Mississippi Sen.-elect Scott Colom was caught in the cascade of flight delays on Nov. 14 in the wake of a nationwide ground stop, calling the situation "a hot mess for Americans."
Colom said in a post on social media that his flight out of Atlanta was delayed due to Delta Air Lines being unable to find a pilot.
"It’s midnight and they don’t know when or if they’ll find another pilot but won’t give out hotel vouchers until the flight is cancelled, which they can’t say when that’ll happen," Colom said.
Department of Transportation rules require airlines to offer travelers a refund if their flight is canceled for any reason.
More than 15,000 flights were canceled in the last two days following the nationwide ground stop, according to Reuters. On Nov.
14, flight tracking website FlightAware counted more than 6,400 U.S. cancellations and 8,000 delays by late in the day.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said flights will come "back to normal" on Nov. 15, adding that officials have found no evidence of a cyberattack or other malicious intent in an appearance on ABC's "This Week." Duffy said the day before that the preliminary investigation points to a newly installed or modified router by a contractor disrupting communications.
Trump administration officials have called on Congress to provide additional funding to the Federal Aviation Administration, even as Democrats say the administration hasn't spent money already allocated.
Colom referenced his viral campaign ad as he took a swipe at Duffy, saying "pick another flight…pick another transportation secretary." His social media showed that the senator-elect was in Columbus, Mississippi on Nov. 15.
USA TODAY has reached out to Delta for comment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Hot mess': Scott Colom bashes flight delay with reference to viral ad
