'What An Insane Experience': Passengers Faint, Get Sick After Plane Cabin Temps Reach 111-Degrees on Tarmac The flight was delayed for hours (and eventually canceled) after its cabin cooling system failed.

By Emily Rella

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Disaster struck a flight leaving Las Vegas on Monday after passengers were trapped on a plane that reached triple-digit-degree temps — leading to several heat-induced medical problems.

A Delta Airlines flight headed for Atlanta, Georgia, was delayed on the tarmac at Harry Reid International Airport Monday afternoon when the plane's cooling system began to fail. Temperatures outside reached 114 degrees.

Passengers were given the option to deplane, given the conditions, but were warned that it would be days before another flight to Atlanta would be available, which made many on the plane decide tough it out.

The flight ended up being delayed for more than three hours before it was rescheduled due to the cabin crew also falling ill.

"It was just chaos," passenger Krista Garvin told local outlet Fox 5 Vegas, noting that temperatures inside the plane reached upward of 111 degrees. "There was a woman walking up the aisle who looked like she was going to pass out, and they ended up putting an oxygen mask on her."

Garvin described the experience as "traumatizing", noting that multiple people had thrown up and fainted while others were fighting to breathe as flight attendants were frantically struggling to get oxygen tanks to passengers.

A video that Garvin posted to Twitter showed paramedics and emergency medical services arriving on the scene. Multiple people were taken off the plane in stretchers, including one flight attendant who was wearing an oxygen mask at the time.

Delta said that the company is currently investigating the situation.

"We apologize for the experience our customers had on flight 555 from Las Vegas to Atlanta on July 17, which ultimately resulted in a flight cancellation," the airline said in a statement. "Delta teams are looking into the circumstances that led to uncomfortable temperatures inside the cabin and we appreciate the efforts of our people and first responders at Harry Reid International."

Delta did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur's request for comment.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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