A Delta Airbus A220 headed from New York LaGuardia to Jacksonville turned back to the gate on Sunday because deicing fluid got inside the cabin and soaked a passenger.
Delta 1307 was scheduled out at 2:10pm and didn’t depart until 5:22pm. Air traffic control audio captured the crew requesting to return right after deicing. Coming off the deice pad, the pilots told ground they needed to go back to a gate, and when ATC asked why: deicing fluid leaked inside the aircraft and “soak[ed] the aircraft.”
Delta flight returns to the gate at Boston Logan because a passenger got covered in deicing fluid? That’s a new for me
Audio and video via the awesome @theATCapp pic.twitter.com/Txuecr2tf5
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) January 20, 2026
Despite the mention in the tweet of Boston, Delta 1307 departs LaGuardia. The most likely explanation is overspray near the entry door. Doors and seals are not designed to behave like a submarine hatch on the ground, and high-pressure spray too close to gaps can push fluid inside past seals. Fluid can also ends up in systems meant to move air. That becomes a fumes or odor issue.
Aircraft deicing fluid is typically propylene glycol mixed with water, heated to around 150 degrees and sprayed under pressure. That’s notsomething you want on your skin or clothes for the duration of flight.
(HT: Paddle Your Own Kanoo)
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I hope everyone realizes how much food has Propylene Glycol in it! PG is common in processed foods like seasoning blends, baked goods, salad dressings, drinks, and dairy products. It also appears in cosmetics and medications.
If you can spill your own hot coffee into your lap in a drive thru at the Golden Arches & get a mil in civil court, this should be worth billions!
That usually happens when glycol is sprayed right at the seals. You’re supposed to spray above the windows and let it run down over the windows.
If it were me, I’d be calling an attorney.
Morgan & Morgan is ready and waiting. They even run ads on social media for aircraft smells.
Another Premium passenger experience on Delta.
Not sure of the details, but I was on a BUF-DCA US Airways flight back in 1999, sitting on the deicing pad when somehow the emergency window got dislodged and de-icer sprayed inside a few rows up from me.
They called some maintenance staff and they cleared the aircraft for takeoff about 2 hours late.
Between babies, drunks and Kilfrost DF, wearing a Tyvek jumpsuit while flying is looking increasingly attractive.
Re: “Morgan & Morgan is ready and waiting. They even run ads on social media for aircraft smells.”, fixed it: “Ambulance chasing douchebag and bottom feeding scumbag are ready and waiting. They, and many others of their ilk, run ads EVERYWHERE for EVERYTHING.” The extent and volume of lawyer advertising is horrific.
They (nearly all of them) don’t provide a useful or necessary service, they have no morals or ethics other than making money for themselves, only need a lawyer because someone else has one, they’ve created a need for themselves, they prey on other people’s misfortunes and since many politicians are lawyers our governing bodies are similarly screwed up.
All those lawyer jokes are actually correct. “What do you call 100 dead lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?” “A good start.”
Wow(!) Delta® is now offering free, warm,150°f PREMIUM showers to all it’s First Class passengers, preventing their arms from getting buildup of ice once they step outside in N.Y.; let’s see AA® top THAT.
Delta is ready when you are
you do realize that the overwing exits are not in the first class cabin?
The navy doctor gets it on this one. so does Greggb
Cha-ching
That’ll be a nice payday
Rafi, Rafi – where you at?
@L737 — @Matt’s still got it!
@1990 — New year, same classic @Matt, woohoo!
150f is not HOT. Your shower at home is 145ish if you have it set kinda high.
Won’t cause any issues and the stuff is basically bubbles on drugs.
The Georgia klan airline strikes again! And the anticipated Spectrum Boy response as well. Great news day. With UA posting better growth than klanair today Spectrum Boy needs a hug.
Jim,
you really don’t want to go there.
UA earned $1.7 billion LESS than DL despite flying 10% more ASMs.
UA confirmed today that Kirby has “small tools” and has spent his life trying to convince the world otherwise.
What I get a chuckle out of is that there are many of these advertising law firms that have lawyers, yes, but they never take a case to court. They negotiate with the defendant firm. If they can’t make a deal, they farm out the lawsuit outside the law firm.
I’ve modified my travels because of deicing potential. I will fly from my medium-sized airport on a short hop to a hub for an international flight. With smaller numbers of both flights and deicing stations, the variance at my airport is larger than bigger airports. Thus, I’ve had well more than a one hour delay on a flight that departed the gate on time when one of the deicing trucks needs to get attention. Rebooking internation is no fun. So, I allow extra connection time. And, of course, since I started, no planes have needed deicing :).
This is a nothing burger. Extremely low risk of serious health effects from incidental skin contact with propylene glycol based deicing fluid, provided it’s washed off promptly. A few wet wipes could have done the job.
Spectrumboy lives. Interesting way to defend klanair by not noting what I actually said. UA out grew delta. Period.Dot.Fact now back on the meds boy and dance. I love making you dance!
Unless there was an issue with the aircraft that was ignored, Delta shouldn’t be held liable. As noted above, the aircraft’s seals are not “sealed” until about 1,000 feet above the airport elevation. That’s not just Delta but all pressurized Part 121 aircraft. The deice crew is not to “hose down” the doors, over wing exits, etc. One will note that there are “gutters” above these openings to direct liquid away from them. Spray directly on the door/overwing…someone’s gonna get wet.
@Doc Bull While the case is used as an example of frivolous lawsuits, the coffee was served at a temperature far above the norm that causes 3rd degree burns within ~5 seconds of contact. The industry standard coffee temp takes ~1 minute of contact to cause the same damage. The woman received 3rd degree burns on 16% of her body, mostly around her genitals. Her fault for spilling it, sure, but spills happen and a restaurant probably shouldn’t serve liquids that hot.
At the temps of this deicer, I doubt the passenger suffered the same amount of injury.
Dave says:
January 20, 2026 at 6:41 pm
150f is not HOT. Your shower at home is 145ish if you have it set kinda high.
Won’t cause any issues and the stuff is basically bubbles on drugs.
What kind of drivel is that? A hot tub is about 104. 122 will cause slight burns. 140 medium burns. 150 will be dangerous period.
Of course I trust Delta to protect me with safe reliable state of the art new well maintained aircraft
Reality? still many relic antiques still flying those scary skies
Hopefully they maintain these flying old dinosaurs.
Even 30 year old or younger vehicles develop leaks but thats why I buy new cars
“Yes, Delta still has a significant number of older aircraft, especially Boeing 757s and 767s, but they are actively modernizing, phasing out the oldest jets while keeping veteran planes flying longer due to their usefulness, with plans to retire 767-300s by 2030 and keep 757s through the 2030s, supported by new Airbus deliveries.
Key Details on Delta’s Older Fleet:
Boeing 757s: Delta is the world’s largest operator, with many jets averaging over 20-28 years old, expected to fly into the 2030s”
Wishing you here at Delta a no de-icing soaking in your seat
But should you be soaked we here at Delta would be delighted to offer you 2500 Sky pesos good for future travel on our heirloom planes
I was an AA FA back in the late 90’s til mid 2000’s. Started in my early 20’s. One of my first flights I was sitting on FC jump seat on an MD80 by entry door at LGA getting deiced and got doused due to the seals issue and no pressurization on the ground. Just let it dry and dabbed off my face with a hot towel. At 50 years old, I made it, so I’m thinking this passenger will be fine too.