NY man stunned after he lands at 'SIDNEY' for his vacation instead of Sydney like he planned
SIDNEY, MONTANA: We've all heard of people missing their flights, but for someone purchasing a ticket to the incorrect location sounds like a rare case. Kingsley Burnett, a New Yorker eager for the trip of a lifetime, found himself in an unexpected situation after accidentally buying a ticket for the wrong location. Burnett, 62, mistakenly booked a flight to Sidney, Montana instead of his intended destination — Sydney, Australia, when his vacation was postponed in late January.
Burnett realized his blunder when he saw the size of his plane after landing in the "Treasure State," according to New York Post. Compared to Australia's Sydney which has 5.3 million people, Montana's Sidney has fewer than 6,000 residents. Burnett, who departed from La Guardia Airport in New York on January 26, stated he didn't think much about it when he first landed in Billings, Montana, the following morning, according to PIX11. He believed that the airport had connecting flights to Sydney, when in reality, it was Sidney, Montana that is only a few hundred miles to the east of Billings. Additionally, it appears that Burnett was unaware that the spellings of the cities were different. He said, "It's a matter of acronyms. The S-Y-D as opposed to S-D-Y. Somebody has to fix that," according to New York Post.
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'I thought it was a good deal'
Burnett stated "I had to find out for myself that Billings, Montana, would only take me to Sidney, Montana, where there are no kangaroos waiting to welcome Mr. Burnett," reported Inside Edition. He eventually developed a tiny curiosity about his destination when he saw the size of the plane. He said, "I saw the little plane with like nine passengers and wondered, 'how is that going to get me to Australia?'"
Burnett, who was attempting to organize his trip on a budget, claimed he had simply been pleased to find such a "bargain" for a transoceanic journey. He said, "I thought it was a good deal. I saw the SDY [Sidney] and the SDY was cheaper than the SYD [Sydney]," as reported by New York Post.
Is Kingsley Burnett still planning to visit Sydney?
Burnett visited the American Airlines ticket office in Billings on the day of the incident, where Carol Castellano assisted him in getting his flight sorted out. He is currently back in New York City after the American Airlines employee assisted him. At the time of the incident, none of the planes leaving Montana, according to Fox 5, were going to Sydney, Australia. Burnett has postponed his vacation to Sydney, Australia for June 13 in an effort to continue having the trip of a lifetime, according to Inside Edition.
