Cancellations and delays are a frustrating part of commercial flying, but stranded passengers are typically stuck inside a terminal and not on a plane. Two Atlanta-bound Delta Air Lines flights were diverted to Montgomery, Alabama last Thursday due to severe weather. However, without an available flight crew, the lack of customs facilities and nearby storms meant nearly 300 passengers were stranded at Montgomery Regional Airport until the next day. They were all struck in their seats on the two planes.
Both Delta flights were from Mexican cities and were bound for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, USA Today reports. Each service shouldn’t have been longer than four hours. Delta Flight 1828 and Flight 599 departed Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City, respectively. Due to thunderstorms across the Southeast, Delta diverted both flights out of an abundance of caution, with each plane touching down in Alabama between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. The airline planned to have the flights continue to Atlanta once the weather cleared.
The passengers were let into the terminal at 5:00 a.m.
The weather took longer to clear than Delta expected, which created further problems. Once the skies were calm enough to take off, both crews on both flights had exceeded the maximum number of hours they’re allowed to work. The planes were stuck there overnight. The passengers couldn’t deplane because they were on a pair of international flights and Montgomery’s airport didn’t have any Customs and Border Control facilities or personnel available.
Delta did its best to ensure that its passengers weren’t caged pets. The doors were opened and the cabin’s climate control was left running. Passengers had access to the lavatory as well as snacks and drinks in the galley. They were allowed into the terminal at 5:00 a.m. once CBP arrived. The flights eventually made their way to Atlanta later that day. The airline stated that all the passengers will be given full refunds as well as assistance in rebooking connecting flights.
This ordeal ended far more peacefully than an incident with a Eurowings flight at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in 2019. The flight was scheduled to land in Miami, but the airport closed due to severe weather. The crew wasn’t allowed to deplane the passengers because there were no ground handlers to remove the baggage for CBP processing. After five hours on the tarmac, the situation escalated to the point that passengers called the police and officers got them on the plane.
