Delta charges US family thousands to let son elevate injured leg during flight

[webfact]

Delta charges family thousands to let son elevate injured leg during flight

Anders Hagstrom | Justice Reporter

 

 

Delta Airlines charged a U.S. family whose son was in need of urgent medical care more than $6,000 to fly to the U.S. after their vacation in Thailand was cut short when a motorcycle struck the young boy Saturday.

 

Bennett Davis, 5, requires care from a pediatric surgeon in the U.S. or risks long-term damage to his leg, which was severely injured in the accident, according to Tyler Davis, the boy’s uncle. Delta initially had the family booked for a flight, but a U.S.-based surgeon urged the family to wait for swelling to decrease before flying. The doctor also stressed the need for Bennett to elevate his leg during the flight, something that is impossible in economy class. Delta said that despite the medical emergency, an upgrade to first class reclining seats would cost $3,125 per ticket.

 

“To me, this isn’t because of the cost of the ticket,” Davis told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “This is about the morals and values of a company not willing to do what it takes to care for a customer in a horrible situation when there were things that could be done.”

 

Full story: https://dailycaller.com/2019/04/14/delta-injured-boy-leg/

 

-- Daily Caller 2019-2019-04-17

 

[quandow]

I fly first class and have NEVER seen it at full capacity EVER. This is Delta gouging folks and I hope it backfires on them.

[bangkokfrog]

If their were empty seats available in first class, this is an example of corporate greed and/or lack of compassion at its worst. I doubt the poor boy would have needed the premium meals and drinks that go with being in this section of the plane!

[leeneeds]

I had to fly with my leg elevated on a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Perth Qantas just had the seat in economy laid down in front of me so I was able to raise the leg,  2 economy seats did not add up to a first class seat,

 

The travel insurance  again rears its head, 'she be right never happen to me '

 

hope the young fella gets better, 

 

 

[NokNokJoke]

I  thought the airlines had the right to refuse to let a passenger board who was medically unfit for the flight?

 

 

[toenail]

“moral and values of a company”- those were flushed  down the USA companies’ toilets a few decades ago. It is all about $$$ (capitalism at its worse— look at the opioid crisis in America...all from greed) 

[marcusarelus]

Typical Delta.  Nasty people in my experience when I flew to Thailand. Overweight middle aged women and men with lots of jewelry banging around when they tried to occasionally work. 

[tifino]

i wonder if all this publicity will convince them to lift their game?

[suzannegoh]

12 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Typical Delta.  Nasty people in my experience when I flew to Thailand. Overweight middle aged women and men with lots of jewelry banging around when they tried to occasionally work. 

The mentality of Delta employees is that the airline exists for them rather than for their customers.

[Date Masamune]

More to this story, must be.

 

Delta does not fly to Bangkok has not for years.

 

By the way I’m up there frequently and Business is full MOST OF THE TIME, on every airline except for ANA, not empty, because of upgrades. A real medical evacuation flight on a private jet costs an enormous amount of money even the airlines that have equipment to block economy seats to put in a stretcher charge for 6-9 seats based on configuration.

 

[stevenl]

Why didn't their insurance pay? 

So they want others to pay for the care of their son. And even worse, they have so much lack of a conscience they seek publicity in order for the others to pay for them.

 

Incredible entitlement.

[GinBoy2]

Delta stopped flying to BKK in 2016, so what is the story about?

 

 

[suzannegoh]

4 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

Delta stopped flying to BKK in 2016, so what is the story about?

 

 

Either it was a codeshare flight booked through Delta or it's a bogus story.

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, suzannegoh said:

Either it was a codeshare flight booked through Delta or it's a bogus story.

 

If anybody bothered to click the link to the story, it goes into an explanation.  

[webfact]

DELTA DILEMMA 

Family’s fury as Delta charges them £4.8k to fly home son with broken leg in Business Class – and the internet is divided

Tyler Davis claimed the airline refused to budge on the price despite the fact that his nephew needed medical treatment

By Kara Godfrey

 

A family has accused Delta of not helping after a family emergency

 

A FURIOUS uncle has blasted Delta for not offering his family cheaper flights home after his young nephew broke his leg in Thailand.

 

Tyler Davis wrote a series of messages on Twitter about the issue that's divided the internet.

 

Tyler's nephew broke his leg in Thailand after he was hit by a motorbike.

 

According to a series of tweets, Tyler's brother wanted to fly home early with his son for treatment with a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon and requested business class seats so the boy could keep his leg elevated in a bid to avoid blood clots.

 

Tyler accused Delta of leaving them abroad as they were unable to offer the father and son business class seats on a flight for less than £5,000.

 

 

Full story: https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/8874720/delta-airlines-passenger-furious-broken-leg/

 

-- The SUN 2019-2019-04-17

 

[suzannegoh]

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

If anybody bothered to click the link to the story, it goes into an explanation.  

Which says that it was a codeshare flight with Shanghai Air.  Delta uses partners as a proxy to dodge responsibility even on domestic routes within the US.  For instance, if they are running a flight from Philadelphia to Atlanta it will be in partnership with regional airline like Allegany Air and if there's a problem with the flight they will say "we are sorry but it's difficult to control the behavior of our partners".

[wotsdermatter]

38 minutes ago, Date Masamune said:

Delta does not fly to Bangkok has not for years.

Incorrect information.  Delta flies to Bangkok from many different locations in the US including Detroit and Houston.  I have used Delta to fly to Bangkok after flying into Detroit from Toronto.

'nuf sed.

[impulse]

11 minutes ago, suzannegoh said:

20 minutes ago, impulse said:

If anybody bothered to click the link to the story, it goes into an explanation.  

Which says that it was a codeshare flight with Shanghai Air.  Delta uses partners as a proxy to dodge responsibility even on domestic routes within the US.  For instance, if they are running a flight from Philadelphia to Atlanta it will be in partnership with regional airline like Allegany Air and if there's a problem with the flight they will say "we are sorry but it's difficult to control the behavior of our partners".

 

And if you keep reading, it said that Shanghai air wanted $7,000 per ticket to Shanghai alone, and Delta got that down to a little over $3,000.   

 

I'm not a fan of Delta, but it doesn't look like they're the bad guys here.

[asiaexpat]

Another entitled family expecting services beyond what they paid for. If they had proper insurance it would cover this expense. Never come to Thailand without good insurance.

[kamahele]

51 minutes ago, suzannegoh said:

Either it was a codeshare flight booked through Delta or it's a bogus story.

It was a code share flight and Delta only gets a small number of seats per flight to assign

[kamahele]

This family was not actually on a Delta flight. This was a code share flight on which Delta gets a small percentage of seats to assign. Code share partners of airlines don't' give away extra seats for free. Delta would have had to pay for the upgrade if the passenger didn't.

[dcnx]

Tourist scum.

 

Send them back so they can be arrested and deported for not having proper insurance that coveres First Class plane tickets or emergency airlift.   

 

On a serious note, good to hear the little fella made it home ok. I’m sure the Somchai who hit him feels terrible about it.

[toenail]

Though passengers flying from the Chicago or Atlanta USA to Thailand via Japan have paid $1800+ dollars for a round trip economy ticket which takes 18-22 hours by the time you reach BKK, the flight attendants seem to lack customer service skills understanding you are just as important as the ones in first class. After the flight attendants do their boarding, take off routine, then anxiously feed their passengers like it is a school cafeteria, they take off hiding for the duration of the next 6-8 hours. ( hanging out in the back gallery) The couple toilets become a mess but no one is hired to clean them. The past four years I have chosen an Asian carrier because of being treated with respect.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[WeekendRaider]

there are many aspects to air travel and tourism that are becoming almost surreal. just imagine, what ten years from now will be like. example. 6,400 million of us have never been inside an airplane once in their life yet.  

 

so this idea that we all have a social right to inexpensive air travel including all kinds of prerogatives is even more absurd than any religious narrative, or even political narrative, that I can think of.  

 

avionics takes 10 to 20 years to safety test entirely new aircraft designs, plus 20 years to swap out fleets added, and the biggest optimists assert that we need 20 years more research just to get to emissions free long distance jets and then tack on the 15 years from emissions to effect meaning the least essential carbon emissions source with the longest series of latencies that almost stretch about 8 decades. whereas  trains (China and Thailand).... and EV cars are already here today... and ain’t even subsidized nearly as much as airports and commercial air travel has always had to be just to stay barely solvent.  

 

Get Ready For A Big Surprise.

[Tropposurfer]

Upgrade to higher tier seating ... pay the gap, stop wining and shut up !

[tingtong]

6 hours ago, quandow said:

I fly first class and have NEVER seen it at full capacity EVER. This is Delta gouging folks and I hope it backfires on them.

 

i have seen Ferraris and Lambos in garages, too. would that mean i should be entitled to use it any time, free of charge, since it is just there, idle?

 

wishing bad to others can backfire to you, too? i hope not!

[quandow]

24 minutes ago, tingtong said:

 

i have seen Ferraris and Lambos in garages, too. would that mean i should be entitled to use it any time, free of charge, since it is just there, idle?

 

wishing bad to others can backfire to you, too? i hope not!

Apples and oranges. You have no right to another's property. This was an emergency and the HUMANE thing to have done would be accommodate the child. There would have been no real cost. And I grow weary of PC crap.

[gunderhill]

6 hours ago, quandow said:

I fly first class and have NEVER seen it at full capacity EVER. This is Delta gouging folks and I hope it backfires on them.

Flew  Delta  Business   UK to New  York once, and only EVER  once, the  planes  were old the seats  were old the staff were  old, they lost  my luggage for 2  days they didnt give me the seats Id  booked and sat me and the Wife separately, all in all the worst trip Ive ever  had.

Many airlines are  stopping first class for the reasons you state, that and  Business  class is virtually the same these  days and doesn't justify the crazy First  price.

[quandow]

1 minute ago, gunderhill said:

Flew  Delta  Business   UK to New  York once, and only EVER  once, the  planes  were old the seats  were old the staff were  old, they lost  my luggage for 2  days they didnt give me the seats Id  booked and sat me and the Wife separately, all in all the worst trip Ive ever  had.

Many airlines are  stopping first class for the reasons you state, that and  Business  class is virtually the same these  days and doesn't justify the crazy First  price.

Got to admit I only fly EVA, and yes business now equals first class. THEIR seats are the ones that become full beds, and my luggage is always taken off and placed at the end of the carousel ahead of all the others. The cost is dear but as I only make the trip once or twice a year, it's absolutely worth it.

[hansnl]

6 hours ago, NokNokJoke said:

I  thought the airlines had the right to refuse to let a passenger board who was medically unfit for the flight?

 

 

Yes they can do that.

But of course it is much nicer to charge extra.