Delta’s Travel Woes Left Man’s Body Stranded For Days

Image courtesy of lkarasawa

A North Carolina family says Delta Air Line’s recent spate of cancelations and delays was particularly hard on them, as it left their late son’s body stuck in a cargo hold over the weekend.

News Channel 5 reports that the family — whose son died of leukemia earlier in the week — says Delta mistakenly rerouted a flight Friday that was carrying the man’s body from North Carolina to Nashville.

The family says the original Delta flight was supposed to be routed through Detroit before making its way to Nashville on Friday, two days before a scheduled memorial service for the man. However, instead of arriving in Nashville, the flight was rerouted to Salt Lake City, where subsequent flights to Nashville were canceled.

Once it was clear the man’s body was not going to make it to Nashville as planned, his family traveled to the Nashville airport to talk with Delta employees.

“I was stonewalled by Delta at every turn,” the man’s stepfather tells News Channel 5.

The stepfather says he spent the entire night prior to the man’s scheduled Sunday memorial service working with airport managers to find a flight for his son’s body. The airline was finally able to find a flight that would get the man’s body back to Nashville just an hour before the service.

The family says they would like Delta to review its policies.

In a statement to News Channel 5 Delta apologized for the issues.

“Delta worked directly with the family to ensure their son’s remains were delivered expeditiously and have offered continued support to make this right,” the airline said. “We apologize for the disruption and any added burden this may have caused during an already difficult for the family.”

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.