PITTSBURGH — A routine Delta Air Lines flight turned costly over the weekend when a flight attendant accidentally deployed an emergency slide on the tarmac at Pittsburgh International Airport, delaying passengers and potentially costing the airline up to $200,000.
The incident occurred Saturday evening as the Airbus A220-300, bound for Salt Lake City, was preparing for departure.
“While the aircraft door was being opened, crew inadvertently deployed an emergency slide at the gate in PIT,” Delta confirmed in a statement. “As a result, customers on the return flight from PIT to SLC were rebooked on other Delta flights to their destination later that evening or the following morning.”
Passengers were rebooked across later flights on Saturday night and Sunday morning, according to Delta.
Costly Human Error
Aviation experts estimate the mishap could cost the airline between $50,000 and $200,000, factoring in passenger accommodations, flight delays, and the expense of replacing or repacking the emergency slide.
According to Simplifying.com, repacking an Airbus A220 slide alone can run as high as $12,000 to $100,000, depending on model and labor costs.
A passenger on board said the flight attendant appeared “visibly shaken” but handled the situation professionally.
“He did apologize and was quite flustered,” the passenger said. “He mentioned that in his 26 years of flying, it had never happened before.”
What Went Wrong
Reports indicate the flight attendant accidentally lifted the door handle while arming the aircraft for departure, triggering the slide mechanism.
Emergency slides are designed to deploy instantly in the event of an evacuation — inflating fully within seconds. In this case, the slide inflated against the jet bridge, blocking the exit and leaving passengers stuck inside the plane for over an hour while maintenance crews worked to remove it.
No Injuries Reported
Delta confirmed that no injuries occurred and the aircraft did not suffer structural damage. Engineers later inspected and cleared the jet for service.
The airline apologized for the inconvenience and said customer safety “remains our top priority.”
While rare, accidental slide deployments have occurred across several airlines in recent years, often resulting in costly repairs, extensive delays, and mandatory retraining for crew members involved.
