‘DWTS’ Pro Safe After Plane Turns Around Mid-Air During Emergency: ‘People Are About to Faint’

“DWTS” pro and season 24 winner Emma Slater told fans about the harrowing time she had while trapped on a Delta flight in which the air conditioning had gone out. On July 9, the dancer explained the incident, which left her stuck at the airport for hours, on her Instagram Stories.

Slater wrote alongside a selfie from the plane, “Been stranded at Atlanta airport for 10 hours A HORRIFIC experience with @delta.” She added that the whole plane was “furious” before continuing, “Got turned around twice, once while in the air for over an hour. Two pilots timed out, one while we were number 1 for takeoff. The air conditioning had broken, and people are about to faint it’s so bad.”

In the photo, Slater looked exasperated as she clapped a hand over her face. Dressed in a plush sweatshirt and casual ballcap, the blonde beauty looked ready to relax on her flight, but obviously that didn’t happen. Another unhappy-looking passenger can be seen in the background of her selfie.

Emma Slater Said Delta Plane ‘Was Faulty’

In a follow-up post, Slater shared more details of the scary incident. “The poor pilots had no support, we had 3 pilots and plane was faulty,” she said. The 36-year-old also revealed the airline “kept us here for 11 hours or more for a 1 hour flight.” She said she was hopeful Delta would see her post, which racked up over 30,000 views in an hour, and “fix the problem.”

People says a Delta rep told them, “Delta’s Customer Care team has reached out to the customer for a resolution.”

The weekend after the alarming incident, Slater seemed much cheerier, promoting the release of a special candle which has a QR code fans can scan to receive access to receive access to a special playlist the ballroom expert put together during the “Dancing With the Stars Live” tour.

Emma Slater’s Flight Wasn’t the Only Recent Delta Journey to Have Trouble

The legacy carrier has experienced multiple issues during the month of July 2025. The day after Slater shared the incident on her flight, NBC reported Delta passengers had been “stranded overnight” on an island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.

The report says the jet experienced engine problems during an attempted transatlantic flight, causing a 31-hour delay.

The outlet says the airline gave a statement that said the trip, which was identified as Flight 127, was aiming to reach JKK International after leaving Madrid, but was forced “to divert to Lajes, Azores (TER) after indication of a mechanical issue with an engine.”