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Airline pays for couple's tickets after being stuck in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man trying to fly out of the U.S. on a family trip was stuck in Charlotte for three days without his important heart medication.

Nicholas Moorad, 78, said that instead of helping, American Airlines sent him home without his luggage and necessary medicine.

“They are interested in money,” Moorad said. “They don't care about people.”

He was supposed to be in London and Ireland. He missed a family reunion.

After Channel 9 aired Moorad’s story, airline officials said they would cover plane tickets for him and his wife to fly out to London on Saturday. He'll make it for the second half of his family's trip.

Moorad had heart surgery two weeks ago and his doctor cleared him to fly.

American Airlines made him valet his carry-on luggage that had his medication in it

He landed in Charlotte and the airline lost his bag.

“So I had no medicine for blood pressure, heart diabetes or anything for 24 hours after getting here,” Moorad said.

He called his doctor to get an emergency prescription.

He wasn't able to go on his trip because his passport was also in that lost bag.

“Seems like every time we've been on American Airlines, we have problems,” Moorad said.

Airline officials said what they think happened is the couple went to their gate in Charlotte, not knowing they needed to wait to get their bag that was valeted. The bag was accidentally put on a different plane that flew out of that gate to Tennessee, officials said.

American Airlines tells passengers when they fly smaller regional planes, they require them to check bags at the gate and not to put important medicine or identification in the bag.

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