Delta Flight 39, carrying 271 passengers from Los Angeles to Shanghai, was diverted to Seattle on Sunday after crew members warned a passenger multiple times to comply with flight instructions. The plane landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where law enforcement officers met it at the gate.
Delta said the diversion was made for the safety of the aircraft and passengers. It was not immediately clear what the passenger did to disrupt the flight, or whether that passenger was charged after landing.
The travelers spent the night in Seattle and were expected to board a replacement flight to Shanghai on Monday. The episode added to a recent string of unruly airline customer incidents that have forced crews to interrupt flights and call in police once the aircraft is on the ground.
For the passengers who expected to spend Sunday in the air and instead found themselves in a hotel or terminal overnight, the disruption was the whole story. The unanswered question is whether the person at the center of it will face consequences beyond being removed from the flight.
