Stranded in Funchal Medeira Airport

Dear friends, family, and kind strangers,

I’m writing to you today with an urgent plea for help. My friend John and I (Steven) are currently stranded in Madeira, a small island off the coast of Portugal, and desperately need your support.

Here’s what happened: we were on our way back home to Toronto when our plane was diverted to another island due to strong winds. Unfortunately, this meant we missed our connecting flight. To make matters worse, the flights weren’t booked on the same airline, so the usual consumer protections don’t apply to us. Kiwi, our flight agency, has refused to help with food or accommodations, leaving us in a tough situation.

After a lot of stress and uncertainty, we’ve finally managed to book another flight, but it’s not until next Wednesday. This means we’ll be stuck here for five more days, and our funds have completely run out. We'll be living in the airport with no air conditioning and little hope of getting proper rest or food, taking shifts to make sure our bags aren't stolen. Many others are stranded here as well, as leaving the island has proven extremely difficult.

We never expected to be in this situation, and it’s humbling to ask for help, but we don’t have any other options. We’re reaching out to you to ask for any support you can offer to help us cover basic expenses for food, water, and a place to stay until we can get back home.

Every little bit helps, and we would be incredibly grateful for any assistance you can provide. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story and for considering helping us out. We can’t wait to be back home in Toronto, and your support will mean the world to us in making that happen.

With heartfelt thanks,

Steven and John