The US Department of Transportation said Thursday it is investigating why passengers on a Delta Airlines flight were left in the heat for hours in triple-digit temperatures while the plane waited on the tarmac at Las Vegas Airport on Monday.
The flight, DL555, to Atlanta, was supposed to take off from Harry Reid International Airport on Monday, but instead sat on the tarmac as sweltering temperatures injured passengers, causing some to faint, according to reports posted on social media by those on board.
The ordeal lasted nearly three hours, as paramedics boarded the plane to extract three people who had fallen ill. Krista Garvin, a passenger and producer for Fox News, wrote on Twitter.
“They said to hit your call button if you need medical help,” she said. “Children are screaming and crying. They are handing out sandwiches to diabetics.”
She later added, “I just shook.”
In a clip posted by Ms. Garvin, the captain appears to make an announcement apologizing to those on board for the sweltering heat. Ultimately, the passengers disembarked because “a lot of people were sick and wanted to try to cool the plane down,” Ms. Garvin said, noting that passengers were then told that the crew had fallen ill.
said another passenger on instagram that she had run out of food and diapers for her baby, but despite the heat, he managed to keep his cool. others mentioned that the Delta did not provide them with any water and that the showers were closed.
Delta Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday night hv news She was investigating the accident.
“We apologize for the experience our customers had on Flight 555 from Las Vegas to Atlanta on July 17, which ultimately led to the cancellation of the flight,” the airline said in a statement. “Delta teams are looking into the conditions that led to uncomfortable temperatures inside the cabin, and we appreciate the efforts of our employees and first responders at Harry Reid International.”
Temperatures in Las Vegas reached 114 degrees Monday, as a heat wave raged across much of the country that smashed temperature records in a number of cities, leaving millions under excessive heat warnings.
According to the Department of Transportation, airlines are required to provide comfortable cabin temperatures during flights Airport runway delay.
“I want to know how it was possible to leave passengers in triple-digit heat on a plane for so long,” said Pete Buttigieg, secretary for transportation, to Reuters on Thursday, noting that the episode lasted several hours.
“Even at normal temperatures, the runway delay isn’t supposed to last that long, we have rules about that, and we’re actively enforcing them right now,” he said.
Mark Walker Contribute to the preparation of reports.