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Korean Denies Dying Woman Seat

Old 05-09-2011, 06:36 PM
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Finally a story that apparently has nothing to do with terrorists!


SEATAC, Wash. – A woman dying of breast cancer found herself in a battle with an airline as she tried to fly to South Korea from Sea-Tac Airport over the weekend.

Despite clearances from two different doctors, Korean Air refused to let Crystal Kim board their plane.

"I wanted to take my mom there for Mother's Day," said Crystal's daughter, Mimi.

But when they went to check in, the Kims said Korean Air told them Crystal look too frail to fly.


Airline denies dying woman seat on Sea-Tac flight | KING5.com Seattle
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Old 05-09-2011, 10:20 PM
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I can tell you that I have taken a dying man from JFK to DXB once and I will never do it again. The man had doctor notes and clearances, but the flight was a nightmare. We were in almost constant contact with Medlink and had a couple of onboard doctors looking after him the whole way. It wasn't fair to the other passengers for that man to be on the airplane.

Commercial airliners are not meant for dying people to be riding on. If a person has a terminal illness they need to go back to their home country much earlier in the process or pay for a dedicated air ambulance.

Korean most likely did the right thing in this case.



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Last edited by Typhoonpilot; 05-10-2011 at 04:06 AM.
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Old 05-09-2011, 10:44 PM
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Our airline permits the transport of critical care patients for medical treatment. A stretcher is set up in the last row of the aircraft. A certified physician must accompany the ill passenger.
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Old 05-10-2011, 03:47 AM
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No prob. It appears that DAL came to her rescue.




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Old 05-10-2011, 08:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Typhoonpilot View Post
I can tell you that I have taken a dying man from JFK to DXB once and I will never do it again. The man had doctor notes and clearances, but the flight was a nightmare. We were in almost constant contact with Medlink and had a couple of onboard doctors looking after him the whole way. It wasn't fair to the other passengers for that man to be on the airplane.

Commercial airliners are not meant for dying people to be riding on. If a person has a terminal illness they need to go back to their home country much earlier in the process or pay for a dedicated air ambulance.

Korean most likely did the right thing in this case.

Typhoonpilot
TP---100% right, I agree. I've had it happen before, and it is a constant hassle with cabin crew & pax. Airlines should be able to deny boarding to passengers who may not survive the trip.
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Old 05-11-2011, 12:57 AM
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Watch the video before you pass judgment. I agree it is no fun to be the Captain and Cabin crew dealing with a medical crisis but this woman is clearly able to fly. Two different doctors approved this and from the womans appearance she can withstand the flight. Apparently Delta came through for her and saved the day. I think Korean lost some customers with this debacle.

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Old 05-11-2011, 01:34 AM
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Originally Posted by EXPAT1 View Post
Watch the video before you pass judgment. I agree it is no fun to be the Captain and Cabin crew dealing with a medical crisis but this woman is clearly able to fly. Two different doctors approved this and from the womans appearance she can withstand the flight. Apparently Delta came through for her and saved the day. I think Korean lost some customers with this debacle.

Cat stuck in pipe rescued


The problem is this: They may look okay while sitting on the ground, but put them in an economy class seat on a long haul flight; climb up to a cabin altitude of 8000 feet; then see how they are. Usually that person who looked okay on the ground starts having trouble breathing; their pulse slows; they drift in and out of consciousness. You have no way of judging how they will fair nor do the doctors who are writing the notes for them.



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Old 05-11-2011, 05:51 AM
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Yup,

Then you have to drop into HNL, after dumping tons of fuel, because if you don't the person (in the case that happened to me) will be dead by the time you're abeam Fiji.

It happens more than the general public obviously knows, and in many cases by the time the you hit ground the patient is a corpse. Not a lot of fun, the cabin crew is freaked, the flight crew is forced to make decisions above their pay grade, and it's simply not worth it.

As for doctors, you get this a lot out of the S Pacific Islands and trust me, getting a doctors clearance is just not that difficult.
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Old 05-12-2011, 05:05 AM
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Again watch the video before passing judgment. Thank goodness some Delta pilots, staff and crew demonstrated some compassion and judgment and now this woman is able to peacefully pass away in her home country with family and loved ones. I agree with TP and Koru that this is a difficult situation to be placed in as a captain and crew but clearly this woman was able to fly and now she is safely in Korea. Each passenger must be individually evaluated. Korean will lose customers in the Seattle area because of this heart wrenching story.

Airline denies dying woman seat on Sea-Tac flight
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Old 05-12-2011, 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by EXPAT1 View Post
Korean will lose customers in the Seattle area because of this heart wrenching story.
No they won't. People pick an airline because of how cheap the ticket price is, if you think someone's going to fly on another airline that costs $100's more than Korean, just because of this story, you're kidding yourself.

Sorry, it's a hard world nowadays, and if your skin isn't thick enough, you're in for a rough time.
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