Jump to content
IGNORED

Sisters kicked off Allegiant Air flight miss seeing their dying dad, they say


SavedByGrace1981

Recommended Posts


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  6
  • Topic Count:  104
  • Topics Per Day:  0.02
  • Content Count:  2,923
  • Content Per Day:  0.62
  • Reputation:   462
  • Days Won:  2
  • Joined:  04/02/2011
  • Status:  Offline
  • Birthday:  03/22/1953

DeLAND, Fla. - Two sisters said they were humiliated when Allegiant Air kicked them off a flight, claiming they were a threat.

“I just wanted to see my dad,” Debbie Hartman told CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG-TV.

But that never happened for Hartman or her sister, Trisha Baker.

They two were on their way from Orlando to Asheville, North Carolina, Monday to visit their sick father, who was in hospice care.

While the plane was waiting to leave the tarmac, Hartman’s sister got a text message saying their father only had hours to live.

“I didn’t know if my sister was getting the same text and (I) was I thinking, ‘I need to go back and tell her,”’ Baker recalled.

Baker said when she got up to tell her sister, a flight attendant stepped in.

“She said, ‘You need to sit down,’ and I said, ‘Well, can I just sit here? I just want to console my sister. We just got word that my dad’s dying,’” Baker said.

Hartman said she started having a panic attack and the situation only escalated from there, when Baker confronted the flight attendant for not being compassionate.

“She said, ‘You’re being very rude. My father is dying and I’m comforting her’ -- and they said she needed to keep her personal problems off the plane,” Hartman said.

Minutes later, the sisters said, the flight attendant called the captain, the plane turned around and airport security escorted them off the flight.

“They told us we were a threat to the flight. I couldn’t believe it,” Hartman said.

“People were like ‘what’s going on?’” Hartman added.

Some passengers even took to YouTube and complained about the situation.

“That was the most inhumane, deplorable thing I’ve ever seen any human being do,” one woman said.

Hartman said their father died shortly after -- and now she wants the airline to be held accountable.

“I would like to see them in some way be punished in a way where people understand. This is not humane. One hundred thousand percent I blame them. They were the gate between keeping me from my father to say goodbye,” Hartman said.

“I don’t think they should keep their jobs, to be honest with you,” Hartman said. “They don’t have heart. They didn’t care that I wasn’t going to [get to] see my dad.”

WKMG emailed Allegiant Air, and the carrier said it’s investigating.

The airline released a statement saying, “At Allegiant we rely on our crew members to provide and oversee a safe environment for every passenger, on every flight. We expect that authority to be exercised both judiciously and consistently, with empathy and with good judgment. We take this customer feedback seriously and are in the process of conducting an investigation into what occurred. “

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sisters-kicked-off-allegiant-air-flight-miss-seeing-their-dying-dad-they-say/

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  6
  • Topic Count:  104
  • Topics Per Day:  0.02
  • Content Count:  2,923
  • Content Per Day:  0.62
  • Reputation:   462
  • Days Won:  2
  • Joined:  04/02/2011
  • Status:  Offline
  • Birthday:  03/22/1953

I understand - especially post 9/11 - the need to have absolute order aboard an aircraft.  Passengers must (in 99 percent of cases) ALWAYS follow the instructions of the flight crew.  Rule one - don't cause a scene.

This, however, could have been handled differently and with more grace.

The airline is likely in for some bad press.

Blessings,

-Ed

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Diamond Member
  • Followers:  4
  • Topic Count:  48
  • Topics Per Day:  0.01
  • Content Count:  2,491
  • Content Per Day:  0.55
  • Reputation:   1,457
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  10/23/2011
  • Status:  Offline
  • Birthday:  02/02/1971

If you can't follow the rules, and respect those operating the aircraft, then it should be dealt with immediately, such as this was.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Worthy Ministers
  • Followers:  28
  • Topic Count:  338
  • Topics Per Day:  0.05
  • Content Count:  15,676
  • Content Per Day:  2.46
  • Reputation:   8,496
  • Days Won:  39
  • Joined:  10/25/2006
  • Status:  Offline
  • Birthday:  02/27/1985

I can see both sides here unfortunately...wish there was a middle ground to be sought...

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  16
  • Topic Count:  134
  • Topics Per Day:  0.04
  • Content Count:  8,142
  • Content Per Day:  2.37
  • Reputation:   6,612
  • Days Won:  20
  • Joined:  11/02/2014
  • Status:  Offline

1 hour ago, The_Patriot2016 said:

I can see both sides here unfortunately...wish there was a middle ground to be sought...

It appears that the attendant could not be bothered with the sisters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Royal Member
  • Followers:  34
  • Topic Count:  1,989
  • Topics Per Day:  0.49
  • Content Count:  48,687
  • Content Per Day:  11.89
  • Reputation:   30,342
  • Days Won:  226
  • Joined:  01/11/2013
  • Status:  Offline

Very unfortunate set of circumstances. When a person panics they can often get out of control. Perhaps the crew handled it the best as they could.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Worthy Ministers
  • Followers:  29
  • Topic Count:  593
  • Topics Per Day:  0.08
  • Content Count:  55,875
  • Content Per Day:  7.55
  • Reputation:   27,624
  • Days Won:  271
  • Joined:  12/29/2003
  • Status:  Offline

It is important that people are in their correct seats during takeoff...it is unfortunate that people do thing when they are under stress that hurts everyone.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Removed from Forums for Breaking Terms of Service
  • Followers:  0
  • Topic Count:  20
  • Topics Per Day:  0.01
  • Content Count:  647
  • Content Per Day:  0.24
  • Reputation:   283
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  12/31/2016
  • Status:  Offline

And after the fact of indifference to the suffering of these sisters, the airline will make an official apology. Claiming it was regrettable what happened. But that won't change a thing about what did occur.

After 9-11 with the advent of TSI , air travel has very obviously become a privilege to be afforded after you are groped, poked, prodded, squeezed,and in some cases, stripped. And by people who very often abuse their authority in that respect.

It's just a tragedy to see airline personnel are now following suit. Making it a privilege to remain on a plane at a flight attendants discretion. And using excuses about public safety. Having emotions because you just learned your father is dying isn't a threat. It's a sorrow.

The flight attendant should have to take sensitivity training courses to retain her job. Maybe making flight attendants pay for bad behavior will send a message to other attendants so inclined.

God rest the fathers soul to peace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Worthy Ministers
  • Followers:  29
  • Topic Count:  593
  • Topics Per Day:  0.08
  • Content Count:  55,875
  • Content Per Day:  7.55
  • Reputation:   27,624
  • Days Won:  271
  • Joined:  12/29/2003
  • Status:  Offline

you simply can not do what these two did...   tragically as it was..     but it is easy to see how they lost it in their grief to get to their father....

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Group:  Removed from Forums for Breaking Terms of Service
  • Followers:  0
  • Topic Count:  20
  • Topics Per Day:  0.01
  • Content Count:  647
  • Content Per Day:  0.24
  • Reputation:   283
  • Days Won:  1
  • Joined:  12/31/2016
  • Status:  Offline

If walking about the cabin during taxi is an issue of safety, flight attendants would be seated during taxi. This attendant was not so therefore it is not an issue during taxi. Being the one sister was already seated beside her sister they were both seated. Which makes the flight attendant the only one standing and violating the seeming rule about walking about during taxi.

However, they weren't moving at the time. Because the report says the plane was waiting on the tarmac to take off. The attendant should have exercised good judgment and compassion and let the sisters comfort each other over the latest news about their dad. She chose not to.

What's odd about this story is that the one sister that received the text about her father had to go back and tell her sister about that text. They were sitting in separate areas on the plane? Not unusual if they'd purchased last minute tickets to make it to their father in time. Seat availability and all.

Either way, a stopped plane isn't being put at risk by crying sisters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...