Delta Delays Strand Nashville Man's Body In Salt Lake City For Two Days

NASHVILLE, TN — A late Nashville man's family worked throughout the weekend to get his body into town in time for his memorial service Sunday. The body of Bryant Raburn, who died Tuesday, was to be flown from his family's home in Raleigh, N.C. through Detroit and on to Nashville, arriving here Friday, his family told NewsChannel5. Instead, Delta flew Raburn's body to Salt Lake City.

But then severe weather in the South caused a massive logjam, as Delta cancelled hundreds of flights from its hub in Atlanta, creating a web of chaos through the airline's flight network. Raburn's body was stranded in a cargo plane in Salt Lake City.

David Rhodes, Raburn's stepfather, told Channel 5 he was "stonewalled by Delta at every turn" and had to turn to Nashville International Airport staff, as they worked through the night Saturday into Sunday morning to find a solution.

Eventually, airport staff found a Delta flight that would get Raburn to Nashville just an hour before his service Sunday at Spring Hill Funeral Home in Madison. BNA allowed Raburn's family to meet the body on the tarmac.

In a statement, Delta said it "worked directly" with the family.

"Delta worked directly with the family to ensure their son's remains were delivered expeditiously and have offered continued support to make this right. We apologize for the disruption and any added burden this may have caused during an already difficult for the family," the airline said.

Rhodes told Channel 5 he hopes that sharing his family's story could lead to Delta firming up its policies when transporting human remains.

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