PITTSTON TWP. — One outgoing flight at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport was delayed Tuesday evening while another was canceled because an incoming flight had been canceled.
Republic Airways Holdings’ Shuttle America Flight 4326, operating as Delta Connection from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne Country Airport, was scheduled to depart Tuesday evening.
The crew of the flight opted to delay the departure after an issue with the aircraft’s interior cabin lighting, leaving passengers at a standstill. Delta quickly alleviated the situation and provided food and drink for passengers.
“The safety of our passengers and crew is always our No. 1 priority,” read a statement from Republic Airways Holdings. “And we apologize for any inconvenience.”
After waiting for sufficient daylight, the Embraer 145 aircraft proceeded normally to Detroit. There, technicians further evaluated the lighting issue.
United Airlines Flight 4787, operating through CommutAir, was scheduled to depart from Newark to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, experienced a maintenance delay which extended past an airport curfew arrival time of 12:30 a.m. Passengers of the flight were either re-booked on the next available flight or, if they chose, took the provided ground transportation from Newark.
An email from CommutAir Executive Vice President Joel T. Raymond stated, “This is certainly not a common occurrence, however, when flight disruptions do occur, our customer service team looks at all reasonable options, including ground transportation to get passengers to their scheduled destination as safely and quickly as possible.”
The return flight from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to Newark was also cancelled.
Republic Airways Holdings operates flights across the country using Delta, United, American Airlines and US Airways. CommitAir is a United Express regional partner.
