A Delta Airlines flight was diverted to New York City after passengers and crew, including both pilots, were served moldy chicken, a traveler has revealed.
Nancy Kirchoff, 65, was on the flight to Amsterdam with her husband when it made an emergency landing at JFK Airport in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The pilot announced they were turning back because there was “some kind of problem with the food and people were sick,” Kirchoff told DailyMail.com.
“They said they had seen mould on the chicken,” he added. “I asked if anyone had become ill and we were told that no one had been affected, but the two pilots ate the chicken.”
Medics met the plane after it landed at JFK and provided aid to 14 passengers and 10 flight crew members, all of whom refused medical attention.
Delta Airlines Flight 136 bound for Amsterdam was diverted to New York’s JFK Airport after passengers were found to have been served “contaminated food” during in-flight meal service.
One apparently frustrated passenger took to social media, asking how the airline was “going to get me to Amsterdam today” after it had to divert “because it served passengers ‘contaminated’ food” on the plane.
The A330 plane, which had 277 customers on board, departed Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The flight crew decided to divert to New York. after it was discovered that a portion of the inflight meal service had broken, a Delta spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
“We were probably halfway to Amsterdam, near Nova Scotia and starting to cross the ocean when the pilot came over and said there was some kind of problem with the food,” Kirchoff recalled.
She said flight attendants “went up to each row and asked if everyone was feeling okay or sick.”
It was then that he asked the crew about the food problem and was allegedly told that they had discovered mould on the chicken. He also claims that the flight attendants revealed to him that both pilots had eaten the food.
The traveler says she suspects the plane was diverted as a “precautionary measure” and added that “I didn’t see anyone get sick” during the flight.
She confirmed that her husband did eat the chicken during the in-flight meal service, but thankfully “he was fine.”
The flight landed safely at JFK around 4 a.m. Wednesday, where passengers and crew were greeted by medics.
“There were 24 cases of assistance upon landing, including 10 flight crew members and 14 passengers, all of whom refused medical attention,” a Port Authority spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
‘Passengers have been provided with hotel rooms and transportation and will be re-accommodated to continue to their destination.’
A Delta spokesman said the flight crew had consulted with medical experts who recommended the diversion before deciding to make the emergency landing.
But one apparently frustrated traveler tweeted at the airline after the emergency landing, complaining about the disruption to his trip.
Virginia said: ‘I need to know how they are going to get me to Amsterdam today. I’m on the plane that is making an emergency landing at JFK because they served the passengers ‘contaminated’ food.
“I don’t need hotel or food vouchers. I need to get to Amsterdam today.”
Kirchoff confirmed that she and her husband, who were scheduled to take a cruise to celebrate their 20th anniversary, have already been rebooked on another flight to Amsterdam after the airline changed their tickets three times.
They are expected to arrive in the Netherlands on Thursday, but due to the disruptions they have missed the first day of the cruise. They will embark at the first port of call.
The flight landed safely at JFK around 4 a.m. Wednesday, where passengers and crew were greeted by medics (JFK airport file photo)
A Delta spokesperson told DailyMail.com that its teams are investigating the incident and have issued an apology to its customers (file photo)
A spokesperson told DailyMail.com: ‘Delta Flight 136 from Detroit to Amsterdam was diverted to New York’s JFK airport early Wednesday morning after part of the in-flight meal service was found to be faulty.
‘Medical teams were on scene to meet the aircraft and care for affected passengers and crew members. Delta teams will work immediately to gather information about how this incident occurred.
“This is not the service Delta is known for and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay in their travel.”
This comes after another Delta plane was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK in April after an emergency slide fell off the plane.
Delta Flight 520 bound for Los Angeles was diverted back to JFK Airport at around 8.30am on April 26. The plane was about an hour into the flight when the bizarre incident triggered an emergency alarm.
No injuries were reported aboard the Boeing 767, which at the time was carrying 176 customers, two pilots and five flight attendants.