Dept. of Transportation to investigate Las Vegas flight with passengers passing out due to heat

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating a recent flight that was stuck on a Las Vegas tarmac with no A/C and passengers passing out in the triple-digit heat.

A Delta plane was stuck on the tarmac at Harry Reid International Airport Monday with no A/C and temperatures at 111 degrees outside. USDOT is investigating due to the reports that the plane was at an uncomfortable temperature during a tarmac delay.

“The reports are shocking and we are investigating, I want to know how it was possible for passengers to be left in triple-digit heat onboard an aircraft for that long,” Secretary Pete Buttigieg said to Reuters. “Even at normal temperatures a tarmac delay is not supposed to go that long and we have rules about that, which we are actively enforcing right now.”

A Delta plane was stuck on the tarmac at Harry Reid International Airport for hours during triple-digit temperatures on Tuesday.

“It was just chaos,” said Krista Garvin, who was on the flight headed to Atlanta. “There was a woman walking up the aisle who looked like she was going to pass out and they ended up putting an oxygen mask on her.”

Passengers were stuck inside the plane for over four hours. The temperature inside the plane was 111 degrees, according to Garvin.

“There’s ambulances outside the window, multiple firemen and departments. A bunch of people had thrown up, people had fainted,” Garvin explained.

After four hours, Garvin says everyone was asked to leave the plane, and that those who passed out were taken out on a stretcher. She was told to come back the next day for a flight out at 7 a.m., and that was canceled as well.

“We apologize for the experience our customers had on flight 555 from Las Vegas to Atlanta on July 17, which ultimately resulted in a flight cancelation,” Delta said in a statement. “Delta teams are looking into the circumstances that led to uncomfortable temperatures inside the cabin and we appreciate the efforts of our people and first responders at Harry Reid International.”

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