Nearly 300 Delta Air Lines passengers from Mexico had to endure an ordeal that turned a daily trip into a 20-hour go problem due to bad weather forcing two international flights to deflect to an airport that was unable to handle customs running.
After intense hurricanes caused a ground halt at their initial stop, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta planes from Mexico City and Cabo San Lucas were both rerouted to Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama late on Thursday night, according to The New York Post.
However, there is no Customs and Border Protection facility in Montgomery, which places travelers immediately onboard the aircrafts.
According to passenger Alex Alvarez, it was supposed to be three and a half hours, but it ended up being about 20 hours. Negative wind, we are aware of that. But” the points just kept piling up,” Alvarez continued.
Both flights made their landings on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ( local time ), and passengers were not permitted to deplane until after 5 a.m. on Friday. According to People .com, even then, they were confined to roped-off areas inside the connector while being watched.
After the hours-long wait, Boston-bound passenger Lauren Forbes had to reschedule her link to Boston because,” You are actually stuck on that airplane.”
According to Delta, regular storms and thunder prevented them from moving to the local Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, which has customs, and even delayed any deplaning in Montgomery.
The Independent reported that the problems increased because flight crew ‘ working days were also exceeding their maximum permitted working hours.
Some, including Forbes, expressed anger over the lack of emergency plans, and passengers received only light refreshments during the struggle, such as cookies and water. She told Boston 25:” I think this is just an eye-opener for perhaps more comprehensive protocols in place.”
In a statement, a Delta representative apologized for the event, saying,” We sincerely apologize to our clients for this practice. In the Southeast US, we failed to fulfill our expectations for customer service and care.” We reached out to the damaged customers and are now offering full reimbursements for their reservations.
The airline acknowledged the planes ‘ doors remained closed throughout the tarmac delay and that people were gradually permitted to board in small parties before finally continuing on to Atlanta days later, according to The New York Post.
