A passenger on a Delta flight was kicked off the plane for refusing to hang up his cell phone
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A Delta Airlines passenger was removed from a flight in Miami after refusing to hang up the phone before takeoff, causing delays and angering other passengers.
The incident happened Monday on a flight from Miami to Atlanta, the airline confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Crew members told the passenger to hang up while the plane was taxiing, but the person refused to get off the phone and escalated the disruptive behavior, the airline said.
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“The safety of our customers and employees comes before everything else, and Delta has zero tolerance for disruptive behavior,” Delta said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“We apologize to our customers for this experience and the delay in their journey.”
A Delta passenger in Miami was removed from the flight (not pictured) after refusing to hang up the phone before takeoff – delaying other passengers’ journeys. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The plane returned to the gate, where the passenger was removed.
The flight then departed an hour later than scheduled, according to flight tracker Cirium.
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The photos of the incident show some passengers expressing their sadness when the situation happened, while others urged the person to consider the other passengers.
“Get off the plane,” another passenger was heard shouting.
Some passengers (not in the picture) were upset when the situation happened, while others said that the person should think about it. (Stock)
Flight attendants later informed passengers that everyone would have to turn back.
“So we all have to listen, don’t we?” said another passenger.
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“Just get him off the plane, he’s ahead,” another person added.
“So we all have to listen, don’t we?”
Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog “Watch the Wing,” told Fox News Digital that passengers need to follow the instructions of the crew.
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“FAA regulations require passengers to follow runways, which usually require a flight path when the aircraft doors are closed,” Leff said.
Due to the incident, the flight was delayed for about one hour. (Aaron E. Martinez/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
He noted that while a single call is unlikely to disrupt flight systems, concerns remain about multiple devices transmitting signals at the same time.
“Nobody thinks that one iPhone is going to break the 787,” Leff said. “The concern … is that the interoperability and multiple scales of equipment used by all passengers can cause these problems.”
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“I have to wonder, though, about the passenger who just refuses to get off his phone,” Leff said.
“That’s going to end badly.”
