Delta passengers spend night on tarmac after Atlanta-bound flights diverted
The Brief
Two Delta flights from Mexico to Atlanta were diverted to Alabama on Thursday night due to severe weather, causing nearly 300 passengers to spend the night on the planes.
Passengers were unable to disembark when they initially landed at Montgomery Regional Airport due to Customs and Border Protection requirements.
They ended up waiting for hours before any significant movement after 5 a.m. the following day.
Delta Air Lines apologized for the inconvenience and promised full refunds.
Delta is reviewing the incident to improve procedures and prevent similar situations in the future.
ATLANTA - Almost 300 passengers spent the night onboard two international Delta flights that had to be diverted last week due to bad weather.
Delta Air Lines confirmed the passengers spent hours waiting to disembark.
What we know
On Thursday evening, Flight 1828 from Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) and Flight 599 from Mexico City International Airport (MEX) took off about an hour apart, both destined for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
However, severe weather in the Peach State caused both flights to be diverted to Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) in Alabama.
Once the planes landed on the tarmac at around 10:30 p.m., the passengers on board were asked to stay put until the plane could take off again for Atlanta. That didn't happen until Friday.
A spokesperson for Delta Air Lines explained there were a few reasons they couldn't exit the aircraft. For one, international flights can't be processed at MGM, which is a small airport. Going through Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is required. It took hours until airport officials were able to make special accommodations with the CBP.
They sat on their planes until about 5:30 a.m., and didn't make it to Atlanta until the middle of the day.
The spokesperson said the doors on both flights remained open during the long wait.
What they're saying
Delta released the following statement with regard to the incident:
"We sincerely apologize to our customers for this experience. We fell short of how we aspire to serve and care for our customers amid thunderstorms in the Southeast U.S. Thursday evening. We are reaching out to each customer with a full refund of their booking."Delta flights 1828 from Cabo San Lucas (SJD) to Atlanta and 599 from Mexico City (MEX) to Atlanta on April 10.
"Flight crews, always looking to ensure the safety of all Delta customers and people, selected Montgomery, Ala. (MGM) for a diversion point and planned to continue to Atlanta once inclement weather cleared.
"Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, also experiencing severe thunderstorms, was not suitable as a diversion airport due to conditions and reports of windshear.
"Weather, specifically lightning activity, lingered longer than expected at Montgomery and flight crews ran over their permitted duty times.
"Additionally, flights from international points of origin must arrive at an airport Customs and Border Protection staffing and facilities for processing, this was not possible until early Friday morning when a special accommodation was reached with Montgomery airport officials and CBP.
"Customers departed Montgomery and arrived in Atlanta to clear customs and get to their final destinations by midday Friday.
"Delta is conducting a thorough review of these events with an eye for making improvements and preventing an outcome like this again."
What's next
The impacted passengers are expected to receive a full refund for the inconvenience.
Delta Air Lines also said they are working to avoid this sort of delay during inclement weather in the future.
The Source
FOX 5 Atlanta reached out to Delta Air Lines for a statement about the incident. They confirmed the information provided in this article.
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