PITTSBURGH, Oct. 27 (UPI) — A Delta Air Lines flight attendant accidentally deployed the plane’s emergency slide before departure at Pittsburgh International Airport over the weekend, forcing passengers to rebook flights and reportedly costing the airline up to $200,000.
Costly Mistake Before Takeoff
The incident occurred Saturday night aboard a Delta Airbus A220-300 bound for Salt Lake City.
Passengers were rebooked on other Delta flights later that evening and Sunday morning, according to the airline.
“While the aircraft door was being opened, crew inadvertently deployed an emergency slide at the gate in PIT,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement. “As a result, customers on the return flight from PIT to SLC were rebooked on other Delta flights to their destination later that evening or the following morning.”
Estimated Cost: Up to $200,000
Aviation experts estimate that the mishap could cost Delta as much as $200,000, including expenses for hotel accommodations for affected passengers and the repacking of the emergency slide.
According to aviation website Simplifying.com, repacking an emergency slide can cost around $12,000, though other sources estimate the total cost for Airbus A220 models could range between $50,000 and $100,000.
Veteran Flight Attendant Admits Error
One passenger reported that the flight attendant, who said he had 26 years of experience, apologized to travelers and admitted he accidentally raised the door handle while arming the plane for departure — triggering the slide’s deployment.
“He did apologize and was quite flustered,” a passenger said. “He cited that in his 26-year career, it never happened before.”
Emergency Slide Deployment
Emergency slides are designed to inflate within seconds in case of an emergency evacuation, ensuring passengers can exit safely.
In this incident, the slide deployed against the jet bridge, not the tarmac, trapping passengers inside the aircraft for over an hour as maintenance crews worked to safely disassemble and remove it.
