“Everyone make babies now!” That’s what passengers concluded after a Delta flight from Tokyo Haneda to Minneapolis was delayed 5.5 hours before being cancelled, and at 11 p.m. when the cancellation decision finally came, crew told the Airbus A350 full of passengers that only customers with “health concern—family with baby” would be given a room for the night, because they hadn’t secured enough hotel space for everyone.
A passenger’s video, posted on Friday, July 10th says:
“We sat on the taxiway for 5.5 hours before our 12 hr flight from Tokyo to MSP.”
“At 11pm Delta announced the flight will be cancelled.”
“We would have to go back through immigration and get our luggage and spend the night at the hotel, except for…”
“Then the best announcement I have ever heard on a plane:”
“‘So no baby no hotel?’”
“‘Everyone make babies right now’”
Passengers boarded for the afternoon departure but spent an hour or two at the gate while the aircraft was fueled. The aircraft finally pushed back and taxied. Then they sat for two hours. When they were finally ready to go, the cockpit discovered a hydraulic problem.
They moved to a remote parking position and mechanics boarded the aircraft. A passenger reports they were first told there was a computer problem, then that the computers were fine but an aileron was malfunctioning. While the plane underwent repairs, they learned they were now going to be weight restricted and had to decide whether to offload cargo.
My read about the shifting narrative – assuming that the passengers even heard it correctly! – is that an underlying flight control problem could be described as a computer warning, an aileron problem and a hydraulic fault. Apparently since they expected repairs to take more time than crew had left in their duty limits, they had to cancel.
Here’s what we can hear in the video,
…for the accommodation. Another deep apology that we couldn’t secure enough hotel room for every customer on this [flight]. For the customer who has a health concern—family with baby—so please contact Delta for [a hotel] voucher.
But once again, what? So no baby, no hotel?
No baby, no hotel. Everyone make babies right now.
[Please remain] seated until I make another announcement. Thank you.
This incident appears to be very similar to what happened to Delta flight 120 from Tokyo Haneda to Minneapolis last June 29.
People with babies were lucky to get rooms here, I guess, because Delta once delayed a flight 8 hours and then sent 200 passengers to a hotel with just 13 rooms – and then ditched everyone in the parking lot. American gave 3 passengers one hotel room to share during a mechanical delay.
A woman was forced to share a bed with a stranger after a different flight delay. And a Chinese carrier even put delayed passengers in an S&M-themed hotel, where they were required to share rooms.
Generally, when it’s an option (as it seems to have been here), it’s better to arrange your own hotel than take the one the airline will give you.
If you fly a US carrier to/from Asia, especially Japan, then you’re a retard, you get what you get.
Keep Climbing®
Secret Origin of Tim Dunn?
But, but.. a US-equivalent of EU261… would be ‘communism’… /s
Nah, more like breach of contract of carriage. Folks, you know we deserve waaay better than this. A higher duty of care (overnight accommodations, meals, and compensation for the inconvenience); at the very least, bringing back Rule 240 (if they can’t get you there, put you on a competitor’s flight).
Meanwhile, Delta bragging about record profits, not lowering costs after spiking them due to oil, and unbundling business class, while flying ancient 763s, like the one from JFK-CTA that got stuck at Bangor, Maine last night. Sad.
One more time.. we need an EU/UK 261 equivalent, higher duty of care, Rule 240, as a bare minimum.
given that it is not necessary to reclear immigration for a flight that has never left the US, it is more than likely that rest of the interpretation is not correct.
It is not necessary to reclear immigration for a flight that has never left the US, so it is more than likely that the rest of the interpretation is not correct.
Given that it is not necessary to clear immigration on an outbound international flight that has never left the US, it is doubtful that this person got other facts regarding the flight, correct
Tim, 3rd time was a winner… (I kid, the site was glitching. Got me, too.)
“Premium” is the new “Basic”. 😉
This is just so premium. Typical of Delta.
Misleading post/title. The airline didn’t say “only rooms for those making babies” but first priority goes to those with health concerns or a person WITH a baby, while they try to secure more rooms. This policy makes total sense. Slow travel news day I guess.
@ Tim — I’m pretty sure Gary’s post said Haneda to MSP. You would need to re-clear Japanese immigration.
Someone please lend a soapbox to 1990. Maybe Tim has a few extras.
@ 1990. I am with you. I am willing to accept regs when we have contracts of adhesion. However enforcement is an issue. Should come with private right of action and recovery of attorney’s fees to encourage compliance.
Delta seems having problems with airbus wide body equipment. When they’re flying A339 to east Asia, almost every flight got complained about something broken on board.
Just yesterday I mentioned I’ll only fly on Asian carriers to fly to Asia…LOL.
Two things for Tim Dunn’s attention
1) In Asia you are exited from the country at the passport check, so you do have go back through immigration if the flight cancels. And in China if you change flights to bother one the same day you also have to back get processed again because the CCP cares not only that you left, but on which flight.
2) when flying Deltas A350’s last year I had 50% of them cancel for mechanical issues, time to go to the desert and bring back the reliable 747 and 777’s. Which is how I learned #1.
@jack the ladd — Good news: For international flights, under Article 19 of the Montreal Convention, you can already sue for compensatory damages limited to actual economic losses (such as hotel rooms, meals, and replacement tickets, up to about $8,400/person/incident). Bad news: Can’t claim attorneys fees or emotional distress.
A baseline of compensation and duty of care, like an EU261, is far superior (and in-addition to Montreal Convention) because most affected passengers do not have the knowledge, time, diligence, resources to sue airlines or other large, billion-dollar multinational corporations.
Pax must have bought a “basic” ticket. Comes with nothing except the chance of maybe reaching your destination some day.
Another Premium Failure by Delta
@ 1990. I agree that most consumers even w/ AI can’t handle a lawsuit, which is what lawyers are for. However, if you only have the reg the culprits won’t pay. You need an enforcement mechanism and relying on an agency to enforce is often pretty useless.
@jack the ladd — EU, UK, and Canada (APPR) enforcement mechanisms via their respective agencies, like the FAA, DOT in the US, can and would be robust, if we had actual legislation to back them up; the issue is that we would need Congress to do their job and pass sensible regulations. It can be done. Was just done with housing. No, it’ll never be perfect. Gotta start somewhere. I think our counterparts overseas have a decent roadmap for us.