BOSavi8tr

I am simply making an observation on my flight today. Please don't flame me or post some dramatic response.

So today my buddy and I were on flight 2060 JFK-PIT. Having flown this route before I was aware it was an international configured 75E that continued on PIT-CDG. Upon completing OLCI I purchased seats 35 D & F, which are premium seats and a separate charge during the check-in process. So as we're boarding there is a FA standing right next to this row and as we start to take our seats she stops us and says

FA: No, you can't sit here, these are flight attendant crew rest seats
Me: I'm aware of that, but this is a domestic flight and that only applies to the international flights. I paid extra for these seats.
FA: No, you'll have to stand right here while I go speak with the gate agent
Me: Go right ahead. If you expect to sit and rest on this 50 min flight, I'll accept a refund and you can find us another aisle and window economy comfort seats.

Needless to say she came back 10 mins later to confirm we were okay in those seats. Seriously? Please understand had this been the PIT-CDG sector I would have completely understood and not said a thing.

Second interesting point. After takeoff and approximately 15 mins into the flight the captain comes on the PA to welcome everyone and give some insight into today's flight. His message was as follows:

Captain: Thanks for joining us today. In all of my years flying out of JFK, today was the quickest I've ever gotten out of there. Not only did we push back early, but we were given departure priority to skip the line waiting to take off. Today's flight is a medi-vac flight. We're carrying an organ on board. This kidney is being delivered to a patient in Pittsburgh, therefor not only did we depart early, but we'll be arriving approximately 30 mins ahead of schedule. There will be an ambulance meeting our flight at the gate.

After the flight I wanted to shake the pilots hand and thank him. Not only was he transparent in the events that took place, but he delivered the info with integrity and pride, which made everyone respect and honor the mission Delta was doing for this human in PIT getting a second chance at life.

aviatorzz

Gotta love UPMC for last minute Lifeguard flights on the airlines.

davetravels

According to FlightAware, it was a 56 minute flight, not to mention ground time to & from the gate. Geez! How could you deny them their rest time!!!

Burj

You handled the situation with the FA very well... That is pretty cool about the medivac stuff!

FlightNurse

DL has an international flight out of PIT, interesting....

GRALISTAIR

Wonderful - both the mission and transparency ^ (oh and the response to the FA too!)

Often1

Why the snark to the FA?

Someone says something to you with which you disagree, how about just asking them to confirm?

walker46

My retired ex-boss, missing all the travel he used to do I guess, volunteered to be an organ donor courier. The deal is he has to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. He averages about one trip a month. He doesn't get paid but all his expenses are paid. On the delivery whatever flights he in on get departure and landing priority. Needless to say the crews love him at busy airports. If there are any screw-ups or delays, there is a number he calls and it is straightened out pronto. He gets to take his time on the return and can spend a few days if he wishes at the destination. Last time I talked to him he’d just got back from Paris.

BOSavi8tr

I know it's easy to misinterpret posts due to it being online so there's no tone to it. But I can assure you there was no snark. In fact, the flight attendant was the snarky one. Due to DL using these 75E's domestically, I have a tough time believing she didn't know those seats could be purchased. Instead, she most likely assumed we were inexperienced travelers whom would comply to her inaccurate claim these seats were only for crew. I left the following part out because I didn't think it held much value, but the flight attendant never even left the plane to consult with the gate agent. She walked up several rows to assist some other passengers before retuning to tell us we were fine.

I'm actually rather perplexed by your post. Several people in this thread have commended me on how I handled the situation with her. Why would you assume I was snarky?

ifette

As a pilot, I can tell you that the time savings are not from things that compromise safety. It's from things like being cleared on a more direct route through restricted airspace, or as mentioned in the first post, getting priority departure clearance. It's not just commercial planes either. There's lots of smaller organizations that work with general aviation pilots to transport sick (and often poor) patients in rural areas for treatment at urban hospitals, in addition to transport of organs. You often hear things on ATC like "Cessna 12345, confirm Medivac status? Cessna 12345, cleared direct ZZZ." That's not compromising safety, it's ATC working with military and other controlling agencies to get the flight from point A to B on the most direct and efficient route possible.

davetravels

Okay, back to the truly important stuff . . . . .

How much hard earned money did'ja hafto fork over for these super premium seats on the 56 minute flight?

When the PIT/CDG plane originated at ATL, I SDC'd to it once, as it was a cool UG! As the normal JFK/PIT service is on variations of CRJs, every time I've looked at this flight's seat map, they've been WIDE OPEN! I can't imagine paying for a better seat, as I'd expect there to be tons of room to spread out.

Why, yes! I was on it about 3 weeks ago on the way to Paris with a friend, in Y. I hava fun story to post about the flight, when I get the time. I've been on it a handful of times, and it's truly fabulous to get on the plane in PIT, and get off in Europe without connecting!

formeraa

@aubrey, I understand your concern for safety. The OP wasn't implying that the flight crew compromised anyone's safety. Basically, the OP experienced what it's like to leave JFK without "waiting in line" and getting the most direct route to PIT with priority landing.

Similarly, I was on an HNL-LAX flight where there was a passenger with a medical emergency that happened halfway out over the Pacific. While we were planned to arrive in LAX on-time, the pilot requested an expedited landing (and probably flew the plane a bit faster than normal) and we arrived 45 minutes early. Did the pilot compromise safety for the sake of the medical emergency? I think NOT!

RSSrsvp

Folks, I have deleted a large number of posts that were off topic to this discussion and the participants in this thread who were affected know exactly what I am referring to. Please refrain from straying off topic again.

Thanks in advance for you cooperation in this matter.

RSSrsvp - Moderator

MileageAddict

This reminds me of a time I flew Delta from ATL to IAD. Upon landing, the captain came on the PA and asked everyone to reman seated once we pulled up to the gate as there would be a deceased soldier from the Afghanistan conflict being unloaded from the cargo hold.

Once we were at the gate, the captain left the plane and those of us with a window could see him standing motionless at attention and saluting as the coffin was unloaded.

Lots of watery eyes throughout the plane and not a soul make a comment about the delay.

Annalisa12

The flight was a priority, yet the FA felt the need to go and talk to the gate attendant? Get ready onboard and go!

I do love the comment "you can't sit there" when you have a boarding pass in your hand with those seats.