Passengers aboard Delta Flight 2311 experienced a sudden cabin scare when oxygen masks deployed and the aircraft made a rapid emergency descent, a Delta spokesperson said to Fox News Digital.
The flight was operating from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City with 174 passengers and six crew members, the airline said. Crew followed procedures after an unexpected pressurization issue, the spokesperson added.
According to reports and an air traffic control recording, the pilots told controllers the aircraft was in a rapid descent and requested to get down to 9,000 feet and divert direct to Las Vegas. When asked if oxygen had deployed, the pilot replied, "Affirmative."
The jet descended roughly 27,000 feet in about ten minutes before landing safely at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, news reports said. Passengers deplaned normally and Delta arranged another aircraft for their onward travel, the airline said.
Reactions Implications And Passenger Accounts
A Delta spokesperson told Fox News Digital that safety is the airline's top priority and that the crew "followed their training and procedures" to reach an optimal altitude after the pressurization issue. The airline apologized for customers' distress and thanked flight crews and ground teams for their professionalism.
Matthew "Whiz" Buckley, a retired U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter pilot with nearly 40 years of flying experience, told Fox News Digital that such pressurization events are "extremely rare" in the United States. He said pilots in similar situations must land as soon as practical at the closest suitable airfield with a long, appropriate runway, according to the report.
Passengers described confusion and noise inside the cabin on social media. One traveler writing on Reddit said the worst part was not the descent but not knowing what was happening, adding that flight attendants made masked announcements that were nearly impossible to hear. Other commenters recalled previous rapid descents and the jarring experience until the captain reassured passengers once at a safe altitude.
The incident drew attention online and highlighted the protocols crews follow during pressurization failures. Investigations or technical findings were not reported in the articles covering the event, and no injuries were cited in the reports.
