Manhattan lawyer Richard Roth says he tried not to sue Delta Airlines after the airline’s “absolute incompetence” caused he and his family to rack up $21,000 in rental cars, clothes, hotels and airline tickets trying to get to Argentina for his mother’s 80th birthday party, but the airline wouldn’t answer his requests for reimbursement.

“I tried so hard not to sue them,” he told the New York Post. It all started with a rude flight attendant named “Britney…”

“Her conduct, which was disrespectful, obnoxious and outright rude, was the tip of the iceberg,” the suit says.

After landing, the family found out from a cousin who was on the connecting flight that it had been delayed by a half-hour, giving them just enough time to catch it.

When they arrived at the gate, however, Delta agent Ralph Damour told Roth “the flight had already taken off,” the lawyer claims.

When Roth’s son pointed to the plane outside the window, Damour said, “It has not left but you cannot get on,” the suit says.

“Damour, in an obnoxious, rude, and totally disrespectful tone, said: ‘The pilot is not in charge here. I am. All the pilot does is fly the plane,’ ” according to the suit.

The plane sat at the gate for another 20 minutes before it took off – without the Roths.

The next day, after a night in a motel, the family was told it would be weeks until they they could get another flight to Argentina. So, they called another airline, rented a car and drove to Miami to catch another flight. To top it all off, the lawsuit says Delta misplaced their luggage and didn’t return it until 4 days after their initial flight.

The airline has no comment.

‘AIR FARCE’ SUIT [NYP] (Thanks, Evan!)
(Photo: So Cal Metro )

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