About about 10:30 a.m. on Monday morning two passengers on Delta Air Flights flight 462 from New York LaGuardia to Atlanta opened an emergency exit door on the Airbus A321 after pushing back – and exited the aircraft down the slide with their large service dog.
Two Delta passengers and their service dog slid down an emergency escape slide this morning as their plane taxied to the runway at LaGuardia. It’s Unclear if charges are pending. pic.twitter.com/GKftQjTyDe
— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) December 22, 2020
Ground staff caught the passengers near the aircraft and turned them over to Port Authority Police, while 100 passengers waited on board. The plane returned to its gate and passengers were offloaded and given an opportunity to take other flights. There doesn’t appear to have been any incident onboard which precipitated the escape into custody, although the man declared to a flight attendant that he had post-traumatic stress disorder, offering to a flight attendant “If I sit down, I’ll freak out,” according to another passenger.
Last year a Delta evacuation slide fell from the sky over Boston. An several years ago a United flight attendant popped the slide and walked off a 737 in an homage to jetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater. In 2017 a teenager popped the slide and went for the tarmac in San Francisco. A woman in China tried it just because she was curious and another did it accidentally looking for the lavatory.
Still others used the technique to avoid capture by authorities and another United passenger was just tired of waiting for a gate.
I would hope that they are charged and made to pay DL for all costs incurred. Paying the other passengers for their inconvenience would be a nice gesture by the court as well.
I assume these two knuckleheads won’t ever be allowed on another commercial aircraft?
I’m sure that was a welcome reprieve from the mid-level violence the usual passengers would have come to expect on a DL/ATL flight
Dude claimed PTSD but ahead and got on the plane anyway. I’m sympathetic to people w/ illness or conditions, but I also expect they don’t screw over a plane full of people either.
What about the dog?
As long as they had on their masks on properly as dictated by flight attendants it’s all good. 10 months Delta free after 2,000,000 miles. They miss me.
Some people should stay home.
Hang them.
As a former flight attendant for 32
years. It takes a lot to surprise me.
I could and should share my stories
both good and horrible. My first thought is why the crew who sit next
To exits did not attempt to command
any near by man to step in and attempt to stop them. If experienced which I admit takes time you watch
Everyone for signs of problems. I
flew when it was fashionable to
Hijack planes. To this day I look at
people in a different way always.
Truly amazing aside of inconvenience and cost to replace
the chute it could.have been worse
These people should be put on a no
Fly list for ALL carriers .
.
hopefully they will be permanently barred from Delta. inexcusable.
Some reports claim they are from Florida, although in an arrest in Arkansas (where he randomly charged at a cop and was clearly not mentally stable) it was indicated he resided in Texas and apparently Arkansas. Not sure why this guy is out wandering around. Below is an article about his arrest a few months ago (it is the same guy because I have seen photos of him from this current arrest and it matches, in addition to his name and age) and in the current matter he claimed he had PTSD from a recent stint in jail for robbery. This guy shouldn’t be out on the streets he belongs in a mental hospital.
https://www.hotsr.com/news/2020/sep/29/delusional-man-arrested-on-felony-after/
@ Ruth – Why would they need to ask for help? If you read this blog you see that the F/A’s can drag 150+ passengers out of a burning plane, they can save your life, walk on water, etc.
With that said I’m surprised that someone didn’t step in to stop them. Maybe everyone is getting to the “it’s not my problem” mind set and they don’t want to get involved. I’m just thinking if 2 people and a dog start messing with an exit door that maybe someone should step in and stop it. Cost aside at least no one was injured.
You were flying back in the day when it was fun to travel.
Should who has ptsd be allowed to sit in an exit row? Even if he doesn’t shouldn’t the crew have moved him? Still blame him but begs the questions shouldn’t you be mentally fit as well as physically to sit in the exit row?
@Alec – Having PTSD does not make you mentally ill. I’ve been diagnosed with it for about 10 years (Vietnam) and have probably had it close to 50. It can cause a wide range of issues such as not being able to sleep, difficulty with relationships, increase in fears, etc. It doesn’t make you open aircraft doors and jump out of airplanes. The people obviously have some mental issues and probably requested the exit rows so they could pull this off. I’d be surprised if he has PTSD. They’ll be on Dr. Phil before long and someone will start a go fund me account and they’ll have their 15 minutes of fame and walk away with a ton of cash.
@ OneXMarine. Don’t know about the “Dr. Phil & ton of cash” part but agree 100% with the rest of your comment. I’ll go further to say that if you need to have an “emotional support” animal to travel on a commercial airliner, then you really don’t need to be in a aluminum tube. It’s not healthy for you . . . and everyone else. I mean you need to put everyone else ahead of your condition right? That’s why we wear a mask . . . primarily to protect others. “Follow the science.”