LOS ANGELES- Atlanta-based carrier Delta Air Lines (DL) flight DL39 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai Pudong (PVG) made a U-turn on Wednesday, August 13, 2025.
Delta Air Lines operates three weekly flights between the City of Angeles and New York of China using Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Delta Flight Makes U-Turn to LAX
According to FlightRadar24 data, Delta Air Lines flight DL39 took off from Los Angeles at 18:52 UTC.
After being airborne for over 4 hours, the flight attendant reported an unruly passenger trying to disrupt the flight. Following this, the cockpit crew decided to make a U-turn back at Los Angeles, AirLive reported.
The flight landed safely back at Runway 24R of LAX at 3:55 UTC, almost after being airborne for over 9 hours.
The airline removed the unruly passenger and departed again from Los Angeles at 6:45 UTC. At the time of writing the article, the aircraft is airborne and is near the Japanese coast.
The flight DL39 was operated by a 7.8-year-old Airbus A350-900 aircraft registered as N504DN.
The exact details on the passenger’s unruly behaviour are not known, and we will update the post once we have more details about this.

Similar Incident
A Delta Air Lines (DL) flight from Atlanta (ATL) to San Diego (SAN) was forced to divert to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) after a disruptive passenger caused a mid-air disturbance on July 5, 2025. The incident, involving Delta Flight 731, led to police intervention and a delay before the journey resumed.
Authorities at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) reported that the passenger, identified as Corbin Sanders, became aggressive mid-flight, removed his clothing, and assaulted a crew member.
The situation required restraint by fellow passengers before law enforcement escorted him from the aircraft.
Delta Flight 731 was about two hours into its scheduled route when the disruption began. Witnesses said Sanders stood up, shouted incoherently, and removed his shirt while repeatedly yelling, “I wanna go home, I wanna see my family.” His behavior caused alarm among passengers and crew.
San Diego resident Rodelyn Kupfersmid, seated near Sanders, believed he was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. As his behavior worsened, passengers and flight attendants attempted to calm him. When those efforts failed, the crew diverted the Airbus A321 to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) for safety and security reasons.
Upon landing, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Police boarded the aircraft. Officers found Sanders in his seat with slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. He was already restrained with plastic zip ties applied by passengers and was removed from the plane without resistance.

Law Enforcement Response and Charges
Police confirmed Sanders is a North Carolina resident and charged him with public intoxication. According to the FAA, interfering with airline crew members can result in civil penalties of up to $37,000 per violation, in addition to potential criminal charges.
Kupfersmid, who recorded part of the incident, said the Delta Air Lines (DL) crew remained calm and professional throughout the ordeal. She credited the quick actions of both crew and passengers for preventing further escalation.
The diversion resulted in roughly 90 minutes on the ground at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) before the flight resumed to San Diego (SAN). Passengers reported that while the disruption was alarming, the crew’s handling of the incident reassured those on board.
Kupfersmid added that no one was harmed and that the removal of Sanders was handled efficiently. “Staff was great and we were able to safely get him off,” she said.
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