Story highlights Flight was scheduled to take five hours but there was a mechanical problem

Then the airlines needed to get a new plane

Then they needed to take it to Dallas to get gas

(CNN) If you were to leave Miami on a flight heading west, 20 hours later you could be in Asia.

But the frustrated passengers of American Airlines Flight 295 were just trying to get to Los Angeles.

The 186 travelers endured a 20-hour trip after departing Miami International Airport on Wednesday morning. Instead of getting to LAX before noon, they arrived well after midnight.

One passenger told CNN affiliate KTLA it was a "nightmare that you can't believe."

American Airlines told CNN the Airbus A321 had a mechanical problem and had to land in Lubbock, Texas.

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