On January 2, 2017, Trisha Baker and Debbie Hartman were traveling to North Carolina so they could see their father in hospice care.
The sisters knew their father did not have much time left, so they wanted to visit him before they lose a chance. While sitting on the plane, Trisha received a text message saying her father only had a few hours left to live. She stood up and looked for her sister, who was sitting elsewhere. When Debbie told her that she also received the news, Trisha sat next to her to console her.
Then, a flight attendant commanded Trisha to return to her seat. Since no one was sitting next to Debbie, she asked if she could stay there with her sister. She also explained that she wanted to comfort Debbie. “We just got word that my dad’s dying,” Trisha told the flight attendant.
While Trisha was arguing with the flight attendant, Debbie began to have a panic attack. So Trisha asked the flight attendant for a little compassion, but the situation got even worse.
“You’re being very rude. My father is dying, and I’m comforting her,” Trisha told the flight attendant.
But instead of understanding the sisters’ situation, the flight attendant told them to keep their personal problems off the plane. Then, she talked to the captain, who immediately turned the plane around to go back to the terminal.
The airport security hopped into the plane and accompanied Trisha and Debbie off. Even other passengers were shocked to see what was happening.
“That was the most inhumane, deplorable thing I’ve ever seen any human being do,” one woman said as she shared her thoughts on YouTube.
After a few hours, their father passed away. Trisha and Debbie were not able to say their goodbyes to their father. They were crushed as they missed their last chance to see him alive, and they were also extremely angry at the airline. They could’ve made it if the plane didn’t kick them off the flight.
“This is not humane. One hundred thousand percent I blame them. They were the gate between keeping me from my father to say goodbye,” Debbie expressed.
People everywhere are shocked at what happened, and they are sending their sympathies to Debbie and Trisha. Other passengers on the plane have also reached out to them.
The airline issued a statement regarding the incident.
“We rely on our crew members to provide and oversee a safe environment for every passenger, on every flight,” the airline said. It continued:
“We expect that authority to be exercised both judiciously and consistently, with empathy and with good judgment. We take this customer feedback seriously and are in the process of conducting an investigation into what occurred.”
What’s your take on this? Do you think that it was 100% airline’s fault? Let us know in the comments section below!