‘No Kangaroos Waiting’: Vacationer Accidentally Flies To Montana Instead Of Australia

 A New York man missed his cruise after mistakenly booking a flight to Sidney, Montana, instead of Sydney, Australia.

Kingsley Burnett, a New York resident originally from Jamaica, had planned a trip to Sydney, Australia, but his flight was delayed in January and he was forced to book another. This time, however, he mistakenly chose Sidney, Montana, as his destination, according to Fox 5 NY.

Burnett, 62, arrived at New York’s La Guardia airport on Jan. 26 and boarded a flight that took him to Billings, Montana. Burnett then found out that the flight he was on was connecting him to a much smaller flight that would take him to nearby Sidney – a small city in Montana with a population just over 6,000.

“I saw the little plane with like nine passengers and wondered ‘how is that going to get me to Australia,'” Burnett told The New York Post. “That was when I caught onto the mistake I made.” 

Burnett then sought help from a travel agent who explained the mix-up to him. “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,” he said, Fox 5 NY reported.

Burnett had apparently gotten confused by the similarities in the acronyms for Sydney (SYD) and Sidney (SDY) and opted for a flight to SDY because it offered a lower price. “I thought it was a good deal,” Burnett told the Post with a laugh. “I saw the SDY [Sidney] and the SDY was cheaper than the SYD [Sydney].”

Unfortunately, Burnett ended up missing his cruise that would be departing from Sydney harbor before he could book another flight. He also decided against finishing his journey to Sidney, Montana, which was still about 100 miles away from Billings – and returned home to New York City. He has since rescheduled his trip to Sydney for June 13.