Almost kicked off FLIGHT! Please help

[Rellagirl]

I'm sorry for what you went through. Sounds like he was on a power trip. You've received a lot of great responses so my only advice is that you should address the letter to a specific person, by name & title,instead of using "To whom it may concern". If it has a manager or CEO's name on it, it may get more attention and hopefully not just passed off to the complaints department.

 

[java]

I can relate to your feelings. I had a "flight incident" myself. I won't go into the details but the short version is they wanted us to move as we were traveling with a carseat - which they KNEW ahead of time- into different seats. With all 4 of us sitting seperately- they wanted my 6 month old to sit next to some stranger on the flight by herself. I requested that they ask if anyone would switch with us in a row or even 2 together. The flight attentdant berated me yelling ect. to the point that other passengers got involved. Passengers helped us by moving seats with us and we were off in the air.

As the flight carried on I asked another flight attendant for the woman's name as I would be writing a letter. Minutes later she was in my face again all apologetic wanting to buy me a drink. explaining all the stress she was under....

I still wrote my letter. And felt much better when management called me a week later. I also got a "promotion" shortly there after. But we never flew with them again.
And yes it was Delta.

 

[mlynn]

I never knew that. I just always asssumed you had to eat the item. I learn something new from my dis friends everyday

How we found out my daughter may have a PA is that she touched and rubbed in her eye. Her eye blew up like a balloon adn spent 2 days in teh hospital. So now she is going through all the tests .My friends son has reaction if it is in the air.

 

[crazee4mickey]

Wow, their treatment of you is just very wrong!

You notified several individuals prior to the flight about your son's allergy--you did not delay the flight one bit, they did by not doing their job in the first place.

The area which you were to be seated with your children should have definately been cleaned and depending on how severe his allergy (I had a friend who would have a severe deadly reaction to peanuts just from the oils if they were on something he touched or if they were in the same area as him).

I also thought your letter was written well and expressed how you were feeling--sorry about what you were put through.

 

[goofyernmost]

We do not identify my son as peanut allergic for fear of being refused boarding. It's not that uncommon. I'm not surprised they weren't willing to clean the plane. However, that in no way excuses the way you were treated by an airline employee.

I chose this one quote even though I could have used pages more because this is a real stomach jerker. I'll tell you why...never once did the OP state that her son actually got sick from the random peanut. When the attendant said that they would clean it up a whole lot of the story must have been left out because all of a sudden they were asking what she expected them to do about it. Could it have been the problem of picking up the peanuts? If it was couldn't she have just bent over and picked them up herself if she was that concerned about it?

Now picture this...a supervisor is there trying his best to figure out what happened and what to do about it. Instead of rationally trying to help the situation she, self admittedly refuses to discuss the issue with perhaps the one person that could have fixed it. If you were having to make the decision to lock this person up with a plane load of people with no control over the situation, wouldn't you be concerned that this "adult" is unable or unwilling to speak and clear up the problem? Instead just stands there openly defying every effort to clear it up. THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER SIDE TO EVERY STORY! And, I would be willing to bet the farm that there is a whole lot of this story that we are not hearing about. People that are trained to deal with the public do not go over the edge for no reason, period!

 

[Notatourist]

You're still mad, take a few and write down the facts of what happened on the plane.

You informed who and when. Names and times help in these letters.

The buffer zone, where you aware of it before you boared the plane? Why was this not realized in the reservation process?

John Doe-power trip to the extreme.

Lose the communist line. My thought would be more along the lines of "In the years I have flown Delta I have never been treated to a customer service level this poor. I was stunned by his comments when I was just trying to prevent a severe reaction that could have not only endangered my son, but also delayed the flight further."

I would expect a refund for at least that leg of the trip. I would also never fly them again. I am not a fan of who they merged with "Northwest" otherwise known as Northworst...

Hang in there.

 

[Mikelly1221]

I can relate to your feelings. I had a "flight incident" myself. I won't go into the details but the short version is they wanted us to move as we were traveling with a carseat - which they KNEW ahead of time- into different seats. With all 4 of us sitting seperately- they wanted my 6 month old to sit next to some stranger on the flight by herself. I requested that they ask if anyone would switch with us in a row or even 2 together. The flight attentdant berated me yelling ect. to the point that other passengers got involved. Passengers helped us by moving seats with us and we were off in the air.

As the flight carried on I asked another flight attendant for the woman's name as I would be writing a letter. Minutes later she was in my face again all apologetic wanting to buy me a drink. explaining all the stress she was under....

I still wrote my letter. And felt much better when management called me a week later. I also got a "promotion" shortly there after. But we never flew with them again.
And yes it was Delta.

You're not alone-Delta was perfectly willing to sit our 2 year old over 20 rows ahead of us. Anyone could have picked him up and walked off that plane! It still burns me up to think about it. Thankfully, a nice person was willing to switch seats so I could sit next to DS. The time before I flew Delta, I was berated and embarrassed by an employee. Needless to say, any Delta skymiles I have left are being used for magazine subscriptions-I never consider them for any travel I have and don't plan to.

Regarding this thread, IMO Delta blew it all the way around. To me, the OP was just asking for what Delta has listed that they would do on their website. I don't find her out of line at all-Delta wasn't willing to do what they said they would, or at least do it under protest. If they don't want to do it, then they shouldn't have put it on their website. Regarding John Doe, I'd be asking for his suspension and a written apology from him. There is NO call for his attitude and his saying the things he was. NONE!

I know I'm very biased against Delta, and I know that's coloring my responses to this. OP, I would condense your letter, state exactly what the problem was and exactly what Delta can do to fix the problem (if anything). You're much more likely to get a response that way. Be polite, professional, but firm. Be very detailed as to when you flew, any 1st names you saw on nametags, so they can pull records and see who was scheduled when.

I'm so sorry this happened!

 

[My sister's princess]

John Doe documented the incident the moment she boarded that plane for the second time or, at the very latest, before he left the airport that day.

It appears from her own words the OP made up reasons in her own head about him, as well. This is where her truth and his truth are probably variations of the same facts.

This is exactly what I was thinking. His version

MrsXXX boarded the plane at XXX she became very agitated when she discovered that there were peanut remnants in the isle she was to be seated in. Flight Attendant XXX asked Mrs.XXX what she would like done, in an effort to stay on schedule. MrsXXX then became more agitated and began to interfere with the boarding process of the other passengers by demanding that the plane be cleaned. As she was waiting for her request for the area to be cleaned to be completed she began to raise her voice to John Doe (myself), in the area where she was waiting. I asked her to please lower her voice, and speak to me calmly. She then questioned if I had the authority to deny her boarding, I explained to her that I did. I did my best to assist her during her wait, but did make it clear to her that we were unable to promise a peanut free flight. Once the area was cleaned Mrs.XXX and her children boarded the plane, and arrived with no further issues allergy or otherwise.



Reports always look better when they are clean cut and to the point. Details are important, but too many make it hard to follow Working as an RA in the dorms ( I know very different, but we handled issues that were very sensitive, and our reports had to be able to hold up to police reports and possibly court proceedings.) We learned that the issues must be documented with facts and not feelings.

I know little to nothing about peanut allergies, so could someone please explain to me if the allergy is so bad that peanuts on the floor would make the child ill, wouldn't the recycled air in the plane do the same thing?

 

[peyjax]

I chose this one quote even though I could have used pages more because this is a real stomach jerker. I'll tell you why...never once did the OP state that her son actually got sick from the random peanut. When the attendant said that they would clean it up a whole lot of the story must have been left out because all of a sudden they were asking what she expected them to do about it. Could it have been the problem of picking up the peanuts? If it was couldn't she have just bent over and picked them up herself if she was that concerned about it?

Now picture this...a supervisor is there trying his best to figure out what happened and what to do about it. Instead of rationally trying to help the situation she, self admittedly refuses to discuss the issue with perhaps the one person that could have fixed it. If you were having to make the decision to lock this person up with a plane load of people with no control over the situation, wouldn't you be concerned that this "adult" is unable or unwilling to speak and clear up the problem? Instead just stands there openly defying every effort to clear it up. THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER SIDE TO EVERY STORY! And, I would be willing to bet the farm that there is a whole lot of this story that we are not hearing about. People that are trained to deal with the public do not go over the edge for no reason, period!

I will take that bet and raise you one! LOL I find your whole response a little funny. First of all you need to go over the letter again. They did not ask what I wanted them to do about it after they agreed to clean it up. That was before when I made them aware of the issue. I left it at that. The nice employee apologized and said he would do his best. I told him that would be great.

What was to figure out. The peanuts on the plane were being cleaned up the first gentleman explained everything. I said OK!!!
That could have been the end of the story but it was not because John Doe felt compelled to get involved. When I disembarked the plane, yes I was irritated (only because I knew this could have been avoided had they listened prior to me boarding) however I was perfectly content in waiting by myself to have it cleaned. There was nothing to clear up but the mess of peanuts.

Also you must not get out much if you think people who are trained to deal with the public do not go off for no reason. They do and they should always be held accountable.

 

[peyjax]

I think your letter is focusing too much on the peanuts. Other than briefly mentioning the quantity of spilled peanuts as a reason for asking for a spot-cleaning for medical reasons, you should NOT dwell on the cleanliness issue. The state of the plane's cleanliness was normal, and the FA went out on a limb for you by even asking her higher-ups for the cleaning, so leave her out of it.

The ONLY legitimate complaint that you have is that you were verbally harassed by John Doe while waiting for the cleaning that Delta voluntarily provided. The man was understandably tense about how much that delay was costing and how much hell he was going to catch for it, but he went WAY over the line by making fun of you and commenting about your children, and THAT is what you need to focus on. You need to start the letter by saying that you wish to bring employee's John Does unprofessional behavior to the airline's attention, and then, you need to state EXACTLY what you want the airline to give you to compensate for the humiliation that you suffered in front of your children. You need to state the compensation that you seek in quantifiable terms: fare refunded, free flight voucher, 10K frequent-flyer miles for each of you -- whatever it is that will make you feel justice has been done. After that, you tell them exactly what he said to you. You don't have to tell them that you were understandably upset -- just quote him, and if he really said those things, it will be enough. QUOTE]

I wanted to thank you for your sound advice. I am still emotional and in disbelief that this happened. I will definatly rewrite and focus on John Doe as that is why I am mostly upset.

I know the naysayers usually come on around page 4 or 5. (one thing I have learned on the dis) I truly do appreciate (most) of all your comments. It was extremely hard to remain quiet during the situation and it is nice that most of you understand how upsetting and difficlut this was. Sometimes it is hard to believe that things like that happen until they happen to you.

 

[N&B'smom]

Can't even imagine how that must have made you feel.

 

[CowboyCO]

I was wondering a couple of things.

If your DS has a severe peanut allergy, why would you fly with an airline that you know serves peanuts? If peanuts can kill your DS, wouldn't it be reasonable to spend a little more money if necessary to insure the safety of your child?

Secondly, when the agent was trying to speak with you and you kept shutting them down, refusing to talk to them, you were being unreasonable - not about the peanuts, but in refusing to talk to the agent. That would have my alert bells ringing that this passenger may become a potential safety problem on the flight and could result in being denied boarding...

I think the airline handled the situation poorly and you should certainly write to complain, but I also think you could have avoided the entire situation by choosing a different airline or a different mode of transportation.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I wanted to thank you for your sound advice. I am still emotional and in disbelief that this happened. I will definatly rewrite and focus on John Doe as that is why I am mostly upset.

Yes, PLEASE take NotUrsula's (and subsequent posters') advice and rewrite the letter. Keep your original, of course - yes, you will anyway plus it's here permanently - in case Delta asks for more specific information. But send the clear, concise, factual-only one.

 

[Amelia Peabody]

Lots of good advice on here, I would only suggest - rewrite and rewrite and rewrite! Keep paring it down, maybe make an outline first ( ugh didn't you hate those in school?! ) I do some recreational writing and find my best work is done with the delete and backspace keys. Put down random sentences, then cut and paste. Fill in to make complete sentences. NOT like I am doing here, lol.

1. They had a policy of cleared space.
2. Obviously, your need was NOT communicated to the FA or she would not have been snotty ( observation, not suggestion ).
3. Nice person should be thanked for stepping up to clear the area as I assume you could not personally handle the peanuts and tend to your children safely ( forget which one has the allergy ).
4. John Doe *draws big breath here and rewrites* when asked to leave you wait in peace, reacts by belittling you IN FRONT OF YOUR CHILDREN. I'm guessing passengers are not allowed to stand unattended in the gangway? Fine, there was nothing positive to be achieved by engaging you in unwanted conversation. Quote him directly, but don't give your reactions to the remarks. Let the reader react - and they will.

I would ask for a written apology and a reprimand in his file. Then politely say that in spite of your past satisfaction with their company, you, your family and friends will give another airline your FREQUENT business. One that enforces their own policies and employs professional people.

Again, don't forget to ask them to thank the nice one. Hope you have the name. So sorry this happened.

 

[disykat]

but I also think you could have avoided the entire situation by choosing a different airline or a different mode of transportation.

Although I agree you should have chosen an airline that didn't serve peanuts, This is why I don't identify my son as peanut allergic. There are many people who feel that PA people shouldn't be allowed to fly. I've heard of PA people who made no fuss, no demands, but were denied boarding.

 

[Disney Doll]

This thread really should be on the Transportation Board, where those of us who fly frequently would be more likely to see your letter and be able to advise you. However, be warned that if it does migrate over there, you are likely to get advice that will not make you feel particularly good. We like to face facts over there, and your facts are kind of unfortunate.

I have to tell you an ugly truth of the airline industry: planes are normally NOT cleaned between flights on the same day. To do that would adversely affect turn time, and no airline on earth can afford to be that wasteful. They will be spot-cleaned if there are bodily fluids to clean up or if a seat is wet, but that's normally all that will be done until the overnight cleaning crew gets the plane.

The FA asked you what you wanted her to do about it because that is literally what she needed to know, and fast: what had to happen RIGHT THEN to make you able to take the flight? She asked the way that she did because she did not have any time to waste, and she needed to let you know that you would delay the flight if they did it.

Frankly I'm absolutely flabbergasted that they agreed to hold boarding in order to clean for you; whoever approved that literally put his or her job on the line, and may have been fired for it by now. Every minute that an airliner stands at the gate past scheduled departure time costs thousands of dollars; your described delay probably eliminated the company's entire profit on that flight. Normal procedure would have been to offer to re-book you on the first flight the following morning, in which case, they would not have charged you a change fee, but probably would not have given you vouchers for a hotel or food unless you really pressed hard for them.

I think your letter is focusing too much on the peanuts. Other than briefly mentioning the quantity of spilled peanuts as a reason for asking for a spot-cleaning for medical reasons, you should NOT dwell on the cleanliness issue. The state of the plane's cleanliness was normal, and the FA went out on a limb for you by even asking her higher-ups for the cleaning, so leave her out of it.

The ONLY legitimate complaint that you have is that you were verbally harassed by John Doe while waiting for the cleaning that Delta voluntarily provided. The man was understandably tense about how much that delay was costing and how much hell he was going to catch for it, but he went WAY over the line by making fun of you and commenting about your children, and THAT is what you need to focus on. You need to start the letter by saying that you wish to bring employee's John Does unprofessional behavior to the airline's attention, and then, you need to state EXACTLY what you want the airline to give you to compensate for the humiliation that you suffered in front of your children. You need to state the compensation that you seek in quantifiable terms: fare refunded, free flight voucher, 10K frequent-flyer miles for each of you -- whatever it is that will make you feel justice has been done. After that, you tell them exactly what he said to you. You don't have to tell them that you were understandably upset -- just quote him, and if he really said those things, it will be enough. (And for Pete's sake, leave out the line about the Communists!)

A long tale of woe that takes 8 paragraphs to get to the point will probably not even be read all the way through -- they will dump it and send you a standard form letter if they send you anything at all.

The fatal flaw that your original letter has is that it is only a vent. At no point do you tell them what compensation you want for the wrong that you feel has been done to you. It makes you feel better, but it is not constructive; it does not tell them what they as a company need to do to retain your business. (And don't expect them to promise never to serve peanuts again; they had already repeatedly stated their position on that.)

PS: I didn't check their website, but since someone has and mentioned the buffer zone rule, you should mention it in the letter; that you asked for the cleaning in accordance with their stated policy about creating a 6-row buffer zone. Also I second what Monkey said; tone down the "voice" of the letter -- it comes across tearful and whiney.

This is very good advice.

I am not picking on you, but you stated that you knew that Delta served peanuts, yet you chose to fly the airline. So leave all the complaining about the serving of peanuts and the general cleanliness of the plane out.

You wanted them to clean the plane as per their policy for the peanut allergic, John Doe gave you a rash of unneccessary and unprofessional grief for it, maybe made you feel a bit threatened, and you want "X" in compensation for your distress.

I also find it helpful to add a compliment if possible. Something along the lines of "While John Doe was a complete *******, Flight Attendant Mary was wonderful because _________".

When we get letters of complaint at the hospital, we put a lot more stock in the ones that can complain about a specific event/problem, yet still recognize that there were a lot of other people who did their job well.

Good luck!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Stories like this one are the reason I try v. v. hard not to fly Delta. A co-worker recently lost 2 days out of her honeymoon thanks to Delta. Another co-worker had to completely re-schedule a work trip due to cancelled flights. I've heard stories about FA and GA's who are overworked and tired and some who are crabby and mean.

Delta was never high in my books to begin with, but now that they've got Northworst. . . Well. Like I said. I try not to fly Delta.

There are plenty of other airlines I can fly and stories like this keep me convinced that Delta is NOT going to be on my list of acceptable choices any time in the near future. (And yes, I DO hope someone from Delta gets wind of this thread and reads this. Nothing should worry a company more in a recession and prompt changes than message board threads like this one.)

 

[mjantz]

My DD is allergic to eggs & yes, just touching them can trigger an allergic reaction. A mild one (mostly a rash) but still a reaction.

 

[MinnieFlute]

Southwest does not serve peanuts when a passenger has a peanut allergy. I was on a flight that did that last year. It would seem to me that no one would miss them that badly. Southwest's planes may be smaller, but they have the best customer service.

You are well within your rights to be angry. The comments from that employee are just unreal. It is my understanding that merely being around peanuts can cause problems for those with peanut allergies. Are they really trying to tell you that your son cannot fly Delta because he has peanut allergies?

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Southwest does not serve peanuts when a passenger has a peanut allergy. I was on a flight that did that last year. It would seem to me that no one would miss them that badly. Southwest's planes may be smaller, but they have the best customer service.

ITA, I love Southwest.