RAM will be able to fly tomorrow, either. “Perhaps, they will ask us to rebook for the day after tomorrow, and thus celebrate Eid Al Fitr in JFK airport,” he concluded.

The footage also shows four other passengers threatening to boycott RAM. One of them is heard saying that he would rather fly with “Air France or travel to Morocco riding a mule, than booking on RAM.”

Passengers flying to Morocco don’t have a choice but to fly with Morocco’s national carrier, Royal Air Maroc, which has monopolized flights from the US and Canada to Morocco for decades.

Passengers either have to take layovers in Europe or travel with RAM.

Fed up with major delays, lost luggage, total indifference, poor service, and extremely expensive prices, Members of the Moroccan community living in North America started a petition, requesting the creation of direct flights on North American carriers linking the United States and Canada to Morocco.

In a letter to North American carriers, petitioners called on United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Canada, US Airways, Air Transat, and Delta Airlines to launch direct flights between North America and Morocco.