FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Responding to a medical emergency on an UA flight
Old Oct 29, 2023 | 6:12 pm
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Originally Posted by RetiredATLATC
How are you not sure you didn't receive an expedited approach other times? ATC is not an exact science and there is a LOT that goes into making a "hole" for something that's unexpected, especially at a busy hub like DEN, ATL, NYC, etc.

I can't tell you the hoops we go through at ATL when a medical emergency arises. The coordination is astronomical in a very short amount of time.
The medical I mentioned above is the only time where it was obvious we got the expedited approach. I've probably had no more than five total flights over thirty years where medical assistance was requested and they always seemed to resolve themselves in the air and not end with an ambulance meeting the passenger at the gate. With the advent of airborne WiFi (and Channel 9 back in the day when it was on the entire PMUA fleet), I would imagine it even easier to detect an expedited approach these days and I just haven't experienced another one with my limited sample size.
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