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UA Pilot Diverts to Remove Autistic Child From Plane for Safety Reasons

UA Pilot Diverts to Remove Autistic Child From Plane for Safety Reasons

Old May 19, 2015, 4:05 pm
  #436  
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Originally Posted by rufflesinc
Then they shouldn't have said ANYTHING.
It's a bit unclear as to why you care.
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Old May 19, 2015, 5:33 pm
  #437  
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
Every airline that I've ever worked for, and I've worked for six airlines, has had policies that prohibit making public statements with such details.
Sure, then that person shouldn't even indicated they knew anything.
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Old May 19, 2015, 5:34 pm
  #438  
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Originally Posted by nnn
It's a bit unclear as to why you care.
Same reason why anyone of us cares on this 400+ post thread. because the internet.
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Old May 19, 2015, 6:13 pm
  #439  
 
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Originally Posted by rufflesinc
Sure, then that person shouldn't even indicated they knew anything.
Not everyone is as perfect and you and I.
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Old May 19, 2015, 6:15 pm
  #440  
 
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
you and I.
Even your grammar is perfect.

Respect!

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Old May 19, 2015, 6:49 pm
  #441  
 
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The manipulative "Dr." Beegle is still at it, interviewing with various papers and changing her story each time.

Today she was in a local Oregon paper:

http://www.oregonlive.com/kiddo/inde...ith_autis.html
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Old May 19, 2015, 8:05 pm
  #442  
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Originally Posted by reamworks
The manipulative "Dr." Beegle is still at it, interviewing with various papers and changing her story each time.

Today she was in a local Oregon paper:

http://www.oregonlive.com/kiddo/inde...ith_autis.html
She is indeed milking this for every one of her 15 minutes. I wonder if she is related to the guy who claims he can control a plane from an iPad at his seat!
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Old May 19, 2015, 10:31 pm
  #443  
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Originally Posted by reamworks
The manipulative "Dr." Beegle is still at it, interviewing with various papers and changing her story each time.

Today she was in a local Oregon paper:

http://www.oregonlive.com/kiddo/inde...ith_autis.html
Wait until Act III where I anticipate that she joins a handful of other parents whose children have autism in that WDW/WDL new DAS system is woefully inadequate because it doesn't offer them enough of a 'pixie dusted experience' and are filing a lawsuit.

Last edited by Martina70; May 19, 2015 at 10:38 pm
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Old May 20, 2015, 12:47 am
  #444  
 
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Originally Posted by Martina70
Wait until Act III where I anticipate that she joins a handful of other parents whose children have autism in that WDW/WDL new DAS system is woefully inadequate because it doesn't offer them enough of a 'pixie dusted experience' and are filing a lawsuit.
Yes, over entitled pay day grab.
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Old May 20, 2015, 2:52 am
  #445  
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The thing I find most striking about this thread is that the original article in the news was clearly aimed at sympathy for the family. I mean doesn't that whole concept of the poor, picked on autistic girl just pull on your heart strings?

At least that's what the news people thought. Here, and in commentary I've seen in SF newspaper, it's just the opposite. Everyone has sympathy for the girl but the vast majority think Mommy is the problem. Not the airline. And I agree.
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Old May 20, 2015, 7:43 am
  #446  
 
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Originally Posted by Tchiowa
The thing I find most striking about this thread is that the original article in the news was clearly aimed at sympathy for the family. I mean doesn't that whole concept of the poor, picked on autistic girl just pull on your heart strings?

At least that's what the news people thought. Here, and in commentary I've seen in SF newspaper, it's just the opposite. Everyone has sympathy for the girl but the vast majority think Mommy is the problem. Not the airline. And I agree.
Unfortunately, most of the media is still making the family out to be victims of the cruel airline. That story plays well in today's world.

We're frequent fliers, but much of the U.S. flies ~0-2 times per year. We may have a little extra insight to see through the media reports. This is not good PR for UA so far.
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Old May 20, 2015, 8:45 am
  #447  
 
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Who knows what the FA said to the pilot. Donna Beegle keeps changing her story about the exact words said and nobody had a camcorder/voice recorder going (and if they did nobody heard it). As far as I can tell from the ATC audio to Denver Center, UA 285 declared a medical issue as the reason for diverting.

From LiveATC history:
ZDV Den-High-South-May-06-2015-0100Z.mp3
14:47 on LiveATC UA285 (does not declare name?) (07:14:47 PM MDT): change our destination to, uh, Salt Lake City, due to a medical situation in the back.
15:11 (7:15:11 PM MDT, 24 seconds later ) : no audio, but flightaware records as the time of diversion

KSLC-Twr2-May-06-2015-0130Z.mp3

19:15 (7:49:15 PM MDT) KSLC TWR : United 285, Salt Lake Tower, wind three zero zero seven, runway three four right, clear to land.
23:35 (7:53:35 PM MDT) KSLC TWR: United 285, turn left hotel nine, and then join hotel southbound, taxi to the ramp, this frequency.
23:49 (7:53:49 PM MDT) KSLC TWR: United 285, I believe they're, uh, waiting at the gate there for you. Did you require any other, uh, services or assistance?
23:59 (7:53:59 PM MDT) (distorted, but sounds like "negative").
Somebody said that UA called Medaire - no idea of the source on that - but as far as this context can provide, UA diverted the plane for medical concerns. Even if the "scratching" was not worded as to be a threat (which different news articles make it sound like it was or wasn't), individuals with autism have been known to be self injurious, with self-scratching being one such behavior. So maybe the diversion is less heartless than others think.

The mom is taking full advantage of her fifteen minutes of fame for sure, but I think a lot of the capability to mitigate was failed on the parents part by failing to inform UA before flight time of their daughter's condition, failing to prepare or otherwise accommodate (e.g. rebooking) when their daughter refused to eat in Houston, failing to fly in a class of service that would ordinarily provide a hot meal, using the threat of scratching (whether in a self-injurious fashion or threat against the passengers), etc...
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Old May 20, 2015, 9:52 am
  #448  
 
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This "Dr" Beegle is a manipulative, self entitled, self righteous person who is not telling the truth. if she were telling the truth her story/wording would not change. if she keeps changing the words/wording what is the truth.

I hope UA counter sues her or if she sues and looses she is made to pays UA court costs. Would a lawyer take a case like this on contingency? I would hope not. if she has to pay a retainer to a lawyer she will probably go away.

I feel bad for the daughter. She is used as a pawn so the mother can get attention.
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Old May 20, 2015, 10:54 am
  #449  
 
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It bothers me that this "mother" is acting as if UA didn't accommodate her! They certainly did!

She was requesting services that didn't exist (special hot meals in Coach), and pointed out that her daughter may have a "meltdown" and "start scratching" if she didn't get her way.

So the airline, at great expense, landed her so her daughter's needs can be taken care of, and got her another flight home! I'm sure the non-verbal daughter was no worse for the wear--she got what she wanted. People reported she was "howling" on the airplane.

Now, after costing the airline a lot of money and inconveniencing 150+ other people, this immoral person is claiming that the airline didn't accommodate her! She lives in some strange backwards parallel universe where good is bad and up is down! I would say making a special landing just for you is being extremely accommodating.

The evil in some people's hearts and minds is hard for me to believe. This "Dr." is not a moral person.
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Old May 20, 2015, 11:42 am
  #450  
 
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Well, at least the incident should provide Dr. Beegle with another chapter in the life story she has written and is hoping will be turned into a movie on Lifetime. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...74353079307579
-- Suzanne
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