Dominica and Barbados

A Rochester, N.Y., woman was flying home from Oakland, Calif., but somehow ended up in Barbados instead of Upstate New York.

(Kavitha Surana | The Associated Press)

A Rochester, N.Y., woman thought she was heading home to Upstate New York after visiting California. But when she exited the plane, Rochester looked more tropical than she recalled.

Azizgul Hussainzada asked for boarding assistance when she was flying out of Oakland because she doesn't speak English, CBS New York reports. But instead of guiding her on to the correct plane, "they boarded her on the wrong flight," her son, Noorullah Maqsoodi, says. "And she had no idea where she ended up."

Thrillist says Hussainzada was supposed to take a JetBlue flight from California's Oakland International Airport to Rochester, with a connection at New York's JFK Airport. Hussainzada ended up on the Caribbean island and did so without a boarding pass or passport.

"When she got off in Barbados, she thought that she was in Rochester," Maqsoodi tells CBS New York. "And she was like, what happened to Rochester? This looks a lot different."

The situation, that would be considered a dream in some Upstate New Yorkers' minds, quickly turned into a nightmare because Hussainzada is diabetic and didn't have her medication, CBS New York says. The family tried to get answers from JetBlue, but the airline insisted Hussainzada was in JFK waiting for her next flight. Only one problem: She was really in Barbados.

After realizing their mistake, JetBlue flew Hussainzada back to Rochester and refunded her ticket, Thrillist says. JetBlue also plans to review its boarding protocol.