300 Delta passengers left stranded on tarmac overnight after storms divert planes to airport without customs
Two Atlanta-bound Delta flights diverted to Alabama due to poor weather. Hundreds of passengers were forced to spend the night on the tarmac in Alabama.
Nearly 300 Delta Air Lines passengers experienced a night of chaos and delays last week after poor weather forced two international flights to divert to a regional airport without customs – forcing the passengers to spend the night in their planes on the tarmac.
The two Delta flights, which departed from Mexico for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport last Thursday, did not reach their destination until the following day, according to the airline.
Instead, Flight 1828 from Cabo San Lucas and Flight 599 from Mexico City landed at Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama as a diversion point around 9:30 p.m., a Delta spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business.
"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," the statement said.
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Because the regional airport lacks U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities, the travelers were unable to disembark the aircraft and were left stranded on the planes overnight.
"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," the spokesperson said.
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While other airports with CBP facilities were nearby, they were also not within reach due to the weather.
"Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, also experiencing severe thunderstorms, was not suitable as a diversion airport due to conditions and reports of windshear," the spokesperson continued.
Passengers sat in their planes until the morning around 5:30 a.m. when special CBP arrangements arrived. The travelers were allowed to enter the airport before finally departing for Atlanta around noon.
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The airline said they plan to refund each customer’s ticket as a result of the inconvenience.
"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," the spokesperson said.
The airline also said they will work to sort out these kinds of weather-impacted delays in the future.
"Delta is conducting a thorough review of these events with an eye for making improvements and preventing an outcome like this again," the spokesperson said.
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