Airlines + Airports Delta Air Lines 2 Passengers and a Dog Slid Off a Moving Plane at New York’s LaGuardia Airport An eyewitness said that one of the passengers claimed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress. By Rachel Chang Rachel Chang Instagram Twitter Website Rachel Chang is a travel and pop culture journalist who grew up in the California Bay Area and now lives in New York City (well, Hoboken, New Jersey). She's a solo travel advocate, dumpling addict, and reluctant runner — who managed to finish the NYC marathon three times. She's also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Romania and Poland. Rachel started her editorial career chasing celebrities as a magazine editor (Popstar associate editor, CosmoGirl entertainment editor, J-14 editor-in-chief, Us Weekly senior editor). Along the way, she also started chasing passport stamps and is now a freelance writer and editor contributing to Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, and The Washington Post, among others. She also edits standalone entertainment and travel magazines. Prior to this, she worked in television publicity at The WB Television Network, and also interned at Nickelodeon and "Dawson's Creek." * 25+ years of media experience in television, magazines, and digital brands * 20+ years of editorial experience as a journalist, writer, and editor * TaiwaneseAmerican.org's 100 Passionate People Pioneer * Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Professional Gallery Wall of Fame * Received a bachelor's degree in communication studies from the University of California, Los Angeles * Received a master's degree in magazine, newspaper, and online journalism from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications * Completed writing courses through UCLA Extension, Media Bistro, Gotham Writers Workshop, Yale Writers' Workshop, and the Highlights Foundation * Founding executive board member of the alumni group Newhouse 44 and still serves as a member * 15+ years of experience as a judge for the Mirror Awards Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on December 22, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email As Delta flight 462 was preparing for departure from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport on Monday, a man, woman, and dog exited the plane via the emergency slide during taxiing, The New York Times reported. The Atlanta-bound flight, which was scheduled to depart at 9:50 a.m. local time, ended up leaving at 7:17 p.m. from gate D10, according to FlightStats. An eyewitness on the flight told the newspaper that the two passengers kept changing seats on the plane, which wasn’t full. Although a flight attendant did try to get them to sit down, they never did, and the man said that he had post-traumatic stress disorder, stating that if he sat down, he’d “freak out,” according to the fellow passenger. Robert Alexander/Getty While the plane was taxiing, it suddenly came to a halt — and the crew explained what had happened: The man had opened a cabin door and deployed the emergency slide, deplaning with the woman and service dog, The New York Times reported. The two passengers were taken into custody. “This doesn’t happen every day,” Lenis Valens, a spokesperson for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport, told The New York Times. A Delta spokesperson told the news outlet that the plane returned to the gate and passengers were placed on alternative flights. These two weren’t the first to make a quick exit via the emergency slide. In 2016, a United flight attendant deployed the slide after a flight arrived at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, while a teen made a quick exit from a Copa Airlines flight landing at San Francisco International Airport from Panama City in 2017. Similarly, in 2018, a passenger claiming he was on the wrong flight left on the slide while the plane was parked at the gate at Newark Liberty International Airport, and 32 passengers slid out on the slide after a misunderstanding when an Aer Lingus flight made an emergency landing in Cork, Ireland. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit