Family w/ 3 yr old with cancer denied late airline boarding

[Opti]

Good decision by airline or ?

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/family-of-3-year-old-with-cancer-begged-spirit-to-hold-flight-it-left-without-them/ar-BBKgBbf?li=BBnb7Kz

[alabamagal]

I used to fly frequently for work and have over half a million frequent flyer miles. I have NEVER missed being at the gate for a flight. Many delayed fights, cancelled flights, stuck in Canada on a bad return trip from Europe, etc. but never my fault.

If you have a critical flight, you need to plan accordingly and be there early. And kids pain medicine in baggage is bad planning. I feel bad for the family but have to side with airlines. They have rules and you have to follow rules.

[NoNamePerson]

Mar 17, 2018 7:19:30 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

I used to fly frequently for work and have over half a million frequent flyer miles. I have NEVER missed being at the gate for a flight. Many delayed fights, cancelled flights, stuck in Canada on a bad return trip from Europe, etc. but never my fault.

If you have a critical flight, you need to plan accordingly and be there early. And kids pain medicine in baggage is bad planning. I feel bad for the family but have to side with airlines. They have rules and you have to follow rules.

  and I had to wonder why putting child's pain med in baggage seemed like a good idea but Mom carried her Tylenol with her?

[jkapp]

Good decision by airline...this family should not expect the world to cater to their needs nor their schedule.  If this trip was so important to them then they should have been at the airport two hours (or more) before their flight.  Did this family actually expect this entire airport to halt operations so they could be irresponsibly late for their flight?

This was not a connecting flight issue, where the first leg of their trip arrived late...the family just arrived late to the airport on their own.  IMO the airline did plenty for this family - more than they would have for most anyone else.

[dezii]

Mar 17, 2018 7:50:00 GMT -5 jkapp said:

Good decision by airline...this family should not expect the world to cater to their needs nor their schedule.  If this trip was so important to them then they should have been at the airport two hours (or more) before their flight.  Did this family actually expect this entire airport to halt operations so they could be irresponsibly late for their flight?

This was not a connecting flight issue, where the first leg of their trip arrived late...the family just arrived late to the airport on their own.  IMO the airline did plenty for this family - more than they would have for most anyone else.

Gate change long way away...had that happen once in DC...real hassle to make flight I remember.....three year old...cancer...pain meds....here large family to hustle to gate with kids...

No  supervisor available to call to over ride rank and file and rules...?

Me...I stay away from the airline....but that's me...a damn left leaning liberal...according to some, especially our Donald and friends a scourge against American business interests...especially big business......

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I’ve missed flights with this very situation. Gate change, other end of airport. It sucks, but a lesson to build in extra time. Good call.

[thyme4change]

30 seconds, 13 minutes, same diff

[weltschmerz]

From the link.....


"Our records show they were not present at the gate when the flight closed," the Miramar-based airline said in a statement. "Our team made every effort to hold the flight for as long as possible. Ultimately, the flight had to take-off to ensure a timely arrival for our other guests waiting on board."


Spirit rebuts the family's account that they were given 30 seconds before the door to the gate was closed. The airline said its team held the flight for 13 more minutes, closing for boarding at 8:58 p.m. instead of the original time of 8:45 p.m.

Times for final boarding can range depending on the airline, but typically most airlines will not let passengers board if they are not at the gate 15 minutes before departure. Tallman also acknowledged that she was late for her flight, but said she wished Spirit had been more compassionate about her particular case.
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While I feel bad for the family, other passengers have to be considered, as well.
Some can only make a connecting flight by the skin of their teeth,  while others may need to be at their dying mother's bedside, and time is of the essence.

Furthermore, this can't set a precedent. You hold up the flight for one family, and anyone who is late can claim they have important medical appointments for their children.

[Tennesseer]

Too many people travelling as a group.   There will be delays if not preplanned to get to the airport on time.

From the OP article:  

"Tallman, her husband, her mother and her three children — 2-year-old Eden, 3-year-old Escher and 8-year-old Eversmith."

[alabamagal]

Checked baggage supposed to be at check in AT least 30 minutes ahead. Gate change, but somehow others made it. I have flown commuters out of Atlanta where they change gates but usually not that big of a move. Ft Lauderdale is not that big.

When DD was returning to Germany with her dog and cat last month, her plan was to be there 3 hours ahead, especially since she had hour and a half drive to get to airport. She knew that there would be a lot to do with her animals. She ended up at gate 90 minutes early.

My DS is super high strung and was worried about flying out of Atlanta. He also had a long commute to get there. He texted me when he was ready to check in but they didn't have gate assigned. Told him to chill out and get some food because it was 2.5 hours until departure and they would post the gate soon.

[thyme4change]

Although I am not super anal about getting to my home airport super early, they were really cutting it close. I know the ebb and flow of security and where to park, how long the tram takes and iI have a sense of where everything is and how long it takes to walk there. When in an unfamiliar airport, I give myself extra margin. When the kids were little, we always gave a lot of margin. The only melt down my son had on our first major vacation was trying to get to the train to get to the airport. We had 2 kids and luggage, so we really needed them to walk, and he just lost it. Luckily, we had plenty of time to get to the train, and then a long enough ride that he could recover. It was a good lesson for us.