Ghanaian passengers file complaint against Delta Airlines for ‘chaotic’ July 25 flight

Delta Air Lines has been hit by an official complaint over their “unprofessional” handling of a flight from New York to Accra in late July 2022.

The complaint dated Monday, August 8, 2022; was filed by seven passengers aboard the said flight, through their lawyer.

It was submitted to the American aviation regulator, the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, which falls under the Department of Transportation.

The regulator has been petitioned among others, to probe the circumstances under which the said flight had earlier been postponed and how passengers had been mistreated in the process.

According to National Democratic Congress, NDC, National Communications officer, Sammy Gyamfi, who was on the flight, there was a rescheduling chaos that saw the July 24 flight moved to July 25.

Then on July 25, two hours into the journey from the John F. Kennedy Airport towards the Kotoka International Airport, KIA, passengers had to endure a harrowing experience when the plane had return to JFK Airport in an emergency landing because of fuel insufficiency.

Other reports indicate that people with business class tickets were subsequently handed economy seats on other flights whiles the others waited for the 26th to be able to make the trip back to Accra.

Information available to GhanaWeb indicates that the petitioners – five Ghanaians and two Ghanaian-born Americans – are seeking sanctions for the airline and reliefs including refunds.

The complaint written by lawyer for the group, Richard Nunekpeku, read in part: “Our clients hold the view that, the events of the scheduled flight of Sunday 24th July 2022 and rescheduled flight of Monday, 25th July 2022 resulting into flight delays and rescheduling, bad passenger service, unsafe aircraft operating practice (fuel shortage) and discrimination as outlined above are matters your office is clothed with authority to investigate and sanction.

“This is imperative in order to forestall similar future occurrences and promote safe air travel for all persons.”

The petitioners are further seeking compensation for psychological trauma resulting from the episode.

“…and to further order Delta Air Lines Inc. to pay appropriate compensation to all affected passengers for the psychological trauma and loss of time they suffered as a result of events of Saturday, 24th July 2022 and Monday, 25th July 2022 enumerated above,” the complaint added.

The Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the CEO of Delta Air Lines Inc. were copied in the complaint. The Airline has yet to officially respond to the development.