By the time passengers on Delta flight 975 from New York to Los Angeles finally took off yesterday, it was after a mind boggling 18-hour delay. Passengers say they were made to get off the plane twice, and given various reasons for the delays, including weather and mechanical issues - none of which were corroborated independently.
For the record, the Federal Department of Transportation does not allow domestic flights to be on the tarmac for more than three hours. And it would appear that Delta tried to avoid the three-hour time frame by staying attached to the gate, with its door open. That said, passengers have reported a stretch of at least five hours on board.
Even worse? Because the flight wasn’t cancelled outright, the airline offered no hotel vouchers…instead giving irate passengers blankets to sleep on the floor, and food vouchers they couldn’t use because everything was closed. In more bad news for Delta…there was a celebrity on board - "Dancing with the Stars" pro Emma Slater - who tweeted the moment that passengers' rage boiled over.
Source: CBS-NY
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