Delta flight diverted due to ‘unruly passenger’
A Delta Air Lines flight headed to Florida was diverted to Atlanta after an incident with an “unruly passenger,” according to the airline.
Delta Flight 1378 departed from Detroit Metro Wayne Airport on Wednesday morning and was flying to Fort Lauderdale International Airport before it was diverted “due to a reported passenger disturbance” to Atlanta International Airport, where it landed about 11:30 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.
While Delta Air Lines did not detail what happened during the incident, a spokesperson said in a statement that the airline “does not tolerate threats and abuse of any kind towards our people.”
“At Delta, the safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is, and will always be, our number one priority. We are in contact with our flight attendant to provide support and are cooperating with authorities in their investigation. Delta has long been a leading advocate on behalf of our people and our customers to ensure the aggressive and timely prosecution of unruly passengers,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The FAA also said it will be investigating the incident.
The FAA has reported an increase in the number of unruly passengers in recent years. The highest number of reported incidents involving such passengers occurred in 2021, when the agency saw 4,973. In 2022, 2,455 incidents of the kind were reported, and 2023 has seen 857 so far.
From June 11-18, the FAA said there were 1.7 unruly passengers for every 10,000 flights.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
