This week, on a Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City, several passengers suffered nose and ear bleeding due to a cabin pressurization issue with the Boeing 737-900ER aircraft. The incident is being looked into by the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to the airline, medical staff met the aircraft at the gate and determined that ten of the passengers required assessment or treatment.
Speaking with the local news station KSL-TV, passengers on Delta Flight 1203 on Sunday said they immediately realized something was wrong with the aircraft as it was flying into Portland, Oregon.
One passenger, Caryn Allen, said, “I looked over at my husband, and he had both of his hands over his ears, you know, kind of leaning forward.” “I noticed a gentleman who was obviously suffering from a severe bleeding nose, and there were people attempting to assist him,” the man said, looking about a row behind me on the opposite side of the aisle.
The pilots decided to bring the aircraft back to Salt Lake City, where it touched down without any more problems, according to Delta. The 140 passengers on the flight did not have oxygen masks on.
In a statement, Delta said, “We sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience on flight 1203 on September 15.” “The flight crew returned to SLC in accordance with protocol, and our ground teams assisted our customers with their immediate needs.”
Delta made a proposal to pay for the cost of transportation to hospitals.
According to Delta, the plane’s inability to pressurize above 10,000 feet was the cause of the flight’s problem. Pilots are trained to descend safely to below 12,000 feet in the event of a pressurization problem, where additional oxygen is not needed.
That same morning, on September 15, the Boeing was taken out of service; however, after Delta technicians fixed the problem, the aircraft was put back into service on September 16.
The FAA’s investigation is customary for all pressurization-related matters and is unrelated to the headlines that have recently surfaced about Boeing’s safety record.
