Savannah woman shares her experience on Delta Airlines Flight 555
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — After a Las Vegas flight with reported mechanical issues left some travelers stranded for days, and others in the hospital, a Savannah woman is telling News 3 about her experience trying to make it home to her family.
Delta Flight 555 was originally scheduled to leave the airport on Saturday, but one passenger says after a flight attendant chose to get off the already boarded flight, leaving the airplane short-staffed and sitting on the tarmac for over an hour, the engine overheated.
Savannah resident Katherine Ives says the incident led to airport staff attempting to reboard the same plane over the next 3 days, coming to a head when multiple passengers on the re-boarded plane overheated after over an hour without air conditioning in triple-digit heat.
“It was super hot. Flight attendants were trying as best as they could to calm the crowd because people were getting up out of their seats even though they were told to stay seated. People were really upset about it. The flight attendants were red and dripping with sweat and trying to pass out water,” she says.
Ives, who booked the flight with her husband to get back to Savannah after a work trip, says the ordeal has put a strain on her family and her wallet.
“My daughter has anxiety, documented anxiety. She had a panic attack because of it. For four days straight, we kept saying, we’ll be home. I’ll be home. I’ll be home. And never show up. And so that was really traumatic and difficult to process for them and for us. To be honest, I had to miss work for two days,” says Ives.
She says she was given a $200 gift card after calling Delta customer service, but just wants the airline to acknowledge what happened.
“You can’t blame the heat for the plane issue. You know what I mean, it was a plane issue, it was a mechanical issue. And they need to take ownership of that,” Ives says.
On Thursday, the Department of Transportation launched an investigation into Delta Flight 555 and say they plan on holding the airline accountable if any violations are found.
News 3 reached out to Delta Airlines for a comment about the incident. We are currently awaiting a response.
Source: WSAV-TV
