Winter Storm Flight Updates: Four Hurt After Evacuation

Four passengers are injured after evacuating a Delta flight due to engine issues.

11Alive reports that a flight heading to Minneapolis from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport aborted takeoff just after 9 am on Friday (Jan. 10). Officials say that passengers evacuated the plane using emergency slides and were taken to a nearby concourse.

One passenger was transported for treatment, while the other three were treated at the scene.

Following the incident, Delta Airlines issued this statement:

“Delta’s flight crew followed established procedures to suspend the takeoff of flight 2668 from Atlanta (ATL) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) after an indication of an engine issue. Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience. We are working to support our customers and get them to their destinations as safely and quickly as possible.”

The FAA is currently investigating the incident.

GROUND DELAY IN PLACE

Due to the incident and the ongoing inclement weather, Atlanta airport officials say operations are currently delayed.

A ground stop was in place for Delta departures until 2 p.m., but it was later updated to a ground delay. The ground delay is now in place until 10 p.m. Friday night. 

The weather has a massive impact on air travel in the city. So far, FlightAware data show about 370 Delta flights have been canceled and almost 400 flights have been delayed. Delta says that additional flight adjustments are possible throughout the weekend.

Cities around the Southeast affected by the winter storm have a travel waiver for flights scheduled for Friday and Saturday. A ticket must be rebooked and issued no later than January 15. Any flights rebooked after that date may have a difference in fare.

Here’s what Delta says about flight refunds:

“Customers traveling on a U.S. domestic itinerary who experience a flight delay of three hours or more and choose not to fly — either on the original delayed flight or on a rebooked itinerary — are entitled to receive a full refund for the unflown portion of their ticket (including any ancillary fees paid or checked baggage charges). The same refund eligibility applies if a customer experiences a flight delay of six hours or more on an international itinerary and chooses not to fly. If a flight is cancelled and the customer chooses not to fly on their rebooked itinerary, Delta will initiate a full, automatic refund back to the original form of payment of the unflown portion of the ticket, following a 24-hour waiting period.”