A Delta passenger has taken to social media to share a bizarre incident that happened when a flight diverted due to bad weather. I’m writing about this because I find the situation to be so bizarre, especially given how common weather diversions are, and I’m curious what the real story is.
In this post:
Delta flight diverts to Fort Myers to refuel, strands passengers
A 23-year-old “Digital Asset Educator” named Randi Hipper, who claims to appear on Fox News and Newsmax, was flying Delta from Hong Kong (HKG) to Los Angeles (LAX) to Tampa (TPA), as she was returning from a crypto conference in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong to Los Angeles flight operated as expected, while the Los Angeles to Tampa flight had to divert to Fort Myers (RSW), due to bad weather in Tampa. This is of course common on summer afternoons and evenings in Florida, given how frequently we see thunderstorms (I love how she describes this as “you guys had the plane that ran out of gas,” lol).
The passenger claims that upon arriving in Fort Myers, the flight attendant told passengers to proceed to baggage claim carousel seven to collect their bags. She was one of the first off the plane, but then when she was out of the sterile area, “all of a sudden half the plane stayed back, and now they’re departing without [her], and with [her] bag.” And now she’s “stuck at Fort Myers, [she] cannot get in, TSA is closed, and [she’s] stranded here, with no hotel, no nothing, and [she’s] hours away from Tampa.”
As you’d expect, some people questioned her story, and below are some of her responses…
My theory on what went wrong with this Delta diversion
I find this to be very strange. On the one hand, I believe that she heard she was supposed to go to baggage claim carousel seven. On the other hand, while she claims others were stranded as well, I only see her in the video, and I’m curious how she can authoritatively claim that once she was out of the sterile area, “all of a sudden half the plane stayed back.” Was it really “all of a sudden,” or did they just interpret instructions differently than her?
I did a bit of digging, as much as I can without actually having been there…
To cover the basics of this flight, this was on Saturday, August 29, 2026, and involves Delta flight DL749. The flight was supposed to depart Los Angeles at 10:26AM and arrive in Tampa at 6:20PM. It ended up landing in Fort Myers at 7:09PM, and then took off again at 9:14PM, operating the 22-minute flight to Tampa, where it landed at 9:36PM.
I think based on the above video, you’d assume this traveler was stranded on Christmas Island at 1AM, so I think it’s important to remember that this all happened a little after 7PM. Also keep in mind that Fort Myers is a roughly two-hour drive from Tampa.
Of course renting a car or taking an expensive Uber is inconvenient, but this isn’t quite an “I’m stranded in the middle of nowhere with no options” situation. Also, on social media she talks about how she’s going to make everyone a crypto millionaire, so I assume she must herself be very well off, and that expense would be nothing to her… right? 😉
But real talk, typically if you have a weather diversion, either everyone stays on the plane, or the airline asks you to just go into the gate area and wait there for updates. I checked, and it doesn’t appear that this flight used any gate number seven at the airport, in case that was the confusion.
So was Delta initially thinking the flight was going to be canceled, and that’s why people were sent to baggage claim, only for that plan to change within minutes? That seems highly unlikely, but it’s a theory. That brings me to my theory which seems most likely.
There was a scheduled Delta flight from Atlanta (ATL) that arrived in Fort Myers at almost exactly the same time as this diverted flight. Did the gate agent who boarded the plane to welcome passengers accidentally get the flight wrong, and was giving the baggage claim information for the Atlanta flight, without realizing this was a diverted flight?
That would also explain how a vast majority of other passengers would’ve not had the issue this traveler did. It sounds like she was in first class and was among the first off the plane, so maybe the gate agent made that announcement, and then the flight attendant immediately corrected the gate agent. This shouldn’t happen in the first place (when the door opens, the gate agent and flight attendant are supposed to confirm the flight), but it seems like the best theory.
When it comes to security being closed, it appears that each concourse in Fort Myers has a separate security checkpoint. The only scheduled late night flight was on JetBlue, and that was out of a different concourse. So I can understand how once she left security, there was no way to get back airside.
So I wouldn’t be surprised if Delta was at fault here, and if someone really did say what she heard. If that’s the case, they should be on the hook for making her whole, and reimbursing any expenses incurred.
At the same time, this is where it pays to be an experienced traveler (which of course is no one’s obligation, but it helps). If you’re on a flight that diverted and they send you to baggage claim, you should follow up and ask questions, because that suggests the flight is just canceled, and it doesn’t sound like that’s what she was otherwise anticipating.
Bottom line
A Delta flight from Los Angeles to Tampa diverted to Fort Myers due to bad weather at the destination, which isn’t unusual. What’s strange is that one of the passengers claims that she was told to go to a specific baggage claim belt. Once there, she found out that wasn’t actually correct, and there was no way to get back through security, to catch the flight, leaving the traveler stranded.
This is a bizarre incident, and if this traveler was in fact told to go to baggage claim carousel seven, my best guess is that the gate agent meeting the flight gave the wrong information with the announcement after the door closed, and that was quickly corrected. However, it sounds like this traveler was one of the first off the plane and then darted to baggage claim, which seems ill-advised in the first place.
What do you make of this strange Delta diversion incident?
Would the flight be allowed to depart with several (or even one) passenger missing while their bags are still onboard?
As it turns out, multiple pax were left behind. Delta in fact did announce baggage claim, and quite a few pax went.
DL has publicly acknowledged the error today, and is reaching out to the affected customers.
I have never heard of this woman, and yes, she was a bit of a drama queen. But - it did happen.
It's posted on View from the Wing.
Dumb broad crying to right wing news sources.
Ja ja ja. Leave her behind. She could not be any more annoying.
I have to observe that the flight arrived at 7:06pm, departed at 9:12 and arrived at 9:36pm. She could have gotten in an uber or rental car and beat her bags to baggage claim. I agree with Ben. Yes, it's inconvenient but she has the means to fly business class to Hong Kong or enough Delta MQDs to get upgraded from LAX to Tampa or the means to buy an upgrade or at the very...
I have to observe that the flight arrived at 7:06pm, departed at 9:12 and arrived at 9:36pm. She could have gotten in an uber or rental car and beat her bags to baggage claim. I agree with Ben. Yes, it's inconvenient but she has the means to fly business class to Hong Kong or enough Delta MQDs to get upgraded from LAX to Tampa or the means to buy an upgrade or at the very least platinum medallion certs. The point being that she's not a family of four flying in economy on a trip they can barely afford to see grandma. She can afford to solve her own problem. That's the luxury of having money. It solves problems. At that point, I would have happily gone on TPA on my own and collected my bags there. And, if Delta had turned around and offloaded them because I wasn't on the flight I would have gotten them to deliver the bags, which they absolutely would do. And that is exactly what she should have done. Entitled whiner. We all have far worse stories.
Delta uses baggage claim 4 at RSW but 6 & 7 at TPA. My theory is, one inexperienced FA gave a typical arrival announcement as in the manual as if they’re at TPA “get your bags at 7 and goodbye”, and corrected later by other FAs or experienced passengers after several pax have left.
Or maybe the flight attendant didn’t know they diverted to RSW and thought they actually landed at TPA.
There is no baggage claim 7 at RSW. TSA is there always to arond 11:30- Midnight. Frequent flier in and out of RSW.
After careful consideration.
It would have been hilarious if this flight diverted to DJT.
It would be the greatest big beautiful diversion. And it's not due to weather but due to DEI.
Her bags never went to baggage claim because it was heavily redacted.
She couldn't get thorough TSA because they weren't paid.
And finally the plane left without her because she didn't contributed to the campaign funds. The plane eventually ended up in...
After careful consideration.
It would have been hilarious if this flight diverted to DJT.
It would be the greatest big beautiful diversion. And it's not due to weather but due to DEI.
Her bags never went to baggage claim because it was heavily redacted.
She couldn't get thorough TSA because they weren't paid.
And finally the plane left without her because she didn't contributed to the campaign funds. The plane eventually ended up in Israel.
She couldn't get any compensation due to sanctions. And even if she did, the tariffs would mean she will owe Delta compensation.
She ended up flying to Sioux City.
I tried reading this and honestly can't get through it nor do I know why you took the time to report on some sketchy girl who had trouble getting to Tampa. Why is this even here?
Because you, and 37 other people, commented on it
Ross' theory makes a lot of sense, particularly from LAX. And while I am no fan of the typical influencer, she does sound a lot more rational if not calm, and most def. not irate, than your typical influencer. Finally, if she was tired after a long international flight, not to mention the time zone changes, the directions from LAX might have lingered in her mind.
I don't think it's necessary to assume that she...
Ross' theory makes a lot of sense, particularly from LAX. And while I am no fan of the typical influencer, she does sound a lot more rational if not calm, and most def. not irate, than your typical influencer. Finally, if she was tired after a long international flight, not to mention the time zone changes, the directions from LAX might have lingered in her mind.
I don't think it's necessary to assume that she was overly intoxicated, although that it was one of the heavily promoted benefits of international Business/First...
Story sounds fishy. Nervertheless, no premium airline. Sold me a non-stop flight in Delta One two weeks ago just to rebook me on a connecting flight including American first (i.e. premium eco) yesterday.
I think what happened here is:
Whiny child posts video about her stupidity and her not paying attention to the world around her.
She sounds like a RWNJ who was Jeanine Pirroing* before the flight, and then had seven glasses of wine while in the air.
*“Janine Pirroing:” Noun. Guzzling four boxes of cheap wine before doing anything, such as boarding a flight, and then ending up in a wrong airport’s baggage claim area alone, confused, unloved, and sad. Usu. ends in public humiliation, which further confounds the Janine Pirroer.
These are people promoting and representing crypto.
"how she’s going to make everyone a crypto millionaire,"
Start as a crypto billionaire.
I think what happened is that when she arrived at LAX, all passengers were reminded to collect their bags even if they were making a connection, before going through Customs. Bradley Terminal does have a Carousel 7. She was tired, and this stuck in her memory when the next plane landed at the next airport.
On domestic flights, I am often among the first off the plane, and I don't recall seeing any gate...
I think what happened is that when she arrived at LAX, all passengers were reminded to collect their bags even if they were making a connection, before going through Customs. Bradley Terminal does have a Carousel 7. She was tired, and this stuck in her memory when the next plane landed at the next airport.
On domestic flights, I am often among the first off the plane, and I don't recall seeing any gate agents meeting flight attendants with baggage-claim information. The door opens, no one enters, we leave.
Oddly enough, the LAX website says that baggage claim for DL 88 (which arrived half an hour ago from Hong Kong) is at Terminal 3, Carousel 4. Maybe this is a glitch in the system, and flight attendants make a point of telling passengers not to rely on this online information. The arrival gate today was 225 (Bradley). For August 29 it was Gate 133 (also Bradley).
She flew for 20 hours "in a row"....holy wowzers all IN A ROW!!!! What a dip. Hope she enjoyed Ft. Myers.
Not surprised that a low information, low IQ Newsmax talking head managed to be a total moron here.
“Digital Asset Educator” - crypto huckster.
Based on her tweet, the passenger clearly has an issue with processing information:
"After flying 20 hours in a row,"
No, you had a layover at LAX. That's not flying 20 hours in a row.
"I was diverted to Fort Myers because the plane ran out of gas."
If the plane had run out of gas, you would have crashed.
"The flight attendant then told the flight to go to baggage claim."
I've never been...
Based on her tweet, the passenger clearly has an issue with processing information:
"After flying 20 hours in a row,"
No, you had a layover at LAX. That's not flying 20 hours in a row.
"I was diverted to Fort Myers because the plane ran out of gas."
If the plane had run out of gas, you would have crashed.
"The flight attendant then told the flight to go to baggage claim."
I've never been on a diverted flight when the FA told the pax to go to baggage claim. They usually ask pax to remain seated so the flight can depart as soon as possible after cleared to its destination. She clearly misunderstood the announcement. I'll give her benefit of the doubt because she had been "flying 20 hours in a row."
On a related note, last night's thunderstorm was spectacular... torrential rain and heavy wind for nearly an hour.
On something like this where you're 100 miles or so from the destination you might be given an option to deplane, presumably because you're close to your destination and can drive/uber/get a ride.
HOWEVER, that determination would only be determine/announced by the gate agent and not the crew. Furthermore, the gate agent would need to take you off the flight in the system and you very likely would not get a checked bag back. No...
On something like this where you're 100 miles or so from the destination you might be given an option to deplane, presumably because you're close to your destination and can drive/uber/get a ride.
HOWEVER, that determination would only be determine/announced by the gate agent and not the crew. Furthermore, the gate agent would need to take you off the flight in the system and you very likely would not get a checked bag back. No one is going to take the time to climb through the cargo hold to find your bag(s). Like I said, something doesn't ring right about her story.
There is something totally off about this story. Usually upon diverting the Captain will advise that decisions will be made upon landing. If the crew has time usually it's wait out the weather, gas up and go. If not, then there's going to probably be an overnight. The GA is going to be explicit with instructions and I don't think the GA got this flight confused. Diversions are a biggie, everyone involved is on "high...
There is something totally off about this story. Usually upon diverting the Captain will advise that decisions will be made upon landing. If the crew has time usually it's wait out the weather, gas up and go. If not, then there's going to probably be an overnight. The GA is going to be explicit with instructions and I don't think the GA got this flight confused. Diversions are a biggie, everyone involved is on "high alert" for next steps from operations. The FAs are going to tell passengers to remain seated until instructions are given because they won't know what the plan is.
Why she ended up in the baggage area (seemingly alone) who knows. Also, this was not late at night. Was TSA really gone? I would think the last of the flights probably go out between 8-9PM.
Ben. This article is shite. Why have you started to publish these click-bait pieces and jeopardize your credibility as a legitimate aviation blogger. Between these kinds of posts - and some new advertising scheme that is loading my screen with irrelavant ads - your site is quickly loosing its value to me. Like PYOK and VFTW, I'll be stopping the 'clicks' as I view this content as a total waste of my time. Just a heads up. Sayonara.
(You could just skip the stories/comments you don't like... nah) Anyway, ja ne!
Wait...no clamoring for 261 type compensation. You're slipping.
“Just a heads up. Sayonara.”
Yay! Another public flounce! It’s like the laziest, worst commenters are self-cleaning themselves off the blog! And announcing it! Let’s have a parade to celebrate!
The story still has some good entertainment factor and has insights about operational matters. So, all in I liked it.
A digital asset educator on her way from a crypto conference should be treated as fraud until proven otherwise.
"Did the gate agent who boarded the plane to welcome passengers accidentally get the flight wrong, and was giving the baggage claim information for the Atlanta flight, without realizing this was a diverted flight?"
This seems like the much more likely scenario.
Why would an agent board the non-diverted flight and make PA there?
Procedure.
At least it was in 1980/90's when I was a Gate AAgent at DFW
A general welcome, basic directions to bag claim, etc. Most passengers (and I think that's the case for the 'victim' here) think it's an F/A making that announcement.
Quite possible she thought she can get out there (maybe she lives closer) and found out that bags were not unloaded. Now playing victim.
We should speculate and defame, wildly. /s
Would have been more plausible if it were a lot of passengers instead of this one person somehow getting out of sterile zone. And she is supposed to be smart, teaching people to earn millions leveraging blockchain technology so not a person who never flies.
So, if we speculate further, you presume those who traffic in crypto are 'smart'... I mean, I guess such grifters could be considered 'smart' if they get away with tricking their marks, but we usually don't celebrate that as a noble 'profession' or anything. (By the way, are you *that* John who, in the past, has told me to go...)
No, you must be thinking about some other John. I never get personal in any of my comments (I hardly ever comment) and never addressed any one personally. I will add L to my name from now on so I don't get confused with someone else.
I wasn't there, so I won't judge or draw conclusions, but it's very obvious that something went very wrong in communications. I hope it got resolved in a way and that the passenger got reunited with her bag in Tampa. As you said, it's just a 2 hour drive, it's early evening and it's not as if she's stranded on the moon or so.
"So I wouldn’t be surprised if Delta was at fault here"....
I wasn't there, so I won't judge or draw conclusions, but it's very obvious that something went very wrong in communications. I hope it got resolved in a way and that the passenger got reunited with her bag in Tampa. As you said, it's just a 2 hour drive, it's early evening and it's not as if she's stranded on the moon or so.
"So I wouldn’t be surprised if Delta was at fault here". What I am sure of, however, is that there's a rant coming up from a certain individual about such a statement. :D
That won't happen. That individual doesn't post when Delta screws something up. And if he does post, the main body of it will include endless explanations of how Delta is more premium than every other domestic airline, and that they're literally printing money because of their excellence.
That flyover at the rugby stadium in South Africa was amazing !!
I’ve been saying in the Daily Discussion that Ben should post on that! Very ‘This Is Africa’ and also ‘who is the captain(s), now?’
(Also, that incident is some insane global free advertising for them. I mean, I had flown on them before, and genuinely like the airline, but it was mostly a southern African regional carrier; now anyone on social media has heard of little ole Airlink, now!)
Glad no one got hurt.
Very Premium passenger experience Delta offers by leaving the passengers behind.
The pax was outside the secure area. TSA was closed. Delta would not be able to get TSA to reopen. Their choice? Cancel the flight and leave a whole plane load of people stranded or let one (was it more) be stranded. No way any airline choose the former.
Crypto is a scam. Karma is a bitch.
At least it was ‘premium’ karma!
See. Right-wing ‘pundits’ on ‘news’ *wink wink* programs also get stranded by airlines. So, having air passenger rights legislation, like an EU261, which includes duty of care, even in weather related disruptions (no compensation for those), should be a bi-partisan, all-sides, kinda issue… anyway, I agree; wonder what the real story is here.
How much are you willing to pay for a ticket where every flight is covered by a U.S. style EU261 (including weather)? Maybe you can afford LAX-LAS $1500 RT, but I cannot.
I flew UK to South of France for $54 round trip recently so passenger protections don't need to make flights unaffordable!
Thank you, Nikojas. Exactly.
Steve, nice industry-talking points you got there, but, even US carriers know that there are profitable, low-cost carriers with unionized labor, complying with such rules in the EU and UK, already. It can/should be done, here, too.
Best yet, if airlines want to avoid owing anyone compensation, they can plan ahead and operate more reliably. And, if you, personally, don’t want any support, you can reject it (lift yourself up,...
Thank you, Nikojas. Exactly.
Steve, nice industry-talking points you got there, but, even US carriers know that there are profitable, low-cost carriers with unionized labor, complying with such rules in the EU and UK, already. It can/should be done, here, too.
Best yet, if airlines want to avoid owing anyone compensation, they can plan ahead and operate more reliably. And, if you, personally, don’t want any support, you can reject it (lift yourself up, etc.) A baseline for others is still worthwhile.
My experience has been that both sides of the political spectrum enjoy taking my money. One for greed and the other because they think they are doing the right thing. Both are dangerous. Let me choose how I protect my trip. People who can buy a walk up Polaris fare should not be deciding how I spend my travel funds.
The Biden protections that Trump revoked were acceptable and a fair baseline but full...
My experience has been that both sides of the political spectrum enjoy taking my money. One for greed and the other because they think they are doing the right thing. Both are dangerous. Let me choose how I protect my trip. People who can buy a walk up Polaris fare should not be deciding how I spend my travel funds.
The Biden protections that Trump revoked were acceptable and a fair baseline but full EU261 for a country the size of the U.S. is not possible. The world economy is on the brink of a recession. You and the oligarchs will be fine. Let me manage my limited funds. Ok?
Steve, enough with these silly false equivalencies and hyperbolic strawmen. No one is asking for walk-up UnitedPolaris, DeltaOne, FlagshipFirst, or whatever. If you want to raw-dog travel disruptions and pay out-of-pocket when a carrier ghosts you, knock yourself out (you are never forced to accept anything under EU/UK-style regulations).
No one is demanding cash for weather delays. We are talking about a sensible duty of care (clear communications; options for re-routing, even with competitors; meals,...
Steve, enough with these silly false equivalencies and hyperbolic strawmen. No one is asking for walk-up UnitedPolaris, DeltaOne, FlagshipFirst, or whatever. If you want to raw-dog travel disruptions and pay out-of-pocket when a carrier ghosts you, knock yourself out (you are never forced to accept anything under EU/UK-style regulations).
No one is demanding cash for weather delays. We are talking about a sensible duty of care (clear communications; options for re-routing, even with competitors; meals, overnight accommodations, if applicable) when an airline completely drops the ball—like accidentally stranding passengers at a closed regional airport because of a communications breakdown.
I purchase travel insurance. I said the Biden proposals were fair. Our ATC cannot even properly communicate with presidential aircraft. How the hell are we going to implement EU style regulations? Airlines will pass every single cent onto consumers and add a 50% surcharge to boot.
You and other frequent commentators can afford the extra ticket prices for this utopia. Sometimes life just sucks and we have to go with flow. Personally, I’m thrilled...
I purchase travel insurance. I said the Biden proposals were fair. Our ATC cannot even properly communicate with presidential aircraft. How the hell are we going to implement EU style regulations? Airlines will pass every single cent onto consumers and add a 50% surcharge to boot.
You and other frequent commentators can afford the extra ticket prices for this utopia. Sometimes life just sucks and we have to go with flow. Personally, I’m thrilled this MAGA nutcase got screwed over. ✌️
Why reward airlines for screwing up?
Perhaps you should consult with a US airline and advise them on how to "plan ahead and operate more reliably." I suspect none of them has ever considered the topic.
Prices in Europe didn't go up when more comprehensive passenger rights were introduced, despite all the fearmongering.
1990_'s strawman kept prices low.
Real men pay higher prices.
No, Eskimo, real passengers buy tickets based on market rates, not a willingness to be abandoned at a closed airport. We pay for a service, and when the airline drops the ball, or conditions outside of their control prevent them from delivering, a baseline duty of care should apply (at least until your fully automated, human-free airline fantasy takes over.)
"buy tickets based on market rates,"
I think there's no point to continue this conversation anymore.
You clearly have no idea how EU261 works