A dad of one of the students who was stranded in Japan and made a 48-hour journey home says he felt 'thrown into the unknown'

• Paul Strug's son was on an EF Tours trip to Japan when the 31-person group ended up stuck in Osaka.
• Strug's son had to make a 48-hour journey home that involved four different flights.

Paul Strug doesn't usually wear his Apple watch to bed, but he told Insider that the night before his son was scheduled to fly home from Japan, he put it on just in case something came up and his son needed him.

Around 3 a.m. Texas time, his watch vibrated. His son, Brandon, was texting him that he wasn't going to make it on the flight home, Strug said.

Brandon was one of 31 people on an EF Tours trip to Japan. He had traveled across the world with a group of parents, teachers, and students from Carnegie Vanguard High School in Houston, Texas.

With his son stuck in Japan, there was very little Strug could do — and a surprising lack of communication and accountability, he said

As Insider previously reported, the group had booked their flights home through American Airlines. They were flying with American's partner, Japan Airlines, to get to Tokyo from Osaka, Japan. From Tokyo, the group was meant to take a long-haul flight to Dallas and make a final connection to Houston.

But when they arrived at the airport in Osaka on August 11, they discovered that they didn't have a booking, Trevor Boffone, a teacher on the trip, previously told Insider.

"They had probably eight check-in desks open, and we had all of them taken up at the same time," Boffone said. "I think every employee with Japan Airlines was out and about trying to figure it out. They kept telling us that there was a reservation but there wasn't a booking."

The group was told that American Airlines did not send the flight information to Japan Airlines, and therefore they didn't have tickets to get back home to Texas, Boffone said.

In a statement sent to Insider, Japan Airlines confirmed that the group didn't have tickets for the flight from Osaka to Tokyo.

"Unfortunately the flight was already full and we were not able to make a reservation for the passengers on this record," the statement from Japan Airlines said, adding that they "believe the tour agency was aware of that situation."

A representative for EF Tours told Insider that its "booking records have always designated the group's flights as confirmed in our system."

"We regret that the group's flights were disrupted due to what appears to have been a booking miscommunication between American Airlines and Japan Airlines," the tour-group representative said.

American Airlines did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, Strug said he was back home trying to figure out how — and when — his son was going to get back to the United States.

"We're trying to get information, ask questions, but there was only so much our son was going to be aware of," Strug said.

"It was a little stressful," he added. "You're thrown into the unknown."

Days later, Brandon arrived home, but Strug said he was shocked that throughout the whole situation, he never heard anything from the tour company.

"In retrospect, we acknowledge an email directly from us with more frequent updates would have been helpful. We expect to review these communications policies in light of the group's experience and adjust our approach as necessary," a representative for EF Tours told Insider. "But make no mistake, during those 10 hours we were all focused on working to help resolve this matter and get these students home safely."

EF Tours added that it sought to arrange alternative accommodation pre-departure and communicated directly with the "Group Leader," the teacher coordinating the tour on behalf of the students.

The group finally embarked on a 48-hour journey home that involved four different flights

Ultimately, after two days, EF Tours and American Airlines found the group a way home. The group had split into two, and Brandon was taking a 48-hour journey through Bangkok, Thailand; Munich, Germany; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Houston.

Strug said he mainly learned these updates through Tiktok. That's because Boffone had gone viral. He had posted a video recounting the incident and cataloged updates along the way on his TikTok account @official_dr_boffone.

On Monday evening, Strug was finally able to pick up Brandon from the airport. Luckily, Strug said his son took the entire incident in stride.

"It's a story to be able to tell and an adventure they went on, and a unique one at that," he said. "And there's the comfort of all the kids being back safely."