Delta passengers left stranded for 12 hours on Portuguese island after flight from Ghana to New York was diverted were warned ‘not to start a revolution’ and told to be ‘grateful the plane didn’t crash’

Passengers on board a Delta flight from Ghana to New York were diverted due to problems with the flight’s oxygen supply.

The plane was carrying more than 200 people when customers said they were ‘begging for food’ and were told by representatives ‘not to start a revolution’ while at Lajes airport in Portugal.

One of them complained about being stuck in a remote part of the airport for 12 hours and was told to ‘be grateful the plane didn’t crash into the sea’.

Nana Asante-Smith said she and others on the plane were told to drink water from bathroom taps on Friday.

‘We were let down by Delta and treated like pushy cockroaches by airport representatives on the Terceira Islands. “They had a reckless disregard for human life and well-being,” she said.

Passengers disembarked the flight at Terceria and were taken to a ‘segregated area’ of the airport at around 6am, as Ghanaian citizens did not have the correct visas to enter Portugal.

Asante-Smith claims the staff was transported to a hotel and passengers were told to contact Delta from the airport.

Initially, they were told that they would be served a meal and that a plane would arrive from Boston to take them to their final destination.

Instead, passengers were forced to beg for ham sandwiches, juice boxes and crackers hours later after the food didn’t come out.

“It’s interesting because anyone who is very familiar with West Africa or our Muslim brothers and sisters knows that many people have dietary restrictions when eating pork,” Asante-Smith shared. Insider.

She added that many passengers were left confused by airport representatives, with one woman telling them “not to start a revolution.”

A second passenger, Kiaundra Smith, claimed the same woman said they should be “thankful that they let us get there and that our plane didn’t crash into the sea.”

Smith added that the word “revolution” was “inflammatory” and posted images saying she “shouldn’t have used that word.”

Nana Asante-Smith said she and others on the plane Friday were told to drink water from bathroom taps and begged for food

Customers were given refunds for Flight 157, with the spokesperson adding that the emergency landing was due to a ‘mechanical issue with a backup oxygen system’

Asante-Smith claims the staff was transported to a hotel and passengers were told to contact Delta from the airport

Initially, passengers were told that the plane had been diverted due to a mechanical problem, and then that someone was “very sick on the plane.”

As they waited for a plane to take them to New York, Asante-Smith said some people “elderly, pregnant women and children became restless, frustrated and confused.”

They say they were transported to JFK without luggage after 12 hours at the airport, leaving them, they say, “physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.”

Asante-Smith was given a $400 voucher by the airline and received an email saying she would receive a full refund for the trip, but this has yet to be given.

In a statement to Business Insider, a Delta spokesperson said the 215 passengers were served meals and waited nearly 12 hours for the arrival of another plane from Lisbon.

Initially, passengers were told the plane had been diverted due to a mechanical problem, then that someone was “very sick on the plane”

They say they were transported to JFK without their luggage after 12 hours at the airport, leaving them, they say, “physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.”

They added that the passengers’ luggage was sent to JFK on their original plane as the second plane only had a one-hour landing time at Terceira. Passengers say they have not yet received their luggage on Monday.

Customers were given refunds for Flight 157, with the spokesperson adding that the emergency landing was due to a “mechanical issue with a backup oxygen system.”

Oxygen in the cabin and cockpit was not affected, but the plane landed in Terceira out of an “abundance of caution”, the spokesman added.

Ghanaian rapper Sakordie said he was on the flight and missed a performance at an event in Detroit due to the diversion, calling the incident “unfortunate.”

He added, “I know these things happen so I wasn’t tripping,” even though they communicated poorly and didn’t have the courtesy to keep us informed of what exactly happened.

‘This is not new to this airline especially from this part of the world (Africa), they keep sending these weak old flights (business class almost the same as economy) to pick us up knowing they are not safe but still risking lives.”