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| Flying Delta? Think Twice |
| 2004-09-06 |
| HT One Hand Clapping The following letter to the editor appeared in the Benton Courier on August 31. Mr. Nelson was a passenger on a Delta flight and witnessed an act of discourtesy to a young mother, home on a brief deployment leave. I am appalled. This letter is NOT to the editor. This letter is to the young female soldier from Benton, who I had the privilege to meet this past Friday evening as we were both trying to get home to Arkansas. Returning from a business trip to New Jersey, I was changing planes in Cincinnati when we met. I had just boarded Delta Flight 6281 (operated by Chautauqua Airlines, a Delta Connection Carrier), Delta's last flight of the evening to Little Rock, when you came onboard and sat down in front of me. I, along with other passengers who had already boarded, listened while you shared your story with us. Having spent [more than] six months in Iraq, you were traveling home to Arkansas. While in Iraq, you had been under enemy fire frequently - on many occasions, several times a day. You had lost two fellow soldiers from your post, and just recently (watched) another lose a leg. You were exhausted from two days of travel, having flown from Iraq to Kuwait, from Kuwait to the Netherlands, from the Netherlands to Cincinnati — but you were excited and happy, because Cincinnati to Little Rock meant you would be home, just in time for your youngest child's second birthday. You had 18 days' leave remaining before returning to Iraq. This letter is also to the well-dressed, middle-aged woman who boarded the plane late, who through some administrative error had been assigned the same seat as the soldier. Your behavior made it obvious to me and those around me that you had no intention of handling the situation in a mature way. You approached the flight attendant and demanded "your seat." As the flight attendant worked with the gate crew to try and resolve the issue, the soldier was asked to leave the plane. Shortly thereafter, you returned. When I inquired as to whether you were aware that the individual who had previously been in "your seat" was a soldier traveling home from Iraq on leave to see her family, your verbatim response was, "So what — I'm a victim from Chicago! What's the difference?" All within earshot were dumbfounded. It was apparent that you have no appreciation for your fellow Americans who leave home and family and risk their lives wearing the uniform of the United States military. This letter is also to Delta Airlines. When I, along with several others onboard, approached the Chautauqua flight attendant volunteering to give up one of our seats for the soldier, she left to ask the pilot if that could be arranged, then returned to inform me that the pilot was discussing it with "ops." I overheard part of her ensuing conversation with the pilot, where he conveyed the message that Delta would not permit a paying passenger to be replaced with a "non-rev" — so, in the end, the decision which caused the soldier to spend yet another night away from home was a financial one. Why, instead, don't soldiers like this one get preferential treatment from Delta instead of being placed last on the list? I am, and have been for many years, a Delta Medallion frequent flier, and may continue to fly Delta when appropriate. However, in spite of Delta's well-publicized financial difficulties, if it is your corporate policy to prioritize profit margin over principled corporate citizenship, then I will be a vocal opponent of any federal financial aid to Delta Airlines. |
| Posted by:Mrs. Davis |
| #4 Letter: However, in spite of Delta’s well-publicized financial difficulties, if it is your corporate policy to prioritize profit margin over principled corporate citizenship, then I will be a vocal opponent of any federal financial aid to Delta Airlines. In the letter writer's view, principled corporate citizenship = letting soldiers fly for free any time they want to, even if it means losing revenue to other airlines, as corporate travelers change their reservations. I think there's a better way to do this, namely, to have Congress increase the defense budget by perhaps $2K per soldier - to provide each soldier with a travel allowance so that they can travel home after serving in combat. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-09-06 10:26:33 PM |
| #3 It's a 50 seat Embraer 145. One seat on one side of the aisle, two on the other. Ride that kind of plane often? I suspect folks going from Cincinnati to Little Rock on a plane like that are a bit less reserved. That's been my experience on puddle jumpers. But send a note to your friends at Delta and Chatauqua and see if they deny it. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-09-06 9:43:16 PM |
| #2 hmmm...I'm suspicious of this letter unless it's one of those tiny little planes. Problems: The soldier didn't just say she was returning from war, tired and going to be home for her daughter's birthday - but she also managed to tell her whole experience. That's quite a lot to cover - all before the plane taxied! I, along with other passengers who had already boarded, listened while you shared your story with us. I can't quite picture this. It's not easy to hear more than one seat ahead. Was the soldier standing up in the aisle, tour-guide style? The writer seems to have pretty darn good ears - not only does he hear a whole conversation going on in the seat in front of him (possible) he also hears what the pilot says. And the bitch lady said, "so what"??? Again...hmmmm...possible - but somewhat improbable. I know this could have, and might have, happened (especially if a small plane) but it just seems a bit fishy to me. |
| Posted by: anon 2004-09-06 9:28:38 PM |
| #1 Oh, how the mighty have fallen... |
| Posted by: anymouse 2004-09-06 9:19:50 PM |