John F. Kennedy International Airport had the most canceled arrivals on Monday. Delta Air Lines was affected by the disruptions, with one flight delayed because a device was missing. Flight attendants urged customers to find the phone, or the flight couldn’t depart. The incident led to yet another delay for a Delta flight at JFK.

U.S. Airports With The Most Canceled Arrival Flights On August 17

The disruption comes at a time when Delta has faced other incidents, including a last-minute cancellation at Boston Logan International Airport, despite a pilot doing his best to get customers seated quickly and avoid being timed out.

The disruptions continued for Delta at the start of the week, this time for a flight between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport.

A Delta Air Lines Flight Between New York And Boston Was Delayed Over A Missing Device

On Monday, Delta Air Lines flight DL5733 was set to depart from John F. Kennedy International Airport at 9:50 a.m. Despite all passengers boarding the flight on time, the aircraft did not depart until 11:03 a.m., resulting in delays of more than an hour.

A customer on the flight between New York and Boston Logan International Airport reported the issue that took place at JFK. The disruption wasn’t due to a mechanical issue. Instead, there was an announcement of a missing device.

Flight from JFK>BOS had completely boarded. Once we reached the tarmac, there was an announcement that a device had been lost and we cannot leave without it. The flight attendants repeated that one of us must have it or it could be on the floor,” the traveler revealed.

Flight attendants warned that the phone had airplane mode on it and was required for the aircraft’s departure from JFK. Not only was it needed for the departure, but losing an electronic device can also be a safety hazard on a flight, potentially resulting in a fire, as we’ve seen in the past.

Despite search efforts, the device still wasn’t found.

“They described it as a phone with an airplane on it, I assumed it belonged to someone important. However, the flight attendant stated one is in each side of the plane and both are needed for departure. The whole plane began searching absolutely everywhere but it was not found.”

A frustrating experience for passengers on the flight as the aircraft had gone back to the gate after the device had still gone missing despite a search from all passengers and crew.

The Delta Flight Departed Over An Hour Late After The Device Was Finally Found

In the past, lengthy delays have caused crews to be timed out, resulting in the flight being canceled altogether. Given Delta’s recent cancellation struggles and on-time issues at JFK, the carrier was likely looking to avoid this outcome. The device was eventually found in the galley just before the flight began de-boarding passengers.

“We arrived back at the gate and waited for our next steps if we were deboarding etc. it was finally found in the galley and we departed over an hour past original time.”

Including flight DL5733, Delta experienced 84 delays at JFK on Monday, along with five canceled flights, according to FlightAware. JFK has 461 delays, along with 42 cancellations. Most of the disruptions came on JetBlue flights, as the carrier has also faced several disruptions at the major New York airport throughout the summer.

Delta Air Lines Flights Between JFK And BOS On August 17:

The incident caused a stir online, with commenters playing the blame game. In the view of many, it was likely the flight attendants that lost the device in the first place.

Commenters Had Mixed Reactions To The Incident And Response From Delta Air Lines

The most favored comment linked the Delta flight attendants to the culprits behind the missing device but instead blamed the customers.

One commenter reacted, “The FA blaming the passengers most likely is the one who lost it.”

Others pointed out that the major concern was the device getting stuck in a seat, which could have been a safety hazard.

“My best guess is one of the FAs lost their phone provided by the airline. They needed to find it, especially if there was a concern it had gotten stuck in a seat. They don’t want it to get caught in a reclining seat or tray table, get damaged and caught on fire.”

These cases are common. Another commenter says they just experienced something similar on an American Airlines flight, which resulted in all passengers deplaning.

“Had this happen to me just a couple of days ago flying American Airlines. There was a medical emergency and during it one of the FAs lost their company device. They asked everyone to look for it, but I don’t think they found it. Didn’t make a big deal about it other than asking and everyone deplaned normally.”

Thankfully, the device was found, and the Delta flight departed after a delay of just over an hour. Had the device not been found, multiple delays might have resulted in yet another Delta flight being canceled at John F. Kennedy International Airport.