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Delta Charges Family Thousands To Let Son Elevate Injured Leg During Flight
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Delta Airlines charged a U.S. father and son in need of urgent medical care more than $6,000 to fly to the U.S. after their vacation in Thailand was cut short when a motorcycle struck the young boy Saturday.
Bennett Davis, 5, requires care from a pediatric surgeon in the U.S. or risks long-term damage to his leg, which was severely injured in the accident, according to Tyler Davis, the boy’s uncle. Delta initially had the family booked for a flight, but a U.S.-based surgeon urged the family to wait for swelling to decrease before flying. The doctor also stressed the need for Bennett to elevate his leg during the flight, something that is impossible in economy class. Delta said that despite the medical emergency, an upgrade to first class reclining seats would cost $3,125 per ticket.
“To me, this isn’t because of the cost of the ticket,” Davis told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “This is about the morals and values of a company not willing to do what it takes to care for a customer in a horrible situation when there were things that could be done.”
This is him after being treated from getting hit by a motorcycle and before being moved into a taxi, then out of a taxi, carried through and airport and going through security, and then told no at the gate that he can’t board the plane. pic.twitter.com/GmgNIy9pSf
— Tyler “Postums” Davis (@343Postums) April 13, 2019
A partner airline of Delta's had 10 seats available – and Delta would not make the necessary arangements for him to get to Shanghai and onto a connecting flight to the US. The ENTIRE TIME telling him he would need to pay 7k from Phuket to Shanghai and an additional 7k+ to US…
— Tyler “Postums” Davis (@343Postums) April 13, 2019
Delta cited difficulties in getting its partner, Shanghai Air, to accommodate the family, despite having 10 available seats. The family was initially told that the trip to Shanghai would cost more than $7,000 per ticket, but Delta later lowered the price to $3,125 per ticket.
“We apologize for this,” Delta told the family. “Please know it is absolutely never our intention to purposefully inconvenience our passengers in any way. Observations and specific experiences, like the ones you’ve shared will help us to better serve our customers.”
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