A Delta Air Lines flight was diverted to Atlanta after an incident with what the airline described as an “unruly passenger.”
Delta flight 1378 was traveling from Detroit Metro Airport to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Wednesday when it was diverted to Atlanta. According to Delta, the flight was met at the gate in Atlanta by law enforcement, then continued on to its destination with a new crew.
Delta did not provide details about the incident, but said in a statement the airline does not “tolerate threats and abuse of any kind towards our people.” The airline added that it is in contact with the flight attendant to provide support and is cooperating with authorities in their investigation.
“At Delta, the safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is, and will always be, our number one priority,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Unruly passengers on the rise
Reports of unruly passengers has sharply risen over the past few years, according to data collected by the Federal Aviation Administration. 2021 saw the highest increase in incident reports, with 5,973 reported that year, or a 492% increase from the previous year. As of the last data collected on June 18, there have been 857 unruly passenger reports to the FAA in 2023.
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Delta flight lands with nose gear retracted
The unruly passenger incident was separate from another situation for Delta Air Lines Wednesday, when a Delta flight had to make a landing in Charlotte with its nose gear still retracted.
According to Delta, all 96 customers, two pilots and three flight attendants got off the aircraft safely and were moved to the terminal by bus.
More:Delta plane lands without nose gear, all passengers and crew evacuated
