A Delta flight en route from Amsterdam to Detroit with 270 passengers on board was stranded at a remote military base in Canada overnight; the above after making an emergency landing. “Delta Flight 135 operating from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 10 experienced a mechanical issue and diverted to Goose Bay, Newfoundland, on Sunday afternoon out of an abundance of caution,” a Delta spokesperson said. Happy Valley-Goose Bay is a town on the northeast coast of Canada with a population of less than 10,000. It houses a Canadian Air Force military base with a runway long enough to accommodate the plane’s emergency landing.
A Flight of Terror for Dozens of Passengers
After changing planes and waiting for hours to resume their journey, a staffing issue grounded them overnight. Canadian customs took the passengers to military barracks in groups of 25 people. In an incredible story, passengers boarded the new plane after waiting more than 7 hours. Then they waited another hour after boarding to take off. In the end, they were advised that the crew and pilot had completed their allotted flight hours and needed to rest for 10 or 12 hours.
Each family was given a key to a room with basic amenities, where they slept for about two hours before a bus arrived to take them to another plane. A Delta spokesperson said the airline worked with authorities in Goose Bay to arrange food, water, and lodging for passengers from Sunday through Monday. “Crew duty times were affected due to weather and runway conditions at Goose Bay Airport, resulting in the suspension of operations at the airport,” the airline said in a statement. “Delta sent additional aircraft to Goose Bay to take customers to their final destination on Monday.”
Passengers on the plane were provided with snacks such as granola bars and cafeteria bread. The passengers returned to Detroit after more than 24 hours fed up with the treatment they were given. Delta apologized to customers for the inconvenience and will compensate customers.
This story was written in Spanish by Miguel Fernandez in Cultura Colectiva
