Delta Air Lines Abandons Diverted Passengers After TSA Employees Go Home

This article was updated on September 1 at 4:28 a.m. EST with a statement sent to TheTravel from Delta Air Lines

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A routine weather diversion turned into an overnight affair for several Delta Air Lines passengers after they followed a flight attendant's instructions. Delta Flight 749 was traveling from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Tampa International Airport (TPA) on August 29 when thunderstorms forced it to divert to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers, Florida.

Some passengers said they were then directed to baggage claim by a member of the flight crew. However, by the time Delta decided the flight could continue to Tampa, those travelers claimed they couldn't get back to the aircraft because the TSA checkpoint had closed for the night and workers had gone home. They were left stranded as a result and said that the flight attendants gave them incorrect instructions. Delta has since addressed the incident.

Passengers Say Delta Air Lines Flight Diversion Left Them Stranded

Passenger Randi Hipper had already endured a particularly long day of traveling before the diversion. Hipper said she had flown from Hong Kong to Los Angeles and was connecting onward to Tampa aboard DL749. The Airbus A321neo, registration N589DT, left LAX before spending time holding near Tampa as severe thunderstorms affected the airport.

"Delta flight 749 from Los Angeles to Tampa diverted to Fort Myers due to thunderstorms in the Tampa area upon scheduled arrival," a Delta spokesperson told TheTravel. The aircraft eventually diverted south to Fort Myers, landing at about 7:09 p.m.

What happened after turned a common weather diversion into a much more unusual incident.

Passengers Were Told To Go To Baggage Claim

Hipper says a flight attendant told passengers to go to baggage claim and even specified that they should retrieve their luggage from carousel 7. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Hipper said she was suddenly stuck outside security while the aircraft prepared to continue without her.

"Now the plane is taking off without me and with my bags," she said.

She said she had been traveling for around 20 hours straight and had no hotel or transportation after suddenly finding herself stranded more than 100 miles from Tampa. Meanwhile, some other passengers didn't follow the instructions.

"Some people stuck around at the gate to see what would happen," Hipper explained.

She said that by the time she learned the flight had been rescheduled to continue to Tampa, the TSA checkpoint was already closed, and she couldn't get back in and return to the gate. The aircraft ultimately departed Fort Myers around 9:14 p.m. and landed in Tampa just 22 minutes later, at 9:36 p.m. Flight-tracking records confirm that the same aircraft operated both portions.

That meant the passengers who stayed inside the secure area could continue to their original destination. But those who followed the crew's instructions to retrieve their bags could not. "A bunch of people were left stranded," Hipper wrote in another post on X.

Delta Admits The Passengers Were Given The Wrong Information

Some social media users who responded initially questioned whether Hipper had misunderstood what the crew told her. "Hmmm sounds like you misunderstood the attendant," one person responded. "They usually tell people that have that location as their last stop to go to baggage claim. Not individuals that are in a layover location. Just saying."

However, Hipper was quick to argue that simply wasn't the case. "The flight attendant clearly stated to go to carousel 7. Explicitly gave a number. So the people sitting toward the front of the plane went and did as she said," Hipper responded.

Delta Air Lines itself also later confirmed that the passengers were indeed given the wrong information and apologized for the mistake, View From The Wing first reported. The airline confirmed a "communication error on our part" that caused several passengers to proceed to baggage claim. Once there, the late hour created a second problem: they couldn't clear airport security again and return to DL749.

"We are aware of reports of at least one customer that was planning to continue onboard the flight from RSW-TPA that may have inadvertently been given incorrect information about needing to collect their checked bags," Delta told TheTravel. "We have reports of a number of customers that elected to exit the secure area at RSW to rent cars and drive to Tampa from Fort Myers. DL749 was on the ground at RSW for roughly an hour and twenty minutes while refueling and awaiting clearance to re-depart for Tampa," it added.

The spokesperson continued, telling TheTravel that "While on the ground, some customers elected to seek alternate transportation to Tampa. We apologize for the inconvenience of this delay and for any confusion while on the ground."

"We sincerely apologize for our mistake and for the disruption to our customers’ travel plans. Our customer care team will be reaching out directly to those affected," Delta stated, as first reported by View From The Wing.

Delta also told TheTravel it's urging "any customers that received incorrect information and encourage them to reach out" to the airline directly so that it "can respond accordingly."

Meanwhile, Southwest Florida International Airport's published TSA policy also helps explain why the mistake couldn't simply be corrected by sending everyone back through the security checkpoint.

RSW says each TSA checkpoint remains open until approximately 30 minutes before the last scheduled flight departure from its concourse. Checkpoints never remain open beyond midnight, and passengers on delayed flights still must clear security before their checkpoint closes.

The Flight Had Diverted After Severe Weather Around Tampa

The original reason for the Fort Myers diversion was relatively routine. Flight 749 was scheduled to fly from Los Angeles to Tampa, with an arrival around 6:20 p.m. Instead, the aircraft encountered poor conditions around Tampa and entered holding patterns before diverting to Fort Myers.

Weather observations around the scheduled arrival time showed severe thunderstorms, sharply reduced visibility, lightning, and wind gusts around the Tampa area. Hipper described the aircraft in her post as having "run out of gas," but that doesn't mean the plane was literally nearing an empty tank.

Airliners just can't continue holding indefinitely while waiting for weather to improve. Crews must preserve sufficient fuel to reach an alternate airport while maintaining legally required reserves. Once the available holding time becomes too short, diverting is the safe and routine option.

Fort Myers gave DL749 somewhere to land and, likely, an opportunity to refuel while the Tampa weather improved. Diverted flights can understandably create a confusing situation because the airline may not immediately know whether the aircraft will continue, remain parked for several hours, or cut the flight short at the alternate airport. In this case, that confusion left several passengers stranded and without their bags.

Leaving A Diverted Flight Can Be Risky

There is a useful lesson here for anyone whose flight unexpectedly lands at an airport other than its destination. Normally, travelers should be cautious about leaving the secure area during a diversion unless they are sure the flight is terminating, or the airline has given clear instructions about what happens next.

The Department of Transportation specifically warns that when an airline offers passengers the opportunity to deplane during a delay, it isn't necessarily required to let those passengers back onboard. The aircraft can leave without them. Their checked luggage may also stay aboard and continue to the scheduled destination.

In this case, though, according to Delta itself, these passengers didn't just voluntarily wander away from their flight. The airline acknowledges that the communication blunder was the carrier's responsibility.

That puts the Fort Myers incident in a different category from a traveler deciding on their own to abandon a delayed aircraft. It also explains why Hipper seemed frustrated when some X users suggested she should have known better.

What Stranded Passengers Should Do After A Diversion

Passengers caught in a similar diversion should clarify three things before leaving the secure portion of an airport:

• Is the flight canceled?
• Is the aircraft still expected to continue?
• Are checked bags actually being unloaded?

If the answers aren't clear, staying near the gate until the airline confirms its plan can prevent a difficult situation later.

Travelers should be particularly cautious late at night. An airport terminal may stay open even after the TSA has closed checkpoints (as was the case of an Air Canada flight last December). But once a passenger walks into baggage claim, they have crossed out of the secure area and must pass through screening again to reach a departure gate.

Passengers also shouldn't assume that their checked bag will follow them if they choose to leave a diverted flight. DOT explicitly notes that an airline may allow the aircraft to continue with a deplaning passenger's checked luggage still onboard. In this case, however, following Delta's instructions was precisely what created the problem.