SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Michigan and other parts of the country have been hit with rough weather that’s not only delaying flights but also causing major problems for cargo transport below the planes.
Kemp Funeral Home in Southfield, which specializes in international transport, has been struggling this past week to get caskets where they need to go, leaving families searching for closure.
“I have to call the family and tell them they won’t be booked on this flight… I’m trying. I’m trying. I’m trying," said Brice Green, director and owner of James H. Cole Funeral Home.
Kemp, who has been in the funeral business for 40 years, said he has seen delays before but never anything like this.
He has been taking call after call, rescheduling flights to transport loved ones who have passed. Airlines have imposed embargoes on cargo due to the bad weather, turning shipments away.
“Day before yesterday, they accepted a flight. Checked it in, weighed it, got it into the cargo area and then came back and told my driver, ‘You have to take it back,’” Kemp shared.
Kemp is not alone. James H. Cole Funeral Home in Detroit is facing similar challenges.
“They said, ‘Wait a minute, we can’t take your drop off because we actually stopped receiving bodies from Detroit,’” said Brice Green, director and owner of James H. Cole Funeral Home.
Green noted that weather-related transport issues are not new.
“Whether it’s hurricane season, wintertime -- We always end up running into issues that are completely out of our control.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and Detroit Metro Airport say it is up to the airlines to manage cargo shipments. Delta Airlines was one of the carriers enforcing the embargo. A Delta spokesperson said Detroit Metro Airport lifted the embargo Wednesday evening, Jan. 28, and that it was put in place to ensure transport safety during winter weather.
Attempts to reach American, United, and Spirit airlines for comment have not been successful.