Medical Emergency Delta Airlines

[Kellykins1218]

Our flight home yesterday was delayed. They hadn't even started boarding by the time our flight was due to leave. The gate agents made a couple of announcements that there was a passenger from the previous flight still on the plane due to a medical emergency. They even told us to look out the window to see the emergency vehicles. (It was crazy how many police, fire trucks, and ambulances there were) Next thing we know, they're telling us that the passenger is WEDGED on the plane and that they are waiting for maintenance to come and remove some seats. Then they update us that three rows had to be removed. Why they felt the need to give us so much info is beyond me. They finally wheel this poor woman off the plane, where she has to go through the crowd of people standing around at the gate, and park her right around the corner. Delta...the compassionate airline. Sheesh.

 

[Schmeck]

Our flight home yesterday was delayed. They hadn't even started boarding by the time our flight was due to leave. The gate agents made a couple of announcements that there was a passenger from the previous flight still on the plane due to a medical emergency. They even told us to look out the window to see the emergency vehicles. (It was crazy how many police, fire trucks, and ambulances there were) Next thing we know, they're telling us that the passenger is WEDGED on the plane and that they are waiting for maintenance to come and remove some seats. Then they update us that three rows had to be removed. Why they felt the need to give us so much info is beyond me. They finally wheel this poor woman off the plane, where she has to go through the crowd of people standing around at the gate, and park her right around the corner. Delta...the compassionate airline. Sheesh.

My guess is that some people were complaining a lot to the poor gate agents, and wouldn't let up about why no one was boarding.

 

[TheShea's]

Not seeing a problem making these announcements to the waiting and inconvenienced passengers. As the PP said, it's likely that there was a steady line of passengers asking the gate agents in a not so friendly tone why they were delayed.

 

[Traveliz]

Yeah but they could just keep repeating "a medical emergency" and not be specific.

You know the CMs don't give in at Disney when guests keep harping at them, "it's technical difficulties" just about no matter what EVEN if they know what is going on.

Liz

 

[kaytieeldr]

You're compassionate. Likely many of your fellow passengers weren't so much. As stated above, what you consider too much information was probably in response to (irate) passenger demand. Lots of people wouldn't be satisfied with repeated "medical delay" when they expect/need to be somewhere else.

Telling you all about the wait for maintenance served to also alert you there'd be another wait after the seats were removed, to put them back.

Delta may have called Emergency Services, but they can't control ES staff actions. Paramedics, not Delta, "park[ed] her right around the corner".

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm going to close this thread at this point because it is not really related to WDW and there isn't a lot more to discuss about it.

What the airline did by giving so much information was possibly insensitive, but they did not give out any private information about the passenger's medical emergency, other than saying the patient was wedged in between seats.

That was not necessary (and was insensitive). They could have said that the medical emergency required removal of some seats. I agree that there was a reason to mention the mechanical issue so passengers would not expect to board as soon as the woman was evacuated.

I also think it was insensitive to point out all the emergency equipment, but may have been related somehow to complaints from other passengers about the wait, pointing out it would not be much longer because the emergency responders were on scene or just responding to questions.

Since there is really only one way out of the plane, I do not see how the passengers at the gate could avoid seeing the evacuated passenger. I don't know what the reason for 'parking' the passenger at the corner would be, but as
Was pointed out, the EMS workers are not airline employees.

I hope the OP contacts the airline to express the feeling that were in the first post.