Shannon Marie Harris removed from Delta Airlines flight after call refusal
Delta airlines removed Shannon Marie Harris from a Miami-to-Atlanta flight on Monday after she refused repeated requests to end a phone call while the plane was taxiing. The flight left about an hour late after the confrontation at the gate.
Shannon Marie Harris on the jetway
Delta said Harris, of Tyrone, ignored several requests from the crew to hang up as flight attendants gave safety instructions. A police report said she was asked to end the call during the predeparture briefing, then became belligerent. An arresting officer said that response led the captain to turn the plane back to the gate.
Once the aircraft returned, a Delta supervisor asked Harris to get off the plane, but she refused. Police were called after she would not leave, and a Delta representative decided to have every passenger deplane before departure.
Passengers leave the plane
Officers said Harris tried to get off with the other travelers and was arrested. Arrest records say she faces trespassing-related charges. Delta apologized to passengers for the delay.
A passenger video showed several travelers pleading with Harris to be considerate of other passengers. Another passenger said Harris used profanity toward flight attendants and toward people sitting around her. The same video showed travelers reacting angrily after she refused to leave, and a round of applause broke out when a law enforcement officer entered the plane and asked her to exit.
Delta flight delay Monday
The delay affected everyone on board because the entire cabin had to leave the aircraft before the trip could continue. For passengers, that meant the flight did not simply wait out the dispute; it reset the departure process after Harris refused repeated directions from the crew and then refused to leave at the gate.
Delta said the plane took off about an hour late because of the incident. Harris, the crew, and the other passengers all ended up in the same interruption, but only one traveler left in police custody.
