Detroit, Michigan – A Delta Air Lines flight headed from Detroit to Amsterdam took an unexpected turn early Wednesday morning after passengers fell ill from consuming spoiled food. The flight, Delta Flight 136, was diverted to New York’s JFK airport due to the food-related issues, a Delta spokesperson confirmed.
Passengers on board the flight were served with an in-flight chicken meal that was found to be spoiled, leading to the treatment of affected individuals by medical crews upon landing in New York around 4 a.m. Among the 277 passengers, approximately 70 were reported to have become sick after consuming the tainted meal.
In response to the incident, Delta’s Food Safety team has taken immediate action to investigate the situation further by isolating the product in question. The airline issued a public apology to its customers, acknowledging the inconvenience caused and expressing regret for the delayed travel plans.
While all sick passengers refused further medical treatment upon landing in New York, Delta took precautionary measures by adjusting its in-flight meal service on several international flights. Economy passengers on approximately 75 international flights were offered a pasta-only option as an alternative to the regular meal service.
Barbara Smith, a passenger on the flight from Northville, Michigan, shared her experience of the event, noting that the situation caused concern among passengers as symptoms started to show mid-flight. The pilot communicated the issue, revealing the presence of contaminated food and the potential risks of continuing the journey with passengers experiencing foodborne illnesses.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were promptly notified about the incident, given that Delta 136 is an international flight. Passengers were provided with food and hotel accommodations before the rescheduled departure of the flight from JFK airport at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Last week, a Delta flight from Munich to Detroit was diverted to London due to a separate incident involving sickness among flight attendants, with no impact on the passengers. Delta confirmed that the two diversions were unrelated, as the airline worked to address each incident independently.