Almost kicked off FLIGHT! Please help

[kaytieeldr]

100 people with greasy, peanut oil on their fingers, touching their armrests, tabletops, bathroom doors, etc.

It's not the oil, it's the peanut protein (not found in the oil) that's the allergen. Alton Brown said so

If John Doe said the type of things that OP posted, she was not overly emotional, in my opinion.

She's not, but the letter is. As a few recent responses indicate (see page two, starting with NotUrsula's excellent advice and work down from there), the letter she writes needs to be factual, unemotional, and concise.

 

[bumbershoot]

"I think that since you had the special need, it was your responsiblity to remove the threat to your son."

Should the OP carry a small vacuum cleaner with her? I'm just not sure how TSA would like that.

I'm so sorry you were treated badly by this employee. In my experience, emotional responses to the employee's comments don't matter much to the person that will be reading this letter. They are looking for cold, hard facts and your suggestion for a resolution/compensation.

I think I read an edited version, or maybe I skimmed, but I didn't notice anything too over the top emotional.

Maybe I'm thinking too far ahead, but to me, if John Doe is hauled in over this, he might have his own versions of her reactions, so IMO having the reasons for her reactions (getting quiet, etc) on paper would be helpful for the situation. If only to teach John Doe that the reasons he makes up in his head might not be the reasons in the other person's head.

Straying off topic...I noticed that allergies get a lot more attention in school than when I was a kid.

The mom insisted on my wife and I each spending five minutes learning what to do if there was a problem. That seems like a pretty hefty burden for a parent.

FWIW, I've been allergic since around 1970. Dairy allergy mainly, and I have the under-eye allergy circles to show it (b/c I'm addicted to my lattes). Dairy also increases my environmental allergies...the times I've dropped ALL dairy (and dairy derivatives) I'm entirely allergy free, but it's just really hard for me to maintain. My brother has always been allergic to citrus...he's so sensitive to it that if you crack open an orange in the kitchen, he'll start sneezing a moment later from his closed-door bedroom upstairs. Nothing anaphylactic, but he's ALWAYS been that way and he was born in '72.

Now the deadly allergies yes, I've seen more and more of, and I have my own little theory based on what we've done to our natural immune systems in the last 100 years, but that's neither here nor there. The airline said they would do something, and they only did reluctantly, and then someone berated her.

********

OP, if that wasn't on the jetway, I'd wonder if that person was even an employee! It just seems literally crazy to me.

Don't get me wrong, I believe you. Just today I was talking to the pharmacy side of my health insurance, trying to get some info, and she couldn't pull up my account based on the numbers. She had one set belief of what I was trying to do, when I was trying to do about 3 things (and was communicating that plainly to her), and when I gave her another set of numbers from my card, she said "I don't mean to be rude, but you're talking in circles". I wasn't. If I had given her the same set of numbers, yes, but I was giving her a different set, which I told her two times before I said the numbers. It was a VERY difficult conversation, for no solid reason, and I was shaking at the end of it (thankfully the nice rep at my normal insurance company was so sweet and that calmed me down). So I know full well that sometimes employees can just LOSE it and seem to be reacting to a person who isn't there and a conversation that isn't actually happening.

I'd just keep this letter in your hands for a few days, continuing to work on it. Paring it down, explaining without defending, etc etc. I think NotUrsula gave some excellent advice (not that others did not, but I do tend to enjoy the plain-speak of Transportation forum denizens), especially with what you want. Airlines are the ONE place where you need to state what you want...every other place, our rule of thumb is to tell them the problem and then stay quiet, letting the other person talk themselves up and up in compensation. But with airlines, you need to state what you want.

 

[OceanAnnie]

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.

I agree with the bolded. I think the original letter was more of a vent. It's a good draft. OP, IMO you should treat the peanut allergy with the same slant as the offensive employee. State what went wrong, how it was handled, how it should have been handled according to their policy, and what you want done about it. Pretty much the same with the offensive employee (You did well with that one, btw. Don't know how I'd react to that kind of treatment.)

I would probably use bullets, especially for the employee (from Hades) statements. Concise, quotes. I think it's okay to express your frustration and hurt but keep it short. Do include that you didn't want and requested not to engage in a conversation with him because of his inappropriate comments, but he continued. I would also include that you had held the airline in the highest esteem prior to this incident and tell them what they could do to earn it back. Also include a reasonable time frame in which you would like a follow up.

I would be in shock and P.O.'ed. I hope you get a satisfactory resolution. Please keep us posted.

 

[mikehn]

Interesting. I would have liked to hear the other side of the story. Im sure it would have been just as interesting.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Not the OP but yes, I do believe that people can become sick from touching peanuts.

I know for a fact that you can have an allergic reaction just from touching something. You don't have to eat it to have a reaction in all cases.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Am I the only one who suspects that John Doe was baiting the OP to get a rise out of her and thus a reason to keep her off the flight? Then he wouldn't have to "deal" with her and the risk her son brings along.

OP, I am so sorry this happened to you. No one should be treated the way you were, I really think he was trying to break you so he could kick you off the flight. Just my suspicious mind.

 

[Bonked]

A friend of mine had a reaction from just touching one once..so yes it happens.

 

[disneymom3]

If John Doe said the type of things that OP posted, she was not overly emotional, in my opinion. This was not a passenger complaining about a cold steak. Her son's life could have been at risk and every airline personnel she came in contact with prior to John Doe was indifferent, and John Doe's behavior was heinous.

I don't think she was either. My original plan was to commend the OP for the professional tone of her letter.

And the communist comment is a little emotional but that was my thought as I was reading the situation.

I also don't think it sounds like the OP is looking for something as others have suggested. It sounds to me as though she just wants the airline aware of the situation.

 

[lillygator]

I think your letter is too lengthy and emotional - I was done with it half way through. I think you were treated horribly but also, if you were this emotional after the fact there may have been some truth to your raised/yelling voice - NOT that that is any excuse to be treated differently.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Am I the only one who suspects that John Doe was baiting the OP to get a rise out of her and thus a reason to keep her off the flight? Then he wouldn't have to "deal" with her and the risk her son brings along.

No - because it appears John Doe was the Gate Agent (or, much less likely, the Complaint Resolution Officer). No matter what his position with the airline, by keeping the OP off the flight he would have had to deal with her further.

 

[DVCJones]

First, no one should have been berated as you were. Secondly, I would just mention the reason you wanted the peanuts cleaned up only once. Then continue at length and detail with how you were treated.

In the future, I would not fly that airline again. I don't know how severe your son's allergy is. Some are very severe. Simply touching or breathing could cause a serious reaction, while others would have actually have to ingest a peanut to have a reaction. I am guessing that your son has a history of a severe allergic reaction for you wanting the plane cleaned. If this was the case with my children, I would use a different airline. It just isn't worth the risk. JMHO!

Good luck with the letter!

 

[Christine]

. The one theory I saw presented was somewhat surprising - improved hygiene. The theory, as best I can tell, says that kids are exposed to fewer things for their immune systems to fight and so an increasing number of kid's immune systems find other things to do, like going crazy over allergens.

Strange world. Our kids don't appear to be allergic to anything. I wonder if that is because we aren't very hygienic?

This is one theory that I don't buy into.

I'm fairly "piggish". My house isn't clean, we've always had animals, I'm not a fanatical handwasher, I'm not a germaphobe. My first child has no allergies except to some antibiotics. My son is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish. He did grow out of the egg allergy a few years ago.

I do think that one culprit of allergies becoming more common *could* be vaccinations. The more vaccines we use, the less we deal with big illness, the more our immune systems overreact. But, these allergies seem to arise in children well before many of the vaccines are given. My son had allergies almost from day one. The rise in allergies almost seems to be evolutionary.

 

[Christine]

It's not the oil, it's the peanut protein (not found in the oil) that's the allergen. Alton Brown said so

Ah, so much misinformation out there.

If you touch a peanut, a peant that has not been processed, and you get the peanut particles, including the oil, on you, an allergic person will react.

The only peanut oil that does not have the peanut protein in it is "hot pressed" peanut oil, which is most of the peanut oil used in the U.S. It has been manufactured/processed at such a high temperature that the peanut proteins that originally existed in the oil, have been destroyed. If you happen upon peanut oil manufactured outside the U.S., it may be "cold pressed" and therefore the protein is still active.

Bottom line is: any oil that gets on your hand from touching a peanut is allergenic.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

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.

Maybe I'm thinking too far ahead, but to me, if John Doe is hauled in over this, he might have his own versions of her reactions, so IMO having the reasons for her reactions (getting quiet, etc) on paper would be helpful for the situation. If only to teach John Doe that the reasons he makes up in his head might not be the reasons in the other person's head.

 

[monorailsilver]

I know for a fact that you can have an allergic reaction just from touching something. You don't have to eat it to have a reaction in all cases.

My ds has an allergic reaction from touching dairy & it can be second hand dairy-on a table not wiped off.

I have flown with him twice so far (he is 5). He also has a Peanut & Treenut allergy as well as egg whites.

On one of the flights I took him on there were peanuts on the floor. So we kicked them away from our seating area & I did make it known that he had a PA & they told me the 3 row deal-that was when I booked the flight.

But we also bring lysol wipes & clean off the arm rests as best as we can on the flights. And we lysol the room surfaces down.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Am I the only one who suspects that John Doe was baiting the OP to get a rise out of her and thus a reason to keep her off the flight?

You must be kidding. His job is to get her on that plane if she's not a danger to herself or other passengers or resolve her issue to her satisfaction to the exent he is able. No employee gets promotional points for deplaning, berating and threatening passengers before take-off... especially while a slew of passengers are still boarding nearby.

 

[brockash]

OMG!!!! I'm so sorry for what you had to go through. I can't believe how unbelievable Mr. John Doe was...what am absolute jerk. I think your letter is well put and honestly pretty darn calm. Honestly, who knows what good it will do, and while I know ppl. like this can exist at any airline; I for one will try to make sure I don't fly Delta. I would never want to be treated like that, and I don't want to support a company that employs ppl. that think it's okay to treat ppl. like that. Like I said, I know ppl. like this can be anywhere, I haven't seen or experienced anything like this on any flights I've been on, which have mainly been with SW and American. Good luck to you, and I'm soooo sorry you had to deal with that.

 

[turkeymama]

My ds has an allergic reaction from touching dairy & it can be second hand dairy-on a table not wiped off.

I have flown with him twice so far (he is 5). He also has a Peanut & Treenut allergy as well as egg whites.

On one of the flights I took him on there were peanuts on the floor. So we kicked them away from our seating area & I did make it known that he had a PA & they told me the 3 row deal-that was when I booked the flight.

But we also bring lysol wipes & clean off the arm rests as best as we can on the flights. And we lysol the room surfaces down.

Ditto for DD. She has a severe dairy allergy. My son touched her (accidentally) with cheese on his hands. Her eyes swelled almost shut within 5 minutes. Thankfully, this is the only allergy she hasn't outgrown. She outgrew her yeast and egg white allergies a few years ago.

 

[Nicoleclaw]

If your sons allergy is that severe, would it help if he is premedicated before boarding to avoid such problems?

I don't think anyone answered this, but no, it is not like a cat allergy. You can not premedicate.

 

[Epcot luvr]

FYI, Delta has and will ban people from flying on their planes. They are a business and they can only do so much. A passenger in the seat in front of you could have brought peanuts on board from home. If it truly is life or death drive or take a private plane.