A viral video capturing the mishandling of a college golf team’s clubs by Delta Air Lines has ignited a storm of criticism on social media, highlighting concerns over the airline’s baggage handling practices.
The East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Men’s Golf team, fresh off their second-place finish at the Chapel Hill Regional, filmed the distressing scene as their checked clubs were roughly offloaded from the plane en route to the NCAA Championships. The video, which amassed over 3.5 million views within hours of being posted, showed a Delta handler carelessly tossing golf bags onto the tarmac, drawing ire from viewers.
In response to the video, the official X account for the ETSU team lamented, “Nice of @Delta to handle our clubs with such care…” as the footage revealed bags being haphazardly thrown, with one bag landing atop others before rolling to a stop on the ground.
Nice of @Delta to handle our clubs with such care… pic.twitter.com/5tcIivt9dy
— ETSU Men’s Golf (@ETSU_MGolf) May 22, 2024
The incident not only spotlighted Delta’s apparent mishandling of the team’s equipment but also prompted other travelers to share their own grievances with the airline’s baggage handling service.
While Delta’s social media team attempted to address individual complaints, their responses were met with further criticism, with one user questioning the airline’s handling of the situation, stating, “Why don’t you respond to why your baggage handlers were purposely abusing these very expensive golf bags?”
Why don’t you respond to why your baggage handlers were purposely abusing these very expensive golf bags?
— Tom Stovall (@tnstovall) May 22, 2024
The video comes amid a series of public relations challenges for Delta, including recent safety concerns raised by incidents involving Boeing aircraft. The airline’s response to the golf team’s ordeal remains uncertain, as calls for accountability and assurances regarding baggage handling practices continue to mount on social media platforms.
Commenting on the situation, Chris Mascaro, host of “The Golf Show” on Atlanta’s The Fan, urged Delta to take swift action, stating, “Stock so far down @Delta. You need to respond and assure the rest of us who travel with our clubs that you find this completely unacceptable and…these guys were appropriately disciplined. Silence tells us you don’t care & if we’re traveling with our clubs we better book elsewhere.”
Stock so far down @Delta. You need to respond and assure the rest of us who travel with our clubs that you find this completely unacceptable and the these guys were appropriately disciplined. Silence tells us you don't care & if we're traveling with our clubs we better book…
— Chris Mascaro (@ctmascaro) May 22, 2024
