Bucking Bar

Why are you embarrassed? In my experience Delta takes excellent care of it's veteran customers. Flight Attendants often make a point of thanking them for their service, as do we pilots.

104 degree temperature, apparently did not get to the gate in time to board early, bought a ticket in the back, but somehow expected to be seated in the front, then angry because he could not change seats with a First Class passenger (who was apparently drawn into the situation and was willing to help), flight attendants told passengers to remain seated with the boarding door closed.

The sensationalistic tone of the story doesn't put the facts out there objectively. While a little flexibility might have gone a long way, they guy might have been just as uncomfortable getting up and going back to the front of the jet (which assumably would have required getting the wheel chair out in the aisle again). What would be your solution, Purple?

Link to Col. Knighton's Bio. She's an activist, with a cause: http://leavenoveteranbehind.org/?post_type=stuff&p=1715

and the author ....

Journalist Annie Groer has been a Washington Post gossip columnist and design writer ... A founding director of the Art Deco Society of Washington, she twice represented the District of Columbia in the National Chicken Cooking Contest and once danced across the Kennedy Center Stage with Liberace. She lives in Georgetown, where she is at work on her first book.

SailorJerry

Wow. Now who's the antagonist around here?

Keep the airline out of the media. Period. Don't be that guy. Doesn't matter what the issue (unless you're absolutely right, and know that Fox News will agree with you).

Bucking Bar

So, you get the question. Read the story and tell us how you would have avoided giving Col. Knighton something to make a stink over?

Who knows if Cpl. Brown even wants this attention? The writer did her research by cold calling his mother and reading the guy's facebook page

Again, Delta has a very good reputation for handling this sort of situation well. Isn't it reasonable to have some confidence that Delta did it right?

The customer arrived late and was taken to his seat on a crowded jet. After he was seated, moving him would have required moving him in the same fashion.

Again, the writer published her story based on an activist's account and a facebook page. The Cpl. involved apparently did not complain ... .

SailorJerry

First off - people shouldn't fly sick. Employees or otherwise. This guy was clearly toxic and the safety net to keep health hazards off the airplane failed for whatever reason (or because its honestly non-existent).

For a company that "loves its veterans" so dearly, whether he was identified as one or not, a bit of compassion, or sympathy goes a long way. We're given full latitude as flight crew to stop the operation whenever we see fit. At least 5 people failed to fully assess the situation and get this passenger into a suitable seat. While I understand that almost everyone who flies from ATL-DCA is a sky priority passenger, and we couldn't possibly stick out necks on the line to inconvenience one of them, at some point it would have been prudent to stop, and think, and consider the situation at hand.

So really, the answer to your question, is that someone should have stopped the blankity blanking operation and given this guy the care and compassion that Delta thinks he deserves.

Or is D-0 that important to you? Is it that important to Delta?

If there was enough of a stink of the airplane that a first class passenger offered up his seat, if that really happened, someone should have STOPPED THE OPERATION.

Bucking Bar

Jerry,

As luck would have it, I have personally given my FC seat to a veteran coming out of DCA. But, I did it in the jetway, not after the jet was boarded.

So, you are saying you'd reconnect the jetway, get airport customer service back out to the airplane, and shuffle passengers around? What if you had an EDCT? What if half the passengers had connections in Atlanta? What if you were three in line to take off?

The article advised the door was closed, or closing.

Again, reading this objectively (without the descriptions of "woodpecker lips") I just did not see that anyone did anything other than deliver the product that was purchased.

lolwut

I don't see why this individual deserves to be in first. Delta is a business. Their job is to operate their business and take care of ALL of their customers according to the services those customers have purchased from them. If they can do something nice for an armed services member, thats great and I applaud them for doing so.... but one should never feel deserving of a free first class seat just because they wear a military uniform. I find how this individual acted embarrassing for all the humble honorable service men and women that travel every day.

Part of traveling on an airplane is knowing its not going to be fun. Part of being disabled and traveling on an airplane is knowing that everyone is going to do their best for you and its still not going to be any fun. Part of being a responsible traveler is not getting on an airplane with a 104F fever and blowing things out of proportion.

Bucking Bar

Worth considering ....



I'm proud of many of our people.

Bucking Bar

So much for "Bags fly Free" on Southwest

UPDATE 1-Southwest Air sets new fees, to add $100 mln to revenue | Reuters

hockeypilot44

Is he sure about that? Seriously, his recall rights might expire before we ever hire again. He might not get the chance.

forgot to bid

southern Baptist Delta plus anything goes free love Virgin Atlantic?

Uh, Virgin already has an ad for that...



and yes it is a virgin Atlantic ad