Passengers on a Delta Airways flight headed to New York from Ghana claimed that they have been starved for hours and informed to “be grateful” after the airplane diverted as a result of mechanical points and landed on a distant island for practically 12 hours.
Delta Flight 157 diverted to an airport on Terceira Island within the Azores on Friday out of “an abundance of warning” because the airplane had begun to endure a “mechanical challenge with a backup oxygen system.”
“Delta flight 157 from Accra to New York-JFK diverted to Lajes Airport following a mechanical challenge that required remark,” Delta mentioned on Friday in an announcement to Pulse. “The plane landed safely and an alternate plane is en path to Lajes Airport from Lisbon to assist our clients extra shortly get to their ultimate locations whereas the unique plane is evaluated by upkeep technicians. We apologize to our clients for the delay of their travels.”
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Passengers nonetheless, took to Fb to allege that the expertise was a nightmare.
In a prolonged put up, Nana Asante-Smith mentioned that 5 hours into the flight, the pilot introduced that the airplane could be making an emergency touchdown as a result of low oxygen, with the passenger claiming that the flight attendants have been “form and mild” and that “the unlucky state of affairs was not in Delta’s management.”
Nonetheless, when the airplane landed, Asante-Smith alleges that the airline displayed a “reckless disregard for human life and well-being. Whereas crew members have been shuttled to a lodge, passengers needed to go to a portioned a part of the airport and couldn’t transfer round freely as a result of they didn’t have the correct passport documentation or visas.
With restricted entry to the airport and no Delta crew, Asante-Smith claims it was arduous to seek out meals.
“After begging and pleading, we acquired paper luggage with ham sandwiches (that many couldn’t eat as a result of dietary restrictions related to pork), juice bins and cookies/crackers,” she wrote. “Nonetheless, no official bulletins or updates from Delta as passengers scrambled to rebook connecting flights, request readability concerning the state of affairs we discovered ourselves in.”
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Passengers on social media mentioned that the airport situations have been “uncomfortable” and that airport representatives informed them to not begin “a revolution” and “be glad about a second likelihood at life.”
“We have been deserted by Delta and handled like encroaching roaches by airport representatives on Terceira Islands,” Asante-Smith wrote. “We have been (and are) bodily, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.”
The flight ultimately left and landed at JFK after 12 hours on the island.
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One passenger named Kiaundra Eggleston took to X to put up video footage of the scene contained in the airport, as disgruntled passengers tried to make sense of the state of affairs and discover a approach out.
This feminine rep informed us we ought to be grateful that they allowed us to be right here and our airplane did not crash within the sea pic.twitter.com/AwOR2jPp2I
— Kiaundra Eggleston (Smith) (@KiaundraSmith) September 9, 2023
— Kiaundra Eggleston (Smith) (@KiaundraSmith) September 9, 2023
A Delta spokesperson informed Insider that clients have been supplied with refunds, and the shortcoming to assist passengers as soon as they arrived again in New York needed to do with poor climate situations on the East Coast.
Delta Airways didn’t instantly reply to Entrepreneur‘s request for remark.
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