Passengers on a Delta flight to New York were diverted to a Portuguese island where they said they were stuck in a remote part of the airport for 12 hours and had to beg for food, as airline representatives warned them not to start a “revolution. “
The flight was carrying 200 people flying from Ghana to New York on Flight 157 Friday when it experienced a “mechanical issue with the backup oxygen system” and diverted to Lajes Airport, a Delta spokesperson told Business Insider.
“We have been abandoned by Delta and treated like invasive cockroaches by airport representatives in the Terceira Islands,” passenger Nana Asante-Smith wrote on Facebook, saying they had a “reckless disregard for human life and well-being.”
At the airport, Asante-Smith said, passengers were taken to a “partitioned section” because Ghanaians did not have the necessary visas to enter Portugal.
More than 200 passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight from Ghana to New York had to wait for 12 hours at the airport on the Portuguese island. Facebook / Nana Asante-Smith
Delta Flight 157 diverted to the Terceira Islands after experiencing problems with its backup oxygen system.Flightaware
He told Business Insider they arrived around 6 a.m., but the crew was soon transported to a hotel — while passengers were told to stay put and call Delta for more information.
“We are trying to contact Delta at this time, and ascertain what exactly happened, to no avail,” said Asante-Smith, who is in Ghana with family and friends to celebrate her wedding.
He said airport representatives told them they would be fed, and that a plane from Boston would arrive in a few hours to pick them up.
But at about 11:30 a.m., he wrote on Facebook, “we learned that we would not be fed again, because according to the airport representative, Delta had informed them that we had already eaten before landing, a little before 6 morning
“We have no other access to food.”
Asante-Smith said she and her fellow passengers were “confused” by the response, with one elderly man asking the representative if he could get a bottle of water.
A video posted online shows a female airport employee telling passengers they should be thankful the plane didn’t crash.Twitter / @KiaundraSmith
He was told in response that he and the other passengers could only drink water from the bathroom tap, Asante-Smith claimed, but none of them had cups and only a few had water bottles.
After a while, he said, a small cafe on the corner opened – allowing those with credit cards to buy food.
Soon after, after more “begging and pleading,” they were given ham sandwiches, juice boxes and crackers, Asante-Smith said.
“Which is interesting, because anyone familiar with West Africa or our Muslim brothers knows that many people have dietary restrictions with eating pork,” he told Insider.
Meanwhile, he said, passengers were left scrambling to get information.
He said some members of his traveling group received messages from Delta airline representatives that appeared to be copied and pasted, while others were told a rescue plane was coming.
“Many of us were eagerly looking out the window to see if the Delta plane was landing,” he said.
As they waited, Asante-Smith described on Facebook how some people, “elderly people, pregnant women, children, became restless, upset and confused.”
One passenger wrote online that “elderly people, pregnant women, children, became restless, frustrated and confused.” Facebook / Nana Asante-Smith
He said they had not received clear communication from Delta Air Lines about what they could expect. Facebook / Nana Asante-Smith
And when they asked for more information from staff at the airport, a woman told them they shouldn’t “start a revolution” and said they should be “grateful for a second chance at life,” according to a video posted online by Kiaundra Eggleston.
“This lady rep told us we should be thankful they let us be here, and our plane didn’t crash in the sea,” he tweeted.
Finally, at about 6pm, a flight finally arrived at Lajes Airport and took them to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The passengers, many of whom were still upset, later tried to take their complaints to Delta representatives in New York, Asante-Smith said, but were told the airline was overwhelmed.
Ghanaian rapper Sakordie also write on X that he was on a flight, and missed performing at an event in Detroit due to a detour.
“It was unfortunate, but I knew this was happening so I didn’t stumble even though they communicated poorly and didn’t have the courtesy to update us on what was going on,” he wrote.
“This is nothing new with these airlines, especially from this part of the world (Africa), they keep sending these poor old flights (business class is almost the same as economy) to pick us up knowing they are not safe, but still risking their lives,” he added.
A spokesperson for the airline told Business Insider that passengers’ tickets will be refunded. Shutterstock
In a statement to Business Insider, a Delta spokesperson said the 215 passengers were given food and waited nearly 12 hours for another plane to arrive from Lisbon.
The spokesman also said passengers’ bags were sent on their original flight to JFK, as the second flight only had an hour’s landing time in Terceira.
When asked about claims Delta staff in New York were overwhelmed, the spokesperson pointed to bad weather conditions on the East Coast, which he said had left airline staff inundated with requests.
He added that customers were given refunds.
The Post has also reached out to Delta Air Lines for comment.
Asante-Smith, however, said that although she received a $400 voucher and an email regarding a full ticket refund, she has yet to receive the money.
He added that he still hadn’t received his bag, as of Monday morning.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
