DiverDave

Mostly this ^ though I would expect disabled passengers to be aware that they should ask for a CRO if their needs are not being addressed.

https://airconsumer.dot.gov/guide/mod4/CRO.html

pulpfiction78

2018 seems to have been the year of airline public relation disasters, and likely to continue into 2019 (although probably to a lesser extent as news cycles move on to shinier objects). Each one touted by news outlets as the most egregious ever(!).

But, let's not forget that on both sides there are human beings. I tend to have faith in humanity, that people are not as evil as purported to be. That the gate agents in this case were just trying to do their jobs. None of us were there (at least, I didn't see anyone stating to have been in the middle of it). None of us experienced the day both parties had experienced prior to this, although having a bad day doesn't necessarily give you a pass.

I just hope that everyone learns from this in a constructive manner; that nobody loses their jobs, unless there's good reason for it.

defrosted

This is a very good point. This day and age everything has to be an outrage, and one side must be vilified, and blame must be assigned squarely on one side. We are all humans, if we all did a better job of treating each other as such, you would see considerably less of these stories.

My guess is either side could have prevented this situation.

FlyingNone

This is how it's done - If you're too busy, send another gate agent on board to two people sitting together. Quietly mention that there is a deaf couple who need to sit together so that they can communicate with each other. Offer some sort of voucher or free drinks. Probably most people would be helpful. How difficult is that??..instead of the usual POWER-TRIPPING, knee-jerk reaction that so many airline employees just love to demonstrate, shoot first-ask questions later. No compassion, no thinking out of the box - everywhere. Unbelievable.

Widgets

jayer

My retiree gate agent friend is freaking out. She finally quit after getting sworn at by passengers she could not quite make happy and then getting chewed out for causing a flight delay one too many times. The flight privileges were not worth it any more.

From the sound of things this is all going down at crunch time no earlier than the start of boarding and more likely mid to late boarding. Felicia's, wasn't that her name, job at this point is to get what she describes as a full flight boarded and the door closed on time. Probably by herself. What is reasonable ahead of time is all but impossible by this time. This isn't like holding the bus for 10 minutes.

Hopefully Delta will provide a bit of education how to improve your chances of being seated together.

FlyBitcoin

We have no idea if this was BE tickets or not, but it seems like DL has more warnings and disclaimers attached to booking a BE fare online than many prescription medications do about side effects. Pax were attending a convention/meeting, so likely advance purchase and they probably did not book tickets at the last minute, and would have been able to choose many seats together if they just booked Main Cabin. And then this event, the news article, and this thread would have never happened.

When a system is stressed by something completely preventable, the solution is to fix the root cause (the ticketing/seat selection process) so that people know exactly what they are buying. The root cause here is not the GA because the GA should have never been involved. It is the booking system and the experience level of the customers using it (or the third party who booked them without seat assignments). How about a pop-up when someone is booking 2 or more pax on a BE fare like "I understand that members of this party will likely be seated apart. I AGREE / CHANGE TO MAIN CABIN"

Or DL just needs to stop selling BE tickets if it is more trouble than it is worth. Whatever they save by having BE needs to be offset by the legal expenses of defending this case and the damage to the brand.

FlyingNone

-------
Of course it's all about discretion - it's not like a FA would be picking up a microphone and announcing it out loud. Yes, there is argument to seat the deaf couple together - it is the only way they can communicate - and only with each other. It would help them in the event of an emergency as well. I don't think they were being discriminated against. You can imagine the frustration being deaf and not being able to get your point across. Look, I did this job for 35+ years and some passengers are excitable and are going to "react" and do or say stupid things but if the people in control - gate agents, supervisors stay calm and handle it, it doesn't always call for "police" action and booting people off a flight.

Widgets

FlyingNone

-----
Good grief, what would the airline staff be "discussing" with another passenger about the disability that is inappropriate?. I'm pretty sure if someone AGREED to move to accommodate this deaf couple, nothing else needs to be talked about before, during or after. The deaf couple would be grateful, the volunteer would not be negatively impacted and the flight would be dispatched on time. People need to stop making federal cases out of nothing, screaming about unwarranted discrimination and being "mishandled". The world is collapsing all around us yet people feel the need to demand immediate judge, jury and execution over nothing. I'm not picking on you personally - but seriously, it never ceases to amaze me how passengers want transparency, they want airline employees to be more flexible, understanding, forgiving, etc.......conversely, airline staff should be this way (in many cases) but when they are not then they get an earful about that. You're boarding an airplane, the clock is ticking, 100-200+ people moving all around you, no time for the wisdom of Solomon. In this case though I would have opted for just a little flexibility to accommodate the deaf couple (even if they were jumping up and down).