Hundreds of Delta Air Lines passengers endured a chaotic experience after two packed planes, traveling from Mexico to Atlanta, were delayed for 15 hours and had to land in Montgomery, Alabama, due to severe thunderstorms. The unexpected stop left passengers stranded on the tarmac overnight because of staffing shortages at customs and border control, forcing around 300 travelers to remain on board without access to food or amenities.
Christine Milken, a passenger on Delta Flight 1828 from Cabo San Lucas, described the ordeal as “irritating” and “unpleasant,” noting she had not slept for 26 hours. Alex Alvarez, another passenger, reported that his flight from Mexico City faced delays stacking up to nearly 20 hours, and the situation escalated when the plane was low on fuel after circling for too long.
Once they were finally allowed to disembark at 5:15am, passengers had to walk to the terminal as the gates couldn’t accommodate the large aircraft. They were restricted to monitored areas within the terminal and only allowed access to limited facilities. Delta later provided sandwiches to the passengers and offered them full refunds, while acknowledging their staffing challenges and apologizing for the ordeal.
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