Delta Airlines is not a favorite among frequent flyers, as evidenced by recent claims of racial profiling and racist behavior. Still, their reputation is continuing to get worse. A Twitter video posted by a witness who was on the flight shows an off-duty airport employee fighting with flight attendants and fellow passengers before being knocked to the ground. The man, identified by ABC-7 as 34-year-old Jamar Duncan, is a Delta employee but wasn’t on duty at the time. Other passengers claim to have heard Duncan make “terroristic threats,” like calls to “take down the plane.”
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The plane, which was headed from LAX to Atlanta, had to divert to Oklahoma because of the scuffle. No passengers were injured, but two flight attendants and an off-duty pilot were attacked. In the video, you can see passengers rallying to the aid of the flight attendants, filing down the aisle where they eventually restrain Duncan.
The woman who posted the video then described the situation. “[Duncan] made an announcement that we needed to be close to our oxygen masks & proceeded to try & open the door. They then called all the “strong men” to the front of the plane to restrain him. We ended up landing in OKC as it was the closest airport to us,” she said. She then clarified that he was attempting to open the door to the outside, not the cabin.
Delta issued a statement in response to the incident, writing, “Thanks to the crew and passengers of Delta Flight 1730 (LAX to ATL) who assisted in detaining an unruly passenger as the flight diverted to Oklahoma City (OKC). The company added that they “apologize to our customers for the delay and any additional inconvenience this caused.”
The statement does not seem to go far enough, however, last week a similar incident happened on a Delta flight where a passenger was able to break through the cabin door.
Do you think security needs to be stepped up on planes? Check out the Twitter video below.