Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America.
Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand.
His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot.
Sign in to your Simple Flying account
Conflict between two cabin crew members prompted a recent Delta Connection flight to Detroit to see the captain request an immediate ground staff intervention before the plane had even landed. The 
Delta Air Lines flight from Greenville Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) to 
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) was flying on Tuesday, October 13, when the incident is alleged to have occurred.
In a report by Airlive, the flight was operating an otherwise peaceful service from Greenville to Detroit when the flight deck contacted ground operations to advise that the in-flight management and supervisory staff needed to meet the aircraft at the gate.
Conflict Issues Raised Between Flight Attendants, Requiring Separation
The pilots noted that the flight attendants were experiencing conflict issues onboard, and this required mediation and the likelihood that they should be separated to minimise the risk of further escalation. The flight, operating as DL5090, was able to land safely and was met by the requested personnel as parked at the airport's gate C21.
It remains unclear what triggered the conflict issues between the flight attendants. Simple Flying reached out to Delta for comment on the matter; however, an airline spokesperson could not immediately be reached. As reported by Airlive, the below request was raised to the ground operations team during the flight's approach to Detroit:
“We are experiencing conflict issues among the flight attendants and will likely need to separate them to prevent further escalation or an incident.”
Protocols To Focus On Maintaining Safety Onboard
There are strict protocols within airlines to manage disagreements between team members. If flight attendants disagree on a flight, or even during a duty period, there are protocols to maintain safety onboard while separating personal issues from operations. Escalations are to be made through approved channels if the disagreement cannot be resolved between the two peers.
Safety comes first, and aviation rules dictate that any personal conflicts or procedural disagreements are not to compromise cabin safety or passenger service. Crew members are trained to step away from passengers should they disagree to discuss differences privately, instead of arguing in front of paying travelers.
Should an issue be unable to be resolved peer to peer, then the lead flight attendant or purser is expected to step in and mediate, and where required, escalate. In more serious situations, should the conflict disrupt operations or create safety risks, the captain may intervene and call for ground supervisors or management to meet the plane upon landing.
Airlines often involve unions and provide employee assistance programs (EAP) to support the resolution of peer conflicts confidentially outside of work if required.
Delta Air Lines CRJ900: N132EV
The aircraft involved in the recent incident between Greenville and Detroit was a Bombardier CRJ900 LR with registration N132EV. The jet is 17.6 years old and has operated for Endeavor Air (which operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta). According to data from ch-aviation, the jet was first delivered to Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a regional airline in the US that merged with ExpressJet before being transferred to Endeavor Air in November 2017. Full aircraft characteristics for N132EV below:
|
Aircraft Registration |
N132EV |
|---|---|
|
Serial Number (MSN) |
15219 |
|
Aircraft Type |
CRJ900 LR |
|
Plane Age |
17.6 years |
|
Hex Code |
A08317 |
|
Engines |
Two x General Electric GE CF34-8C5 |
|
Operator History (Delivery Date) |
|
Configured to carry up to 76 passengers, the jet has three cabins of service, including Delta First in a 1-2 configuration, and Delta Comfort and Delta Main in a 2-2 configuration. Delta utilizes these regional jets to feed passengers from regional markets into its major hubs, while also adhering to the pilot union scope clauses that limit regional aircraft sizes. The smaller plane provides an economical, right-sized aircraft for short routes, where operating a mainline aircraft is not financially viable.
The recent incident between flight attendants on Delta flight 5090 highlights the rare move taken by the captain to radio ground control and request that in-flight management supervisory personnel meet the plane upon its arrival. The tensions evidently escalated to a point that other crew members believed that the two attendants needed to be separated. The exact nature of the disagreement has not been made public.