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Blind PAX Sues Delta and TSA

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Old Oct 30, 2014, 10:37 am
  #1  
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Blind PAX Sues Delta and TSA

Interesting article in my local paper:

http://www.sltrib.com/news/1759246-1...-delta-federal
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 10:49 am
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Sounds like someone out for a payday. Also what in the heck is an air marshal doing in first class?
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 10:56 am
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Originally Posted by LorynDM
Sounds like someone out for a payday. Also what in the heck is an air marshal doing in first class?
Air marshals are usually in the first few rows of the plane to be near the cockpit door.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 11:10 am
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Wow! What is the world going on?!?!? He can't see. He is legally blind. FA & FAM can't be assault with him. Leave him alone! I can't stand with FAM & FA. There is no reason to do it. You can't have more appropriate behavior against him. They had respect him and there is no trouble during the flight. You can't touch him. You can't harassed him.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 11:16 am
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Originally Posted by DL-Don
Air marshals are usually in the first few rows of the plane to be near the cockpit door.
I seem to recall recently reading an article(USA Today) that said air marshals do not fly in first class and that their presence onboard is not known by the flight crew unless they are escorting a prisoner (which I was not aware that they did).

I agree though, this sounds like a money grab suit. I can not imagine an air marshal acting like that because it would draw too much attention, which goes against the very nature of the program.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 11:16 am
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Originally Posted by N830MH
Wow! What is the world going on?!?!? He can't see. He is legally blind. FA & FAM can't be assault with him. Leave him alone! I can't stand with FAM & FA. There is no reason to do it.

IME There are 3 sides to this type of thing, Passenger's side, FA/AM side, and the truth. Which is usually somewhere in the middle.

I'd really be curious to hear someone else on the plane as an independent third party. But the alleged incident took place close to four years ago now, and I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast this morning.

I doubt we'll ever get what really happened this far after the fact.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 11:38 am
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Pretty sure the crew knows when a FAM is on board. I've seen on a few occasion the paper work in the front galley with FAM then a seat number next to it.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 12:14 pm
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Originally Posted by Boltman519
Pretty sure the crew knows when a FAM is on board. I've seen on a few occasion the paper work in the front galley with FAM then a seat number next to it.
Really!? I would think this information would be a little more concealed. Any old passenger being able to see it when they walk by the galley seems odd.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 12:18 pm
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FAMs used to sit in F, generally 1st or 2nd row aisle. Thought that changed last year where they are put in Y.

So if true, the FAM was acting like an ... and should be fired. I don't see anything that DL did wrong except possibly not be as helpful as they could've been. Certainly not anything lawsuit worthy.

Supposed emotional trauma, yet he flew to the Dominican Republic to do a church mission? Uh huh... this case will get thrown out at discovery.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 12:32 pm
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I once sat next to a FAM in F on a flight a few years ago. He only spoke with me as we were approaching the gate. The FAs seemed to know who he was as they brought him an orange juice as a PDB without asking him for his order. I initially figured that he flew the route often. He sat in his seat without dozing, reading, or conversing until just before we deplaned when we chatted for a minute and he said he was a FAM. I suppose he could have been making that up but the FA's treatment of him and his alertness, combined with lack of any entertainment during the flight, gave him credibility.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 12:36 pm
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Originally Posted by Ebes1099
Really!? I would think this information would be a little more concealed. Any old passenger being able to see it when they walk by the galley seems odd.
They are usually armed, in case someone were to see the firearm you would want the FA to know that this person is ok to have the gun. Otherwise a panic could potentially ensue, or the FA tells the pilot and they divert and have the cops waiting to subdue a FAM at the gate.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 1:03 pm
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I have cousin who is a TATL pilot and noted that FAM identify themselves to the crew (FA and pilots) SOP. In the past, it was well known that one could easily be reseated at last minute if choosing seats 2 B/C or 3 B/C.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 1:16 pm
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Originally Posted by kop84
IME There are 3 sides to this type of thing, Passenger's side, FA/AM side, and the truth. Which is usually somewhere in the middle.

I'd really be curious to hear someone else on the plane as an independent third party. But the alleged incident took place close to four years ago now, and I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast this morning.

I doubt we'll ever get what really happened this far after the fact.
There is no objective 'truth' unless there is full audio and video of the event. Otherwise you have people's unreliable recollections.

Would a FAM behave a certain way? Why not? People are weird and unpredictable. We see people in all walks of life doing all sorts of crazy things that you wouldn't think 'someone like that' would do.

Does that mean the the blind guy is telling the truth? Of course not. But if it is he said / she said, I'd say they are equally credible based on the info in the article.

Remember - you know nothing, John Snow.

David
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 2:37 pm
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Originally Posted by kop84
They are usually armed, in case someone were to see the firearm you would want the FA to know that this person is ok to have the gun. Otherwise a panic could potentially ensue, or the FA tells the pilot and they divert and have the cops waiting to subdue a FAM at the gate.
I don't question the fact that the crew knows the FAM is on board and who that person is. But I would think this information would be more tightly guarded so the passengers wouldn't know. Seems kind of dangerous if any criminal on board knew who to go after right away. The element of the unknown I would think contributes to their effectiveness.
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Old Oct 30, 2014, 2:43 pm
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Originally Posted by Ebes1099
I don't question the fact that the crew knows the FAM is on board and who that person is. But I would think this information would be more tightly guarded so the passengers wouldn't know. Seems kind of dangerous if any criminal on board knew who to go after right away. The element of the unknown I would think contributes to their effectiveness.
Yeah but the manifest is probably so full of airline jargon that no one outside of the industry would be able to make sense of it...Other than FT'ers and no one here would ever consider causing any trouble on a plane
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