Family Calls Foul on American Over Fallen Hero Changes
Joe Cortez February 01, 2022
In an open letter, the family of Marine PFC Zachary Wayne Riffle calls for the public to boycott the Fort Worth-based carrier for the alleged mistreatment while he was in the care of the airline.
Family Accuses Airline of Last-Minute Rule Changes, Mishandling Escorts with Disrespect
Riffle and one other Marine lost their lives in a tactical vehicle rollover accident near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Riffle’s remains were arranged to be returned to his home of West Virginia aboard American – which is where the family claims the trouble began.
According to the family’s open letter to airline CEO Doug Parker and president Robert Isom, the lack of respect began on the flight from North Carolina to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). During a layover in Charlotte, the letter claims his Marine escorts were forced to stay with the remains in the cargo terminal for eight hours, without any assistance from American to get food or beverage.
Upon arrival in Pittsburgh, they accuse American of further mistreatment. The Riffle family claims that no announcement was made onboard about their fallen Marine, and that the remains were not removed first from the aircraft with priority. Instead of being able to witness the aircraft arrive and meet their loved one on the tarmac, they claim American staff forced their group of eight to stay in a break room “with limited chairs.” Workers at the airport reportedly told the family the change in protocol was due to staff shortages and COVID-19 precautions.
Family members then asked employees to capture the unloading on a cell phone video, but they denied the initial request over fears a worker could inappropriately share the video. The Riffle family says only after they said they would sign a waiver and go to the media with their story did the airline ground crew allow the unloading to be recorded on a phone belonging to one of the escorts. They say the first time they were able to see the casket was in a cargo terminal.
“We could not have imagined the disrespect that took place,” the Riffle family letter reads. “There is nothing that can be done to remedy this for us. We hope airing these grievances in a very public manner will save another military family from suffering further mental anguish due to the inconsideration and disrespect of this airline.”
American Vows to Investigate Situation
In a statement to Clarksburg, West Virginia TV station WBOY-TV, an American spokesperson said Riffle’s remains was first to be removed from the aircraft. The carrier said they are “committed to honoring our fallen heroes,” and a senior member of the airline’s team has reached out to learn more about their concerns.
The family confirmed to WBOY they received an email from customer experience managing director Eric Mathieu, who assured them their complaints were “escalated to the highest members of the leadership team.”
Interesting headline - just how was the Marine accorded the "Hero" sobriquet?
[Riffle and one other Marine lost their lives in a tactical vehicle rollover accident near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina]
Because they were willing to give their lives to the United States of America, without expecting anything in return. Unlike most people on FT. And if you are a veteran, thank you for your sacrifices.
Unfortunately, there is a reason why most HR transfers are done via Falcon 20's out of Dover AFB. In that this is their designated mission means that they do this sort of thing frequently and as a result, they tend to run into far fewer problems.