Feds To Investigate 3-Day Delta Flight Ordeal at Harry Reid Airport

A Delta Airlines flight attendant who walked off the job Saturday and an overheating engine that persisted for several days without repairs appear to have been the start of the widely reported Monday debacle at Harry Reid International Airport.

The incident caused two passengers to be hospitalized and five treated for heat illness after a Boeing 757 sat for a disputed amount of time in 110-degree heat in a takeoff line.

The U.S. Department of Transportation now says it plans to investigate, Reuters reported Thursday afternoon.

A Clark County Fire Department official said two passengers were hospitalized and five were treated Monday afternoon when Flight 555 sat on the tarmac for a reported three-plus hours without air conditioning.

Flightaware.com tracking software provided conflicting times on the plane’s gate departure, but indicated it was between 2 to 3 p.m. The county fire official said crews responded to a call for help at 5:10 p.m. when the jet had returned to the gate area.

Katie Ives, a resident of Savannah, Georgia, and her husband James were set to fly on 555 from Las Vegas to Atlanta on Saturday at 11 a.m.

But it took them until Tuesday morning to get home, costing him to lose two days of work, children becoming distraught and extra babysitting expenses, as well as changing Las Vegas hotels twice. Ives is a family photographer and had to re-book photo shoots covering two days.

“We were on flight 555 Delta starting Saturday morning out of Vegas for a work conference,” Ives said. “The same plane that people overheated on the 17th and were hospitalized. I saw the TV stories and recognized some of the people who were on the Saturday flight.”

Ives believes the three-day ordeal could have been avoided.

“It was a known and documented issue for three whole days and never fixed,” she said.

Delta said in a statement after the Monday incident that it was investigating and had compensated passengers on the flight. It says the tarmac delay covered an hour, but other reports say three hours.

The airline did not return a request for comment as of Thursday evening.

FAA regulations requires airlines to provide comfortable cabin temperatures during tarmac delays. The transportation department said it will hold the airline accountable for any violations.

“I want to know how it was possible for passengers to be left in triple-digit heat on board an aircraft for that long,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Reuters on Thursday, noting that the episode had lasted several hours.

“Even at normal temperatures, a tarmac delay is not supposed to go that long, and we have rules about that, which we are actively enforcing right now,” he said.

Airlines can be fined up to $27,500 a passenger for tarmac delays over three hours, according to the FAA.

‘Never happened in his career’

The Ives’ unsuspecting ordeal began shortly after the passenger door was locked.

“Right after they closed the door, a flight attendant told the pilot that she was having a personal issue, Ives said. “She apparently didn’t like his tone, and she opened the door and walked off the job.

“The pilot got on the intercom and explained that this had never happened in his career,” she said. But without enough crew, the pilot said FAA regulations required everybody to deplane.

”A new flight attendant flew in two hours later from JFK and so we all got back on,” she said. “While taxing, the engine overheated.”

Ives said it was 114 degrees outside, and some passengers had to sleep in the airport while others were able to be provided hotel rooms, depending on how quick one could get into the line to get a hotel, she said. That meant those near the back of the line had to sleep in the airport or find their own lodging.

The saga continued Sunday.

“It was the same plane and same crew because our bags were kept on the plane overnight,” Ives said. “It was parked at the gate and didn’t move.”

A planned 6 a.m. Sunday departure was delayed three hours before the pilot announced that they had to test the engine again. It failed, and the flight was canceled.

No other flights were available Sunday, and Delta said it would not pay for a rental car for her to drive to Los Angeles or Phoenix to get a flight home since all flights were booked in Las Vegas.

On Monday morning, a revolt occurred, Ives said.

“They wanted us to get back on that plane for a third day in a row but we refused,” she said, adding it was several dozen people who refused. “They booked us out through American Airlines or we would have been on the plane when people overheated.”

The Ives flew to Los Angeles and took a later Delta flight to get home early Tuesday.

Ives said Delta has not offered compensation, even after spending several hours on the phone this week with customer service and managers.

Contact Marvin Clemons at [email protected]. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.

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