Has Delta gone to the Dogs?

[jase05]

I’ve heard of some pretty poor service on flights but this surely takes the cake.
Absolutely disgusting and I hope this poor gentleman pursues it further.

A Delta Air Lines passenger was allegedly told he could sit on a feces-covered seat or "be left behind"

 

[Happy Trails]

They are the No.2 airline in the world.

 

[Lynda2475]

Read the SMH version of this yesterday ('Sit in your seat or be left behind': Delta plane passenger forced to sit in poo), it stated that the poop originated from an ill emotional support animal on the previous flight.

Disgusting that it was not properly cleaned before the next flight, but also time for the US airline to stop this emotional support pet nonsense.

 

[Cossie]

Already mentioned here, but not in a thread of it's own

Worse than feet on bulkheads

Why would anyone have to put up with this? I really don't know how he and the people seating nearby didn't vomit....
Fairly sure I would have.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/tran...s-pleas/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9ea91f569f47

A Delta Air Lines passenger was allegedly told he could sit on a feces-covered seat or "be left behind"

A Delta passenger sat in poo but the plane took off despite his pleas

 

[dajop]

They are the No.2 airline in the world.

On this basis BA would have to be No. 1 ......Man shares image of urine-soaked seat on £1,200 BA flight | Daily Mail Online

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Read the SMH version of this yesterday ('Sit in your seat or be left behind': Delta plane passenger forced to sit in poo), it stated that the poop originated from an ill emotional support animal on the previous flight.

Disgusting that it was not properly cleaned before the next flight, but also time for the US airline to stop this emotional support pet nonsense.

There is a difference between a service animal (must be used by a passenger with a disability) and an emotional support animal.

While the headline is certainly dramatic, I think at a practical level there was little option for the airline or the passenger.

Having to wait for a cleaning crew would have delayed everyone on the flight. I know the passenger claims he is a 'million miler' - but did he honestly expect his seat would have been fully cleaned and disinfected in the time he was in the bathroom? It's a bit unrealistic.

If there are no spare seats of course the passenger either has to sit there, or disembark. The alternative was everyone has to disembark, arrive late, or miss connections.

 

[Lynda2475]

There is a difference between a service animal (must be used by a passenger with a disability) and an emotional support animal.

I dsiagree, guide/assisance dogs have lots of training, they know to go before boarding. In the US there is no requirement for an emotional support animal to have any training just a note from your gp to say that whatever it is (some weird animal choices) settles your anxiety. Hopefully they will require pets (not guide dogs) to sit on rubber backed mat or wear a nappy or something in future.

The poop was deposited on the previous flight, so after the passengers disembarked a cleaning crew should have been brought on board to remove the poop thoroughly before boarding the next flight. Its a health hazard to expect anyone to sit within smelling distance of raw sewage for a flight let alone to sit in it.

If the seat couldnt be fully cleaned, the airline should have called for volunteers to give up a seat for a later flight, so no one had to sit in runny poop. There was time to do this - and bumping people to other flights is very common in the US.

I'll def be thoroughly inspecting any seat on a us domestic flight in future before taking a seat.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I dsiagree, guide dogs have lots of training, there is no requirement for an emotional support animal to have any training just a note from your gp to say that whatever it is settles your anxiety.

I'll def be thoroughly inspecting any seat on a us domestic flight in future before taking a seat.

I can see the confusion here... the first article posted in this thread refers to an ill service animal. The second quotes Delta as saying it was an emotional support animal. I was reading the first article... hence making the distinction between service animals (which must be assisting a passenger with a disability) and emotional supoprt animals (that you correctly point out don't need the same level of training).

In any event... how did this guy not see the mess before sitting down? If there was a 'swollen garbage liner containing many wads of brown-stained paper towels and a disused latex glove' - did he not see anything before sitting?

 

[jsf]

This is so gross, but at least this passenger didn't get beaten up

 

[RooFlyer]

Having to wait for a cleaning crew would have delayed everyone on the flight. I know the passenger claims he is a 'million miler' - but did he honestly expect his seat would have been fully cleaned and disinfected in the time he was in the bathroom? It's a bit unrealistic.

If there are no spare seats of course the passenger either has to sit there, or disembark. The alternative was everyone has to disembark, arrive late, or miss connections.

No, there was a clear alternative. What I think should have happened was for the airline, if the seats couldn't have been adequately cleaned after the previous flight, to block of the row ( as if seats broken) and called for volunteers at the gate to go on another flight, with compo.

If gate crew didn't know about the mess on boarding, then to call for volunteers to deboard, with compo, when the situation was obvious.

Or even to offer a new flight, with compo to the pax, rather than tell him to sit in the soiled seat, or look after himself.

The actions of the Delta crew were just as disgusting as the mess on the seat. That Delta took the plane out of service subsequently, and had offered compo to the pax shows that the handling at the time was totally out of line.

 

[RooFlyer]

In any event... how did this guy not see the mess before sitting down? If there was a 'swollen garbage liner containing many wads of brown-stained paper towels and a disused latex glove' - did he not see anything before sitting?

I think that was the product of the cleaning effort after he raised the fuss, not what he saw on getting to his seat.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think that was the product of the cleaning effort after he raised the fuss, not what he saw on getting to his seat.

Correct. But you have to have a certain amount of doggy doo to generate that sort of rubbish. How did he fail to see it?

Agree also that Delta mane should have appreciated the issue sooner and called for volunteers. But they didn’t, and the plane was already being boarded for departure. At that stage it’s a little late to be calling for volunteers and rearranging the schedule.

i’m not saying it’s a pleasant situation, but literally the guy either had to take his seat, or be off loaded. Not many options at that stage?

IME crew aren’t in a position to start calling for volunteers. That seems the domaine of the gate agent. On a flight last year i was seated next to a passenger so obese that i couldn’t sit in my seat. The cabin crew affirmed there was nothing they could do at that stage.

 

[Lynda2475]

But you have to have a certain amount of doggy doo to generate that sort of rubbish. How did he fail to see it?

My understanding is that is was mostly under the seat and along the part that your ankles would touch (not on the part of the seat you sit on), so when he sat down it got on back of the lower part of his pants.

i’m not saying it’s a pleasant situation, but literally the guy either had to take his seat, or be off loaded. Not many options at that stage?

Given the previous crew were aware of the mess prior to arrival, there is no excuse for Delta not radioing ahead for a cleaning crew to tackle as soon as they landed. I often see cleaning crews board plan whilst us Y passengers are still disembarking. I dont think anyone should agree to sit back down in runny poop for a few hours.

On a flight last year i was seated next to a passenger so obese that i couldn’t sit in my seat

Then he should have been the one offloaded, as if you are too big to fit in a single seat you are supposed to buy two seats. It's a safety issue if you cant sit in your seat with belt tightened, because another passenger is flouting the rules of carriage.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Then he should have been the one offloaded, as if you are too big to fit in a single seat you are supposed to buy two seats. It's a safety issue if you cant sit in your seat with belt tightened, because another passenger is flouting the rules of carriage.

You’d think so... but in the US gate agents are allowed to ask the question ‘can you perform the functions at the emergency exit’ (we were in an exit row) and that’s it. The guy said yes, and was allowed to board.

The pilot came out (as i had no where to sit) and he said there was nothing to do other than ask the same question. Eventually to allow the flight to move on time a first class passenger relinquished their seat.

It seems the discrimination act outweighs safety on US carriers

 

[theblank]

my mate is a Delta Captain and I hung out with him on my recent trip to USA. I asked him what was all these "comfort animal " signs i keep seeing at hotel checkins and the like (some say they are free, some say there is an extra charge), and he just rolled his eyes and said he has to let them on his airplane too.

When i asked if some people have big dogs, he says yep, and they just lay down on the floor in front of the seats, meaning in front of other people too.

I know I would be pissed off if some bloody dog was at my feet.

 

[Lynda2475]

After the peacock incident earlier this year there was some chatter about limiting comfort pets to small dogs <22 pounds, not sure it went anywhere. Too many Americans exploiting what was a nice sentiment.

I've flown seated next to a blind man and his guide dog to Melb on a few occasions, the guide dog is always careful to only invade his masters space.

On a recent flight from Barcelona to Dubrovnik, the couple in front of me were checking in with their two dogs as carry-on, on Vueling you can take your dog as hand luggage provided it weighs less than 10kg and its carry case (it has to stay in the case) can fit under the seat in front or under your legs. Their 2nd dog was a bit chubby so he was taking lining out of the case to get him under the wight.