Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Delta flight delayed by two hours after fight between pilot and crew member

Both crew members were removed after the altercation 

Ravneet Ahluwalia
Thursday 27 July 2017 07:16 EDT
Comments
The Delta flight was delayed at New York's LaGuardia Airport
The Delta flight was delayed at New York's LaGuardia Airport (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A flight from New York to Portland was delayed by two hours after an argument between a pilot and a flight attendant on board.

The row took place on Monday morning before the Delta flight left LaGuardia Airport. Speaking to the New York Daily News, a witness reported that the 54-year-old pilot and 26-year-old attendant fought in the aisle. The witness said: “He (the pilot) and the attendant exchanged words in the aisle and he called her “a piece of s—t.

“His conversation was racist, inconsiderate and unprofessional.”

Six Port Authority officers, some armed, then interviewed flight attendants in the jetty according to the witness. Both parties claimed their arm had been grabbed by the other.

No arrests were made but both crew members were removed from the flight and replaced before the journey began. The fracas added a two-hour delay to a journey scheduled to take 1 hour 45 minutes.

Delta apologised to passengers for the delay and said it was investigating the incident.

The service was operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavour Air who also issued an apology. A spokesperson for the airline said: “Endeavor Air apologises to the customers on board Endeavor Air flight 3925, operating as Delta Connection, from LaGuardia to Portland, Maine whose travel was inconvenienced as a result of a disagreement between two crew members.

“The actions of these crew members, as described, in no way reflects the respect, values and professionalism we expect from our employees.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in