The assurance follows recent controversy over complaints filed by some aggrieved passengers over a JFK flight to Ghana.

In a statement to clarify the July 25, 2022 DL9923 incident, the Vice-President of Delta for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, Nicolas Ferri, apologised to passengers for any inconvenience that the incident might have caused them.

He, however, added that the safety of customers and crew had always been a priority that Delta Airlines would never compromise on.

He said Delta Airlines took operational issues seriously, and would put the safety and security of its customers and crew first.

“Delta’s priority is to ensure our customers’ safety at all times alongside delivering the best customer experience.

“This particular flight from New York-JFK to Accra last month returned to New York-JFK out of an abundance of caution due to operational reasons,” the statement explained.

It said: “the flight did land safely and our customers deplaned as normal, and were supported by our team.

We sincerely apologise to those customers onboard, who experienced any inconvenience and delay in their planned travel”.

Mr Ferri added that the airline also took customers’ complaints seriously and would work assiduously to engage with customers directly to address their concerns.

Background

Last month, Delta flight DL9923, which took off from John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York to Kotoka International Airport in Accra, was forced to turn around mid-flight on the Atlantic Ocean due to fuel imbalance.

There was, therefore, an emergency declaration on arrival at JFK to obtain priority handling from air traffic control.

New aircraft

On the 16-year experience and future of Delta, Mr Ferri said the airline would not renege on its responsibility to provide passengers with the great travel experience, adding that “all is set to unveil a new aircraft with novel features to give its growing clientele an exceptional travel experience.

“Effective November 2022, Delta will roll out its new service to continue its quest of delivering nothing but the best service to clients,” the statement said.

Mr Ferri said a “reconfigured airplane” would present passengers with a dynamic cabin, a very refreshing interior, improved meal service and other exciting additions.

According to him, the new service will be dubbed: “Delta premium select, and will be between Delta one and economy with differential seats, improved meal service, and personalised service”.

The premium service, he explained, was in line with Delta’s unwavering commitment to offer travellers a variety and options to choose from, while connecting the world and making air travel an experience.

“The market is more demanding, but also the expectations from Ghanaian travellers are high, so we want to make sure that we are responding to that.

“Therefore, the big news is having more products. We believe in personalising things as much as possible to allow the customers to choose from what they want,” Mr Ferri added.