This is an unfortunate situation — while the flight attendant may have been well intentioned, this should have been handled very differently.
Delta frequent flyer’s open letter to CEO Ed Bastian
Peter Espinosa, who is a Delta two million mile flyer and Diamond Medallion member, has written an open letter to Delta CEO Ed Bastian on LinkedIn. This is regarding what happened in first class on a flight from Minneapolis to Dallas the Friday before Father’s Day, as he was traveling with his 20-year-old daughter.
Espinosa’s daughter has Fragile X Syndrome, the most common inherited cause of autism and intellectual disabilities worldwide. As it’s described, people with this suffer from extreme anxiety and an inability to make eye contact, and are also easily overwhelmed, especially when questioned.
Espinosa notes that a flight attendant became “focused” on interacting with his daughter:
During the flight our flight attendant noticed my daughter’s anxiety and became focused on interacting with her. He kept trying to ask her direct questions, only making my daughter Rachel that much more anxious. I attempted to intervene, but he kept insisting that he needed a direct answer from her. As my daughter teared up I finally insisted and said “she cannot answer you”. His reply to her was “do you only speak Spanish?” I thought this was a curious question by him. He then looked at a piece of paper in his hand and asked me if my name was Espinosa? I said yes. I am Pete Espinosa and this is my daughter Rachel. I asked why is he so intent with speaking with my daughter? and he replied he was simply doing random greetings of customers. He thanked me for being a Delta Million Mile flier and left.
That was apparently the extent of the unusual interaction onboard, but when the plane landed in Dallas, it was met by four police officers, as there had been reports of Espinosa being engaged in human trafficking. He and his daughter were taken into separate areas and questioned. A police officer said that the Delta crew had accused him of human trafficking, but that it was clear that they hadn’t been properly trained.
A few more things to note:
- Espinosa has “for years” asked Delta to put an indicator in his SkyMiles profile noting he travels with his daughter with special needs
- Espinosa believes he was racially profiled for being Hispanic; I think that’s totally fair, since all the data I’ve seen suggests that minorities and multiracial families are more likely to be accused of trafficking
- Espinosa called Delta customer care the day after his flight to express his dissatisfaction at the situation, and was told that in the future he should find a way to separate from his daughter and notify the flight crew of his daughter’s special needs
This is just a terrible situation…
For the past few years, the airline industry has proudly highlighted how it is training employees to spot human trafficking. The challenge is that it seems that they’ve trained employees just enough to get themselves in trouble, but not enough to do this in an intelligent way.
Did the flight attendant really think that the man’s daughter was being trafficked? Probably. Would this have happened if the family were white, and/or if the daughter were traveling with a woman rather than a man? I would guess not, but who knows. Should this traumatic situation have been avoided? Yes.
I get that this is a complicated matter. Maybe Espinosa’s recommendation of including information about this in his SkyMiles profile is more complicated than it sounds, since including health & medical information about travelers opens up a whole new can of worms.
But if flight attendants are going to investigate trafficking, they need to be better trained and have better resources. For example, does it really make sense that the next step from a brief conversation was to call the police? Shouldn’t the logical follow-up have been that someone on the ground takes a look at Espinosa’s SkyMiles profile, and notices he often travels with the same person, indicating she’s not being trafficked? That would have prevented this altogether.
For so long we’ve been taught “if you see something, say something,” but there should be limits to that. Along similar lines, we’ve seen a countless number of stories of people being removed from flights for speaking Arabic, because they “seemed suspicious.” Just because someone is different doesn’t mean they’re suspicious, and in my opinion there should be a higher standard for making accusations than what’s displayed here.
Bottom line
A Delta frequent flyer traveling with his special needs daughter was met by four police officers upon landing last Friday, as he was accused of human trafficking. Flight attendants have basic training in spotting human trafficking, and the special needs daughter exhibited many of the same traits.
This is just a really unfortunate situation. Even if the flight attendant believed that the daughter was being trafficked, there needs to be a better process in place for investigating these matters other than calling cops. For example, in this case the situation could have been avoided if someone at Delta on the ground just reviewed his travel history, and noticed he frequently travels with his daughter.
I hope that airlines review their policies around spotting human trafficking following this incident.
What do you make of this incident, and how do you think it should have been handled differently?
(Tip of the hat to View from the Wing)
The real question is, how do we now all of the passengers on that Delta flight were not being trafficked? Think about it, locked inside a metal cabin, no way out, surrounded by flight guards and with no way of determining what's happening in the cockpit.
What about if he were trafficking a special- needs girl for bad reasons, i say good for the flight attendant to have them at least checked out.
someone suggested a bracelet or other means for the child, but what would happen if the trafficker got the bracelet and was still trafficking the child. i think, this is a slippery slope, but one cannot cry racism all of the time.
There is no perfect scenario here. Even if you check his history it could be a cover. The man was not arrested he was detained for questions. Was it an inconvenience sure was it possibly traumatizing to a special needs young lady I'm pretty sure of that too. But unfortunately they had to treat the situation as they were trained and I can tell you that no one in this conversation or anywhere else is...
There is no perfect scenario here. Even if you check his history it could be a cover. The man was not arrested he was detained for questions. Was it an inconvenience sure was it possibly traumatizing to a special needs young lady I'm pretty sure of that too. But unfortunately they had to treat the situation as they were trained and I can tell you that no one in this conversation or anywhere else is ever going to be 100% sure. I have a son with autism and we travel and I can't tell you how many times people believe that he is just an out-of-control child who needs better parenting.
This highly valued customer deserves so much better concern and care! Flagging the account and reservation simply stating special medical needs is broad enough and does not violate HIPPA. I agree staff appeared poorly trained. Observation during the flight or even a different attendant speaking to them may have prevented this terrible event.
Why doesn't always have to be about race the flight attendant was doing what they were supposed to be doing the problem is they were probably not familiar with disabled individuals and didn't know that what she was doing was due to her disability and not that she was being trafficked in order to know the difference you would have to be someone who is trained and knowing about different types of disabilities which these...
Why doesn't always have to be about race the flight attendant was doing what they were supposed to be doing the problem is they were probably not familiar with disabled individuals and didn't know that what she was doing was due to her disability and not that she was being trafficked in order to know the difference you would have to be someone who is trained and knowing about different types of disabilities which these people obviously aren't and I missed the part where this guy's told them then his daughter was disabled that might have made a difference now maybe the flight attendant could have called someone else over to help with the situation but again if they know nothing about disabilities then it's not going to help and they're liable to come up with the same answer that the first one did this person you're talking about reading this person flight history considering how many people fly they don't have time to look at everybody's flight information before they get on the plane there's just too many people flying for that in order to avoid that in the future the guy who is traveling with his daughter when he buys the ticket should inform the airline of this each time he flies then maybe it won't happen and also just for good measure let the flight crew know when he gets on the plane then he would avoid the whole situation in the first place not every everyone knows about different disabilities and not everybody is going to know the little things that go along with disabilities and I'm sure that's what happened here it wasn't the flight attendant trying to be a jerk it was a flight attendant seeing something he thought was suspicious and checking it out let me flip the script here for a minute what is that wasn't the father that disabled girl was with but it was someone who was trying to kidnap her or whatever don't you think the father would want someone to step in and save his daughter I'd think he would if it was my kid I would want somebody to step in and I would say thank you to the person that did step in they were mistaken this time but what if it hadn't been a mistake they could have let that man and that girl get off the plane and go wherever it is she would disappear and the father would have never seen her again I think that it would have been worse then the little inconvenience of having to make sure that everything was safe and that was knowing that girl was in no danger bottom line the airline and police were doing there job trying to save someone they thought was in trouble instead of making a federal case out of it they should thank them for looking out for his daughter
Rolling my eyes why is it always a race thing GZZZ
Obviously they were trying to protect the girl I seriously doubt that they Read people frequent flyer thing considering how many people fly it also could be that attendant had no experience with that handicap and had no clue those action were part of her handicap the attendant could of asked another attendant to come over and help make a call about it...
Rolling my eyes why is it always a race thing GZZZ
Obviously they were trying to protect the girl I seriously doubt that they Read people frequent flyer thing considering how many people fly it also could be that attendant had no experience with that handicap and had no clue those action were part of her handicap the attendant could of asked another attendant to come over and help make a call about it but then again your going to have to have someone familiar with handicapped individuals I missed where the passenger told the attendant that his child was handicapped that could of saved some of the misunderstanding If he wants to avoid this in the future he ought to inform them each time he travels with her when he buys the ticket and maybe when he gets on the plane if they knew in advance that wouldn't happen millions of people fly nobody has enough time to read all rhete Information
I believe people are trying their best. I am ok with people trying to protect children even if it's uncomfortable at times and found to be untrue or unfounded. Look at the glass half full. It's complicated for sure. Maybe revisiting staff education may improve outcomes.
The situation could have been avoided with a special service request. Similar to a wheelchair request. Flight attendants can see special remarks and request added to the reservation however they would not see remarks in a skymiles account. The father would have needed to self disclose and make a request to have it added to their reservation. Airlines can not assume an individual’s disability or special needs. If needed, it would have to be added...
The situation could have been avoided with a special service request. Similar to a wheelchair request. Flight attendants can see special remarks and request added to the reservation however they would not see remarks in a skymiles account. The father would have needed to self disclose and make a request to have it added to their reservation. Airlines can not assume an individual’s disability or special needs. If needed, it would have to be added to each reservation. Similar to myself needing a wheelchair on one flight does not mean I need it ever time I travel. It would be my responsibility to notify the airline of my needs for each trip.
exactly
Guess I would have gone jail for smacking the flight attendant who upset my daughter and made her cry. He should have been able to get Frequent Flyer info through the Delta system if they were setup to handle such a situation. Guess they should leave policing to the police instead of trying to be the good guy Gesptapo.
First of all Delta Flight attendants do not have the quality training to detect human trafficking. They need to have someone aboard there flights to determine what are the interactions going on.
Most human trafficking are transporting in evening hrs. They are low key and use airports that are busy to get through or drive to other states and board flight where there is less traffic of people going on about there business. For...
First of all Delta Flight attendants do not have the quality training to detect human trafficking. They need to have someone aboard there flights to determine what are the interactions going on.
Most human trafficking are transporting in evening hrs. They are low key and use airports that are busy to get through or drive to other states and board flight where there is less traffic of people going on about there business. For most part human trafficking drive victim to secular place and transport them by van and them private plane.
Im glad that finally people are taking human trafficking seriously. It is very unfortunate the daughter had to be asked questions but there has to be a way the airline can form a plan to identify a special needs person and who they will be flying with to ensure safety without compromising privacy. Yes better training is needed but you can also look at it another way at least there was a great concern showed...
Im glad that finally people are taking human trafficking seriously. It is very unfortunate the daughter had to be asked questions but there has to be a way the airline can form a plan to identify a special needs person and who they will be flying with to ensure safety without compromising privacy. Yes better training is needed but you can also look at it another way at least there was a great concern showed that might have saved the daughter if she was being trafficked. I don't believe in any social profiling because human traffickers are not one type of person. They can be every type of person.
Delta is the worst in my experience! But, how in the hell did he talk to customer service, I tried for a week, waiting on hold for over 6 hours, to no avail, so I call BS on that. Furthermore, I do agree if you have a special needs person that should be able to be noted.
I'm also trained to spot human trafficking and I am glad the flight attendant contacted police because many of the signs were there. For this man, it was a few minutes of explanation (and some embarrassment or frustration), but it could have meant a human being freed from a life of being trafficked. I would be willing to go through this for another person's life. I hope this doesn't make flight attendants less likely to report suspected trafficking.
This is a disgrace......Covid has made plane staff so lazy just now hate to offer any service even in First Class....but here they put their nose where it should not of been POOR FATHER
Human trafficking is apparently a big danger in the U S. Suspecting that is and what this man was up to and taking the matter to the point and alerting the police was in some way maybe just maybe the right thing to do.when a crew member suspects a trafficker the hoops to jump through should be a lot more defined and the background of this passenger or any passenger should be more effectively checked...
Human trafficking is apparently a big danger in the U S. Suspecting that is and what this man was up to and taking the matter to the point and alerting the police was in some way maybe just maybe the right thing to do.when a crew member suspects a trafficker the hoops to jump through should be a lot more defined and the background of this passenger or any passenger should be more effectively checked out. If a commercial air carrier is training there crews to look for human traffickers then obviously they have not trained them properly and they the managers on the ground need to be trained as well on how to handle a suspicious passenger report from the plane in route to a destination.
Seems to me that Mr. Espinosa could have stood up away from his daughters ear, and simply told the flight attendant that his daughter was speciall needs, that she had a particular condition and that all of it was in his profile.
The Delta attendant did his job as best he could, but could have done it better.
The idea that traveling together frequently means a person is not being trafficked is ridiculous. Should airlines allow for an alert on a frequent flyer profile? Yes. But frequency is no indicator of innocence.
Personally I think the flight attendant did the right thing. I travel quite often and have seen some young girls of all ethnicity that appear to be in trouble and I report it to the airport security. I would never want to just let it go and that one time be the time a young lady is in trouble. I don't feel the flight attendant was racially profiling at all. Just doing what he felt...
Personally I think the flight attendant did the right thing. I travel quite often and have seen some young girls of all ethnicity that appear to be in trouble and I report it to the airport security. I would never want to just let it go and that one time be the time a young lady is in trouble. I don't feel the flight attendant was racially profiling at all. Just doing what he felt was right and trying to protect someone. I for one would be thanking the person who wanted to ensure my special needs daughters safety and we'll being.
I believe the commissariat followed the commands it received from the company, and I think on the security side. However I believe that airlines are a little to be desired when dealing with special needs, I've seen many cruel subjects and reports that generate traumas that are often irreversible or that last rings to be reversed, I have a son with autism and I know what I'm saying , despite never having experienced any disrespect...
I believe the commissariat followed the commands it received from the company, and I think on the security side. However I believe that airlines are a little to be desired when dealing with special needs, I've seen many cruel subjects and reports that generate traumas that are often irreversible or that last rings to be reversed, I have a son with autism and I know what I'm saying , despite never having experienced any disrespect with airlines, but I have many acquaintances who suffer to this day.
and I always carry medical reports with me and the medif filled out.
I can't believe that so many people are so ignorant about HIPAA in here. HIPAA does not apply to organizations, HIPAA is a standard for managing information. It applies to any entity or system in possession of protected health information (PHI). So you guys are completely wrong. If delta is in possession and f protected health information, they are are responsible for protecting that information as defined in HIPAA guidelines.
There are also other privacy...
I can't believe that so many people are so ignorant about HIPAA in here. HIPAA does not apply to organizations, HIPAA is a standard for managing information. It applies to any entity or system in possession of protected health information (PHI). So you guys are completely wrong. If delta is in possession and f protected health information, they are are responsible for protecting that information as defined in HIPAA guidelines.
There are also other privacy laws that effect this situation that I know less about.
Your wrong Joe. The fact that she IS a special needs person, the fact that the information was already provided to Delta, is no longer a hidden condition.
If this person was white? Why must the writer assume this racial bias?
Adding that his daughter has special needs does not violate any privacy act if it's a request made by the parent. Having this information carried over for each trip might be a bit more technical. I believe if the kid is sensitive to one on one interaction to the parent may want to note this. People want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to be protected and looked after - and they want to be left alone at the same time. Tell the dude get over it.
I can voluntarily share my medical information with anyone I choose to. That is not a violation of hippa law.
If a flight attendant can contact police on the ground, There should also be away to contact the airline's employees on the ground. The passenger's profile could then have been accessed, and everyone would have known he frequently travels with his special needs daughter. Allowing a flight attendant to make an accusation because someone doesn't want to talk to them is simply out of bounds!
A little dialogue with the parent Mr Espinosa also would have been a way to achieving some knowledge of the situation instead of jumping to conclusions. Clearly ignoring Mr Espinosa was more important. Have a look at the passenger manifest as well. Familia relationship should be reflected there as well. Take time to interact positively with your passengers. Can you imagine how tough it must be for parents or people travelling with special needs dependents??!!...
A little dialogue with the parent Mr Espinosa also would have been a way to achieving some knowledge of the situation instead of jumping to conclusions. Clearly ignoring Mr Espinosa was more important. Have a look at the passenger manifest as well. Familia relationship should be reflected there as well. Take time to interact positively with your passengers. Can you imagine how tough it must be for parents or people travelling with special needs dependents??!! I am a flight attendant and great aunt of a child with this syndrome. Be kind to all
Racial profiling!
Delta you're not the only airline in town, my family and I will be flying on other airlines going forward,
I believe the flight attendant was trying to help one of the many young girls in the country that are trafficked. If she was being trafficked and the person was caught you would be praising the flight attendant. Better to err on the side of a young woman who exhibited all the signs of human trafficking.
Asking such out of place questions to a person that clearly has issues so who is really the person with the issues it sounds like the alleged dad is. And because she's an adult age wise clearly does not mean she's an adult mentally so you are mentally unstable and you need to get some therapy.
If you knew your child you know that a person with autism clearly doesn't think like what's considered a normal person but apparently you don't know what a normal person thinks like to be asking since out of place questions to a person that's autistic you need to go to therapy and learn what you're dealing with cuz you don't know her
There is a huge misperception about what HIPPA covers and doesn't. HIPPA does not cover self-revealing information and the traveler/airline can certainly add this information to its profile.
HIPPA is widely over applied as in this case.. perhaps the airlines should allow their profile to include Profile information
As a father with a special needs daughter myself, suck it up. If my daughter and I had to go through this situation 15 times to save even 1 girl, 1 daughter from being trafficked I would gladly do it. This guys complaints are narrow sighted and honestly a bit selfish. We all want our children to be safe and protected but there are more children in the world than our own. His daughter's discomfort...
As a father with a special needs daughter myself, suck it up. If my daughter and I had to go through this situation 15 times to save even 1 girl, 1 daughter from being trafficked I would gladly do it. This guys complaints are narrow sighted and honestly a bit selfish. We all want our children to be safe and protected but there are more children in the world than our own. His daughter's discomfort is nothing compared to what someone else's daughter will go through if these checks aren't done. I sorry your daughter went through this, I really am but she's not the only girl in the world do better.
I think the flight attendants made correct decision you see it every day how parents abused their children in some way shape or form no he wasn't being profiled trafficking happens all the time they were using wisdom and perhaps they do need better training but I know a flight attendant who had literally gotten a kid away from a man on a flight that was being trafficking so I think it was a good...
I think the flight attendants made correct decision you see it every day how parents abused their children in some way shape or form no he wasn't being profiled trafficking happens all the time they were using wisdom and perhaps they do need better training but I know a flight attendant who had literally gotten a kid away from a man on a flight that was being trafficking so I think it was a good car and he can take it or leave it what were his intentions if he took it as an insult.in the days that we live in everybody needs to be aware of their surroundings and if something doesn't look right it normally isn't right if it walks like a duck it is a duck.you got a kid with severe autism and you're asking them stupid stuff like that because you're allegedly the dad you apparently don't know the child whether she's an adult or not she's still the child mentally so get off the pot dude
I agree with the dad. I think that he needs to talk to a attorney about those accusations
Shame on the flight attendant and shame on Delta! A man can't travel with his daughter only to be accused of trafficking??? I smell a lawsuit...
Frank B is correct in stating HIPPA pertains primarily to doctors and insurance companies but it exists to protect our privacy. Our health issues are OUR business and we shouldn't have to reveal health info simply because a poorly trained flight attendant has a hunch. While human trafficking is a horrible matter that must be stopped, a person armed with little more than an hour of instruction and an index card should not should never...
Frank B is correct in stating HIPPA pertains primarily to doctors and insurance companies but it exists to protect our privacy. Our health issues are OUR business and we shouldn't have to reveal health info simply because a poorly trained flight attendant has a hunch. While human trafficking is a horrible matter that must be stopped, a person armed with little more than an hour of instruction and an index card should not should never supersede individual rights. Delta should trash current training and focus a bit more on race relations.
This is unfortunate as I'm sure the airline attendant thought the young woman was in danger. Society judges those who stand by and do nothing. How does one know? When should a person act? I am convinced this is an example of why people lack empathy. If right, you saved a life. If wrong, you're crucified.
So Bobby Wacox and I went to the store the other day... There were so many oranges... Just so many oranges.
Sad world all around that this is even a concern those flight attendants have to potentially deal with.
Delta makes a big deal if passengers misbehave and even fines them. So Delta should be responsible to compensate them with a public apology. This ignorant behavior is unacceptable. Also people’s medical history is not their concern unless they need to be involved in the caring process. DELTA SHAME ON YOUR LACK OF PROPER TRANING OF IGNORANT EMPLOYEES !!
Still profiling most traffickers live in your neighborhood and are doing the trafficking. They come in the form of politicians, wealthy, and folks that know they can get away with stuff. Example: Ghislaine Maxwell
Minorities are the ones being trafficked
I think the flight attendant did the right thing. The father should have made them aware of the situation when he got on the flight. At least you know they are trying to help with human trafficking. It makes me feel better knowing I have a daughter. And NO it's not because he is Hispanic. So tired of the race card being pulled.
I agree stating that you have a child with special needs does not disclose any personal information other than being informative if Delta had done like the man had requested a few years back this might not have happened
A good job was done by the flight attendant. Better to be safe than sorry. Keep it up Delta. If 99.8% of the human traffickers are Hispanic of course you're going to look at the Hispanic population more intensely. It is common sense. Let's all call racism for everything and blame everyone else. It's the American way.
I love and fly Delta but this was clearly a case of profiling. This whole situation could be avoided before Mr.Espinoza and his daughter boarded the airplane. If it was a white family they would of never spotted it because it's an unspoken white is right. Let the flight attendants be just that no more no less. Detectives are trained to profile. If it's not basic information the attendants shouldn't even ask. And Mr. Espinoza...
I love and fly Delta but this was clearly a case of profiling. This whole situation could be avoided before Mr.Espinoza and his daughter boarded the airplane. If it was a white family they would of never spotted it because it's an unspoken white is right. Let the flight attendants be just that no more no less. Detectives are trained to profile. If it's not basic information the attendants shouldn't even ask. And Mr. Espinoza shouldn't have to expose or release all his daughter's personal medical information (regardless of HIPPA) to prove a point that ended up being no point. Racial profile is real people. Cut it out! Innocent until proven guilty, America! Your doing to much!
I used to fly Delta all the time. Their service was so bad, I stopped flying with them years ago. This is the worst thing I have ever heard of happening on a flight. I would sue, Sue, Sue. Take as much of their greed filled money as you can get. Then burn it in front of their eyes.
I mean.... It's not actually that cut and dry.... Family members do traffick their family members.... Multiple times. On weekends and holidays etc... I wonder what other details are not mentioned here. Just be warned it's not as far fetched as you think.
Seems like training flight attendant received could be more practical. Who doesn't know autistic's don't respond well to strangers? Maybe these decisions by flight attendants should come with a second opinion.
Since he regularly travels with his daughter of this state, when he gets to the gate to check in, he could easily notify the crew before boarding. If a passenger can request special accomodations, then they can also notify the flight crew. And when the plane takes off, the background check can easily be done by the time he lands.
This is exactly how African Americans feel when the race is put into a situation. Readers, now you see what we have been dealing with for years, "would this have happened if the family was whie", absolutely, unequivocally, NO.
Why do the USA government so concerned about human trafficking when in the United states you have over 2 million convicted slaves in the prison system according to the 13 amendment to the constitution.
"One mile at a time"???! Was that really necessary in the title for such a sensitive topic? #poortaste
Since the father is a frequent flyer, why not just get into the Trusted Traveler Program for he and his daughter? Having this precheck status and physical identification card issued by the DHS would have short circuited this encounter by what appears to be an over zealous flight attendant (detective). Her Fragile X diagnosis could also be embedded into (TTP) profile within the DHS database, available for easy verification by the planes Captain to authorities...
Since the father is a frequent flyer, why not just get into the Trusted Traveler Program for he and his daughter? Having this precheck status and physical identification card issued by the DHS would have short circuited this encounter by what appears to be an over zealous flight attendant (detective). Her Fragile X diagnosis could also be embedded into (TTP) profile within the DHS database, available for easy verification by the planes Captain to authorities on the ground.
As a parent of a disabled, non verbal child, I am in the (TTP) as are all my family members. It saves all parties a lot of heart ache.
I think the attendant was a bit overzealous and had the people been white, it would have been a different ending.
And training needs to include some type of step check before deciding that some one is committing a crime.
In addition to that, training must include role playing so that the trainer does not see certain types of behavior as someone in trouble.
And Delta needs to ensure their TRAINERS are...
I think the attendant was a bit overzealous and had the people been white, it would have been a different ending.
And training needs to include some type of step check before deciding that some one is committing a crime.
In addition to that, training must include role playing so that the trainer does not see certain types of behavior as someone in trouble.
And Delta needs to ensure their TRAINERS are not attaching their own biases into the mix, which can lead to racial profiling, which may be what happened here.
I thank that it all sounds stupid .. I thank that it's because he's Spanish.. how crazy
Maybe transportation carriers could have a special colored wristband for special needs travelers so there's no confusion as to the passenger's issues. It doesn't have to have words printed on it so it wouldn't give their specific issue away to other travelers, but the crew would know.
If, I was this guy, I would sue Delta Airline and this flight attendant. This is a shame and improper that this guy had to go through this and have the cops waiting on him at the end if his flight.
Well it a two fold, it was unfortunate that this happened to Mr.Espenosa and his daughter. The training that Delta employees received needs to be better, they are only trying to stop human trafficking. But just think the employee could of saved a young woman's life if it were true. Human trafficking is awful life that no one should have to endure. Thank you Delta for at least trying to help the situation. I'm sorry...
Well it a two fold, it was unfortunate that this happened to Mr.Espenosa and his daughter. The training that Delta employees received needs to be better, they are only trying to stop human trafficking. But just think the employee could of saved a young woman's life if it were true. Human trafficking is awful life that no one should have to endure. Thank you Delta for at least trying to help the situation. I'm sorry to Mr. Espinosa and his daughter for having to go through this ordeal.
Wow! Talk about going overboard! How embarrassing for all parties! Overthe top!
As far as Mr. Espinosa claims of racial profiling is nothing more than his lame attempt at a lawsuit, or Free Ride. First of all;
All he had to do is immediately explain his daughters condition. And or ask to speak with the captain.
And how is it Delta's fault or any other travel industries fault that "Majority" of the (actual) trafficking of humans are done through coyotes and they are either Hispanic...
As far as Mr. Espinosa claims of racial profiling is nothing more than his lame attempt at a lawsuit, or Free Ride. First of all;
All he had to do is immediately explain his daughters condition. And or ask to speak with the captain.
And how is it Delta's fault or any other travel industries fault that "Majority" of the (actual) trafficking of humans are done through coyotes and they are either Hispanic or Middle Easterners and or middle easterners
wanting to pretend like they're Hispanic.
I know one thing, the last thing we need is people using special needs children or adults as an excuse to circumvent the system.
Personally I think Delta did the right thing with all the human trafficking going on today. What if it had been a human trafficking situation and Delta didn't take proper measures? Another perfect example of Delta's always first when it comes safety of it's passengers in it's industry.
I cannot believe Delta suggested that in the future that he should "find a way to separate from his daughter" on the flight. This is outrageous to me.
Well, personally-speaking, I think the Delta flight attendants did their jobs quite well. We cannot all be held responsible for "understanding" every situation like this that comes along. Otherwise, what's gonna happen, is eventually, flight crews will, in effect, say to themselves "This ain't worth the bullshit..! If I'm gonna POSSIBLY get in trouble for opening my mouth in these situations, well, fine - from now on, I'm not gonna say diddly-shit - even if...
Well, personally-speaking, I think the Delta flight attendants did their jobs quite well. We cannot all be held responsible for "understanding" every situation like this that comes along. Otherwise, what's gonna happen, is eventually, flight crews will, in effect, say to themselves "This ain't worth the bullshit..! If I'm gonna POSSIBLY get in trouble for opening my mouth in these situations, well, fine - from now on, I'm not gonna say diddly-shit - even if I see a "maybe" or a "possibly" situation - it just ain't worth it...!!" I can't speak for anyone else, but if the FAA or the airline is gonna come down on my ass simply because I reported something I thought looked or seemed suspicious, then I'm gonna keep my mouth shut & just look the other way. I would rather report something that gave the "appearance of impropriety", as opposed to keeping my mouth shut and finding out this girl was actually trafficked or worse, murdered. My opinion(s) and I stand by it/them.
This is sad. Sad that one person can make such a quick judgement and cause so much hurt. Apparently the flight attendant did not ask another flight attendant to join in the effort to determine if there was something amiss with this father- daughter
traveling pair. Flight attendant apparently did not contact Delta on the ground to do some preliminary
search of the records. This person was too aggressive in insisting that
...
This is sad. Sad that one person can make such a quick judgement and cause so much hurt. Apparently the flight attendant did not ask another flight attendant to join in the effort to determine if there was something amiss with this father- daughter
traveling pair. Flight attendant apparently did not contact Delta on the ground to do some preliminary
search of the records. This person was too aggressive in insisting that
a young woman answer his questions. A second flight attendant might have been more user- friendly
and gotten more information from the dad. Stop and Think
The flight attendant felt he was doing the right thing. There was no racist motive on his part, just a concern for the well being of a young girl he felt might possibly be being trafficked. The reality is, it is better to be wrong than to find out later that you were initial suspension was right all along. We should be praising his efforts rather than vilifying him for being observant and taking action.
I think the airline made a terrible mistake very embarrassing to the family
I think the flight attendant did what he thought was right. If it had indeed been a trafficking issue, he might have saved a person's life. It would seem suspicious if the young lady would not answer him. I'm grateful that Delta is watching out for trafficking.
The flight attendent could have taken the time to speak to the ultra-platinum plus 2M mile flyer, and found out that his daughter had special needs and anxiety. The answer is clearly NOT to simply call the cops to meet them on landing. Delta owes them a huge apology.
David B. Karpf, MD
United MileagePlus Million Mile Flyer
If it was me that it happened to,. I would have suede delta for there employee for jumping to the worst case scenario with out asking first. The interest of the employee was good in a way but to have them taken in to custody was uncalled for. Ask questions next time to find out the facts first. I think delta will keep doing the same thing to others in the future.
I was a medical transcriptionist for many years and HIPPA applied to me as well, not just doctors.
I'm sorry for this man, but asking people to do more than spot suspicious behavior and notify the real authorities is asking for trouble. Don't we have enough "Karen's"? Do we need another George Floyd? I would need to see proof that this was a racial situation since the young lady exhibited the traits that they were trained to look for. And I 100% agree that something should be added to his SkyMiles account so...
I'm sorry for this man, but asking people to do more than spot suspicious behavior and notify the real authorities is asking for trouble. Don't we have enough "Karen's"? Do we need another George Floyd? I would need to see proof that this was a racial situation since the young lady exhibited the traits that they were trained to look for. And I 100% agree that something should be added to his SkyMiles account so that they are better prepared to interact with his daughter. Or someone with seizures, diabetes, unable to hear...
Kudos to everyone involved for handling this peacefully and appropriately.
It makes you wonder how many other people have been wrongly accused by Delta, and how many perpetrators they've actually identified.
What if it was trafficking? Would you rather not slightly bother this legit family to possibly let a horrible situation to continue?
The finest reason to file a massive lawsuit I've ever seen. Shame on delta. Good luck and best wishes to the customer and his daughter.
Espinosa having traveled frequently with his daughter would not rule out human trafficking. The crew could still suspect trafficking for prostitution.
This non-medical situation is NOT covered under HIPPA laws.
Just because a person looks different or speaks a different language doesn't make them a criminal. The sad fact that people of color are being singled out as "human traffickers" is pathetic. I understand people need to be on the look out for problems, but this habit of racial profiling needs to be addressed across the board in the USA. All industries are mistaken if...
This non-medical situation is NOT covered under HIPPA laws.
Just because a person looks different or speaks a different language doesn't make them a criminal. The sad fact that people of color are being singled out as "human traffickers" is pathetic. I understand people need to be on the look out for problems, but this habit of racial profiling needs to be addressed across the board in the USA. All industries are mistaken if they don't recognize white people traffic humans too. Trafficking is huge in Russia/Eastern block countries. I agree that a look at this man's Delta airlines profile/frequent flyer profile to see if this woman travels with him often would've quickly cleared THIS situation up. This would show the tickets were purchased together and have been in the past. Ticket purchases should also allow a note to signify not only a disability, but if the passenger chooses, the type of disability or the symptoms that may present during the flight.
While crews are busy targeting poc, how many white people are trafficking on the same flights and everywhere else??
Okay folks calm down. My wife is a Delta flight attendant and I own a trucking company. Both career fields come across human trafficking directly all the time. So before you start throwing the airline and the flight attendant under the bus because this isn't a career field that you're familiar with. Why don't you take into consideration how many times they've done good and they've stopped young women from being trafficked? My wife personally...
Okay folks calm down. My wife is a Delta flight attendant and I own a trucking company. Both career fields come across human trafficking directly all the time. So before you start throwing the airline and the flight attendant under the bus because this isn't a career field that you're familiar with. Why don't you take into consideration how many times they've done good and they've stopped young women from being trafficked? My wife personally has reported twice and twice the young lady was being a victim of sex and human trafficking and oddly enough in both cases it was white males that were doing it. Don't be so quick to judge unless you want people to start showing up at your job and judging and critiquing everything that you do. Their primary job isn't to stop trafficking but they're doing the best that they can and for me, that's enough.
They 100% did everything right. I'm sorry, but when a young adult is with an older man and is nervous, t's usually a sign they don't want to be there and need help.
If they could save a girls life, I would rather the flight attendants step in and then have it explained she has a medical condition.
But again, it could've saved her life!!
By writing this article you are encouraging others to turn a blind eye to possible abuse.
I believe there is a passenger code for someone with a severe developmental disability, who requires assistance or is travelling with an assistant. That might not fit this woman's medical definition, but would be informative to ground and air crew. Additionally, the fact that the father is a multi mm should have been a tip off. While traffickers have the opportunity to rack up miles, I highly doubt they want to give up their privacy...
I believe there is a passenger code for someone with a severe developmental disability, who requires assistance or is travelling with an assistant. That might not fit this woman's medical definition, but would be informative to ground and air crew. Additionally, the fact that the father is a multi mm should have been a tip off. While traffickers have the opportunity to rack up miles, I highly doubt they want to give up their privacy to join a frequent flyer club. We can access a lot of info on the plane based on just that, as well as communicate with the home office who definitely could have pulled all their travel records, which would have been the next step before calling local police. We are not supposed to engage with suspected traffickers. That is not the training.
Sounds like this guy wanted to be a cowboy. I'm very sorry this family had to go through this experience, if it's accurate.
It's important that fly att. Get cautious about possible trafficking. Although this father was offended. I am Sorry, please nex next time explain immediately your daughter 'ssituation. God bless your daughter. But they saves lives being alert with possible trafficking.
I get that this was totally uncomfortable for you and your daughter and I’m sorry you were one of the few unlucky ones who had to justify and explain. I’m sure it must be difficult for you when you weren’t doing anything wrong.
But I honestly personally think if the shoe was on the other foot and someone HAD taken your daughter and was trafficking her… you would have been BEYOND THRILLED that the flight...
I get that this was totally uncomfortable for you and your daughter and I’m sorry you were one of the few unlucky ones who had to justify and explain. I’m sure it must be difficult for you when you weren’t doing anything wrong.
But I honestly personally think if the shoe was on the other foot and someone HAD taken your daughter and was trafficking her… you would have been BEYOND THRILLED that the flight attendant stopped and cared enough about your daughter to want to make sure she was safe and possibly could have saved her life.
I don’t think race or nationality came into play but rather her being uncomfortable and that was the “Red Flag”.
I think what the real sad and disgusting issue here is that human trafficking has gotten to be such a huge problem in the first place and the place it happens most often is on airplanes.
I know the employees are only trained to spot something that is out of the ordinary.. but I know if it were my kids I’d rather explain to some cops rather than possibly losing my child.
That’s just my opinion. I personally think those employees did what they should have done and you also should be thankful rather than upset when you look at it that way.
I'd sue and demand better trained personnel. It was inappropriate for a flight attendant to call the police on a customer. The Delta Station Manager should have been involved and made the call. Once clear the Station Manager should have kissed his behind. Poor job by Delta unless they say something.
I am so sorry this man was traumatized and even more so that the daughter was upset. Having said that, knowing the scope of the human trafficking issues and the extent of THAT trauma, if I am ever in this man's position, I hope I can remember what the flight attendant was Trying to do and cut them a little slack.
I believe the false signs of trafficking were caused by his daughter's disability. If the airline saves a dozen people from human trafficking, I think it's worth one mistake, where a man was inconvenienced. I wouldn't mind apologizing to him myself, if I could see the dozen young girls with joyful tears in their eyes who were saved from human trafficking. It's a crazy world.
Good job Attendant! Better to err on the side of safety for the girl. If my child. had the problem I would ;e happy someone would look out for her!
American air travel is in a dreadful, shameful state!
From overcrowded airports and planes, disorganized security and CBP operations to passengers becoming rowdy and even violent, the FAA, corporate morons who make idiot policies and don't monitor the results on the ground, flight attendants have been thrust into the front lines of all this abuse, mayhem and exploitation of passengers.
Yes, this is a very unfortunate situation and never should have happened but I blame...
American air travel is in a dreadful, shameful state!
From overcrowded airports and planes, disorganized security and CBP operations to passengers becoming rowdy and even violent, the FAA, corporate morons who make idiot policies and don't monitor the results on the ground, flight attendants have been thrust into the front lines of all this abuse, mayhem and exploitation of passengers.
Yes, this is a very unfortunate situation and never should have happened but I blame corporate greed, exploitation of passengers and poor leadership for all this stress blowing back in the face of flight attendants!
The Illuminati are severely retarded. They have sacrificed the planet for their absurd fantasies they have about life on earth. If you hate their non repayable damages, do not purchase the excess trash they have brainwashed you to buy. Everything free was destroyed by them and took a very low IQ to be manage.
Better to be safe than sorry. Sad that the father was humbled by what happened at the airport. The situation should have been handled in a different manner, having the police standby if need arises.
I appall the flight attendant for being so diligent in what he is doing.
as if flying needs to become even worse. Now offering in-flight interrogation and ground interviews, with complimentary abuse for the whole family.
That poor family...
Why do I get the sense that the flight attendant might just be a highly conservative QANON believer?
HIPAA DOES NOT just apply to your health care provider and your insurance company. I work in patient registration and if I give YOUR information to another person PERIOD w/o your permission it is a MAJOR HIPAA violation. But it would not have been a violation if her LEGAL GUARDIAN which is HER DAD volunteered to provide this information. If it was used within the scope of the company to provide accommodations for a special...
HIPAA DOES NOT just apply to your health care provider and your insurance company. I work in patient registration and if I give YOUR information to another person PERIOD w/o your permission it is a MAJOR HIPAA violation. But it would not have been a violation if her LEGAL GUARDIAN which is HER DAD volunteered to provide this information. If it was used within the scope of the company to provide accommodations for a special needs customer with proper documentation it would have been okay. Therefore this situation could have been COMPLETELY AVOIDED, had someone just WENT THE EXTRA MILE! After all isn't that what EXCEPTIONAL customer service is all about.
Saying this was a very unfortunate situation probably doesn't bring a lot of comfort to the Espinosa Family. As someone who has completed Delta's human trafficking training and is also a volunteer with a small, anti-trafficking nonprofit in Georgia that does everything from securing emergency/temporary accomodations and legal counsel for victims to the therapeutics needed to begin the process of family reunifications, I am happy to hear that frontline airline employees are taking their roles...
Saying this was a very unfortunate situation probably doesn't bring a lot of comfort to the Espinosa Family. As someone who has completed Delta's human trafficking training and is also a volunteer with a small, anti-trafficking nonprofit in Georgia that does everything from securing emergency/temporary accomodations and legal counsel for victims to the therapeutics needed to begin the process of family reunifications, I am happy to hear that frontline airline employees are taking their roles in alerting officials to possible human trafficking situations seriously.
Even if someone on the ground had confirmed that Mr. Espinosa's had travelled with him, even frequently, that would, or actually, should not have been enough to alleviate the concern raised by the crew member. We have had several cases in the US where traffickers, via commercial flights, have traveled with their victims in order to bring them to "customers". The historical travel itineraries in those particular situations were used by the prosecutors to convict. Once inflight, there are little to no avenues for a crew member to SAFELY take to confirm whether or not a situation meets the threshold of suspicion. If a trafficking situation is suspected, the last person you want to alert is the trafficker. When a crew member encounters a case of suspected trafficking, they are trained to report it to the cockpit. The cockpit has the final say on whether or not the authorities on the ground will be contacted and asked to meet the flight. Crew members who have encountered and reported actual trafficking situations have all said that it was their "instinct" that initially alerted them. A line of questioning similar to what is stated in the article should follow. One big flag is when a passenger, most often a young female, seems reluctant to answer direct questions and her travel companion answers for her -- just as happened with Mr. Espinosa. Airline personnel are certainly not expected to open the same lines of questioning that a law enforcement officer would -- nor would it be safe for them to do so.
I am commenting on the article prior to reading the comments of others. So, please forgive me if I fail to address every concern. I hope this incident does not stop this crew member from keeping his radar up and eye open for any possible trafficking situations on his future flights.
Again, what happened with Mr. Espinosa and his daughter is most unfortunate. I HATE it for them both, and while I am not in any way attempting to blame Mr Espinosa, I do wonder if a handwritten note stating "My daughter is on the spectrum," might have changed the outcome of this day. As a parent myself, I cannot even fathom how this has and will affect him and, even more so, his daughter for years going forward.
The unfortunate part is that there actually is something in place to mark that an individual may be traveling with someone because they are special needs. It's unfortunate that it seems that was not done correctly or at all. It's also highly, highly doubtful the FA was racial profiling.
When my Mother had to fly on SW Airlines, they noted that she had dementia when booking and they were amazing with her.. I would think that a frequent flyer should be able to put a note on his profile.
I think it's a very difficult situation because people and unusual situations behave unusually. I wonder if the man wrote on his napkin my daughter is autistic leave her alone please you're scaring her this might have been a slightly different situation.
I believe the airline was wrong. It's sad that we still live in an age of sex trafficking. However as the author stated, there are/were other ways to handle this. Now this young lady, as if she doesn't have enough to go through, will be further traumatized. If the father flies frequently with his daughter, why is it so complicated to place a note in his file regarding his disabled daughter.
Mr Espinoza tried to make it clear to Delta that he frequently flies with his Special Needs daughter. That info needed to be in his file about a million miles ago.
The bottom line don't get involved because if you are wrong they are going to nail your ass on the cross. And if is human trafficking then shame on you for not doing something to stop it. One way or another you got no winning situation.
How many people fly every day and have NOT been in this situation? It certainly sucks to be the exception in this case, but I would absolutely, every day of the week hear this or even be subjected to it and know employees are doing their jobs and looking out for the signs of what is inarguably a much bigger problem than being temporarily detained and questioned by the police.
♀️Yeah Hippa Hippa Hippa what ever had this happen to you or your family member you will be seeing a totally different tone you would want to get the president of Delta and it's would have to roll but because this man is Hispanic then we all want to bring those Hippa Hippa does not have s*** to do with this. Delta needs to come up with the practice of putting a special precautionary know...
♀️Yeah Hippa Hippa Hippa what ever had this happen to you or your family member you will be seeing a totally different tone you would want to get the president of Delta and it's would have to roll but because this man is Hispanic then we all want to bring those Hippa Hippa does not have s*** to do with this. Delta needs to come up with the practice of putting a special precautionary know in the the man's frequent flyer notation if he's a frequent flyer like they say he is and they also appreciate his business and he is all these million miles to sit in first class then it needs to be noted that he travels with a special need autistic daughter.♀️
Yes,it's said if you see something say something, but look what happened in this scenario. No matter how some issues are addressed someone will always find fault with the method that was taken. Everyone has a different idea, take, action of how issues should be addressed. You can't please all the people all of the time.
The daughter is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act due to her being on a mode of transportation and having a covered medical condition. This was a clear violation of her right to privacy! The only way that Delta could proceed to prove the father wrong would have been to obtain her medical records, which are covered under HIPAA. (Therefore, all who claim that this is not a HIPAA concern are wrong.) The blatant...
The daughter is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act due to her being on a mode of transportation and having a covered medical condition. This was a clear violation of her right to privacy! The only way that Delta could proceed to prove the father wrong would have been to obtain her medical records, which are covered under HIPAA. (Therefore, all who claim that this is not a HIPAA concern are wrong.) The blatant issue in numerous areas in this country, and in this particular case, is the belief by the public in more situations than not that they are somehow “entitled” to get any piece of private information about someone at any time they so choose. This father handled himself with incredible poise, especially when the flight attendant persisted in his harassment of the his daughter. I would not have, especially when her condition could continue spiraling downward! If Delta is going to turn someone with zero qualifications into a behavioral analyst, they better do more than a class or two. This flight attendant got lucky when he continually stuck his nose where it didn’t belong…this time. He may pull it back broken the next! That goes for everyone who feels as though they’re somehow “entitled” to know something that is none of your business!
I rather be safe than sorry. He should be thankful someone worried about his daughter.
Flight attendants should be trained to understand customers with special needs in order to understand that not all special needs passengers are easily identifiable. In this case they could have avoided this entire fiasco simply understanding that most autistic individuals have troubles making direct eye contact. Surely that would have at least made them look deeper into this situation instead of accusing a father of human trafficking. This was a horrendous error by the flight...
Flight attendants should be trained to understand customers with special needs in order to understand that not all special needs passengers are easily identifiable. In this case they could have avoided this entire fiasco simply understanding that most autistic individuals have troubles making direct eye contact. Surely that would have at least made them look deeper into this situation instead of accusing a father of human trafficking. This was a horrendous error by the flight attendant. Well intentioned or not the increased stress this flight attendant placed on this family is beyond description. A public apology, flight attendant training and basic human courtesy needs to all be addressed by delta. Now!
HIPPa does not apply. What Mr Espinosa is asking for is no more invasive to his or is daughter's privacy than a Medic Alert Bracelet... remember those? His choosing to have a notation on his account would absolutely provide the airline the tools to better serve him and his family. I make a reservation at Disney restaurants and they always ask, "Does anyone in your party have any food allergies, sensitivities, or preferences we should...
HIPPa does not apply. What Mr Espinosa is asking for is no more invasive to his or is daughter's privacy than a Medic Alert Bracelet... remember those? His choosing to have a notation on his account would absolutely provide the airline the tools to better serve him and his family. I make a reservation at Disney restaurants and they always ask, "Does anyone in your party have any food allergies, sensitivities, or preferences we should be made aware of?" What am I gonna do, scream "HIPPA!" at them and take my chances? HIPPA only allows you the right to share your medical issues with who you want to share them with, and gives no one else the right to share you info. If you share it with, say a company, rather than an individual, you have voluntarily waved that right.
Also, I have no idea why anyone would be surprised that anyone affiliated with air travel outside of the pilots, mechanics, and air traffic controllers, might lack training. No one in any customer service capacity anywhere has enough training. Since folks can get paid more to sit home than work these days, I don't see that changing anytime soon. I can only think of one restaurant in my town that is worth going to because the service is so bad everywhere else. Used to say that the cream rises to the top in hard times, but now the cream stays home or finds something different to do and all we are left with is the clabber.
Asking myself? How could anyone know and what if nobody wants to say anything anymore, is it bad to do your job? I admit it's unfortunate that happened?
In light of humiliation human trafficking is undetectable.
If one brave flight attendant misdiagnosed due to training he received and now he's career is ruined? Let's look at the entire forest to see the best intentions were given and getting mad because of an real...
Asking myself? How could anyone know and what if nobody wants to say anything anymore, is it bad to do your job? I admit it's unfortunate that happened?
In light of humiliation human trafficking is undetectable.
If one brave flight attendant misdiagnosed due to training he received and now he's career is ruined? Let's look at the entire forest to see the best intentions were given and getting mad because of an real bad misunderstanding. We still need to focus on true issues that only brave people can stop. Human trafficking not how your going to fly for free the rest of your life,
Noting that he often traveled with the same person would not show that the person was his daughter. Thinking like that is like being a person who works for an airline.
Calling in the police may seem heavy handed. But it seems like the flight crew was acting in the best interest of the daughter. What if their suspicions were correct. There should be a better system in place for a responsible passenger to alert the airline and crew of the special needs person. Passengers can order special meals and other unusual requests. Or the responsible passenger could carry a physician's To Whom it May Concern...
Calling in the police may seem heavy handed. But it seems like the flight crew was acting in the best interest of the daughter. What if their suspicions were correct. There should be a better system in place for a responsible passenger to alert the airline and crew of the special needs person. Passengers can order special meals and other unusual requests. Or the responsible passenger could carry a physician's To Whom it May Concern note documenting the special needs situation. There's certainly enough Down's and other souls who travel, where special needs and behavior challenges could come into play.
This makes me so sad . People with special needs have it hard enough as it is now people can't mind their own business and demand this girl speak that's uncalled for . I would have went off as a mother of a special needs child shame in delta they should be embarrassed!!! This makes me so scared to fly because all u read anymore is how people with special needs are being singled out, kicked off flights, maybe some Autism awareness training would help !!!!!
As a former flight attendant who received training annually on looking out for human traffickers, I hear your concerns. FAs are cautioned to not profile and that a trafficker could be anyone. The blatant questioning in front of the father is also discouraged. The FA should report concerns to the Captain and a message sent to Ops who could then see that this is a frequent flier who travels with this same person. It's not...
As a former flight attendant who received training annually on looking out for human traffickers, I hear your concerns. FAs are cautioned to not profile and that a trafficker could be anyone. The blatant questioning in front of the father is also discouraged. The FA should report concerns to the Captain and a message sent to Ops who could then see that this is a frequent flier who travels with this same person. It's not the FAs job to catch traffickers, only to report suspicious behavior and then go back to safety and customer service duties. This was over the top interference in my opinion.
A multi million dollar lawsuit will change things and force better training and more detailed policies.
Take more steps.
You totally miss the mark in this article... I have a daughter with Asperger's and she has similar symptoms, and I also recognize that there are moments because of her interactions that I need to be open to teaching people... Good for that steward that he made an effort to protect that guy's daughter even if he misinterpreted the behaviors like poor eye contact as well as not speaking on her own.
I agree that...
You totally miss the mark in this article... I have a daughter with Asperger's and she has similar symptoms, and I also recognize that there are moments because of her interactions that I need to be open to teaching people... Good for that steward that he made an effort to protect that guy's daughter even if he misinterpreted the behaviors like poor eye contact as well as not speaking on her own.
I agree that it would help Delta could add it to the profile... I imagine being separated by the police was traumatic.... He could carry medical records on him indicating her diagnosis which I imagine would have cleared the situation up pretty quickly once they were separated...
So yes this was an unfortunate instance but good for that Steward and making an effort to protect.
The airline people who did the thing were only looking for trafficking should be thanked not condemned.
Why is this a big deal. He should have just let it go understanding that that flight attendant was just doing his/her job. The floght attendant did the right thing!
When Mr. Espinosa contacted customer care the next day to make his dissatisfaction known, he was told that the next time he should find a way to separate himself from his daughter.
WHAT??? His daughter has autisn with intellectual disabilities, probably doesn't function well without him, and the powers that be said "Separate From Her." Customer Care along with the stewardesses and stewards should be fired. This is a moral injustice. It's too late for their training.
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I’ve asked multiple times for all the airlines to note my child’s profile and it never happens. It’s a manual flag that I have to call and get added every time she flies with me or other family members. If they can’t link it to me they should be able to link it to my adult child’s skymile number but it still hasn’t happened.
First most sex trafficer are not going to fly first class with an unwilling person. A flight would cause the person to be easily caught They will drive before they fly. Sex trafficking can also be under age willing people so they need to look at men who travel al lot with different under age people male and females.
It is a shame that more folks don't report suspicious occurrences. It isn't their job to investigate, only to report. Also, flight attendants probably fall into the category of mandated reporters. Meaning they are mandated to report any suspected abuse of children. Leave the investigating to the professionals. I would rather see mistakes of judgment by the reporters, than no reports and have endangered children and others remain in harmful situations.
I so upset that people still put you in differant way just because you may look differant or speak differant
.. When will that ever stop ? America is so international so stop being so ignored ok and stop looking people because the do not look like you...ok I will never fly Delta ok an neither will all my friends. We are all people no mather where we come from ..God made us all so get use to it or live on an ireland where you can be by your self..
Actually the flight attendant did the right thing. I am sorry that the father was inconvenienced but he could easily carry a letter from his daughter's doctor explaining her medical condition. Working with woman and young girls that are trafficked I would much rather someone be inconvenienced than a victim be ignored. A man traveling frequently with the same young person is exactly what trafficking looks like.
From experience, airlines accommodation profiles only ask about wheelchairs, walking assistance and oxygen. There is NEVER an option to list intellectual disabilities or in my case, visual impairments that fall short of total blindness. I too travel with a young adult autistic daughter who has severe anxiety. The 2021 traveling experience is stressful enough without having to constantly ask for help or understanding while having to reveal your disabilities in a very public situation. It’s...
From experience, airlines accommodation profiles only ask about wheelchairs, walking assistance and oxygen. There is NEVER an option to list intellectual disabilities or in my case, visual impairments that fall short of total blindness. I too travel with a young adult autistic daughter who has severe anxiety. The 2021 traveling experience is stressful enough without having to constantly ask for help or understanding while having to reveal your disabilities in a very public situation. It’s humiliating. It would be really easy for the airlines to set up a special needs page on your profile. Flyers could then submit medical documentation. The airline could flag your documents and alert the gate attendant and flight crew of your situation. Not everyone wears their disability on the outside.
I just checked my SWA app for a flight that I have next month. Under “manage traveler details”, within “special assistance”, I can select “cognitive and developmental disabilities”.
I myself think that the flight attendant did his/her and I know that this was a Male attendant who had done what he thought was right. But the problem was that who ever the attendant contacted should have done a little investigation with this passengers and would have realized that he had already informed delta that he had a special needs child. As far as race goes I don't care what race anyone is because...
I myself think that the flight attendant did his/her and I know that this was a Male attendant who had done what he thought was right. But the problem was that who ever the attendant contacted should have done a little investigation with this passengers and would have realized that he had already informed delta that he had a special needs child. As far as race goes I don't care what race anyone is because I'm sure that there's plenty of white people who are trafficking other people. I don't want to hear that I am pulling the race thing because most people think that I am a white man and I look like that. But truthfully I have lot of native American blood and if you would have seen my mother she looked native American. So I believe that attendant should be looking at all passengers on board for something out of the ordinary. It's is said that Latinos are profiled because of this and it should not matter what the statistics are. IMO that is judging people and the only one who should be is God
Just because he flies frequently with his daughter would not necessarily mean he's not trafficking her. Not saying he is or was but flying frequently could very well be to meet "clients."
The situation could've been handled better but I'm glad someone stepped up.
I think corporations should have thier own version of child protective services, or get sue, over reacting over a paying Costner? They need to be trainers and help responsible if they want to talk to any child
The exact opposite story was NOT posted - stay in the now.
If we could focus on what IS rather than what could've been.
Where would your rage be if this happened to you and your daughter?
No wander this made the news, most trafficking reports are never followed up on cause if the currupted police who protect the traffikers. I know I escaped Human trafficking and the police did nothing, I been in hiding ever since they never stop looking for you. They overdose there victims once trafficked your not supposed too live too tell!
HIPPA protects all of us no matter what from disclosing any and all private medical issues. I have no idea where the two above people get their facts. Aside from that, being a million frequent flyer, a phone call to corporate would have been the correct response by the flight attendant. Flight attendants are not Perry Masons. And don't assume just because he was Spanish, he was targeted. White people traffick people too. This is...
HIPPA protects all of us no matter what from disclosing any and all private medical issues. I have no idea where the two above people get their facts. Aside from that, being a million frequent flyer, a phone call to corporate would have been the correct response by the flight attendant. Flight attendants are not Perry Masons. And don't assume just because he was Spanish, he was targeted. White people traffick people too. This is not a race or culture issue. It's a human issue.
HIPPA is universal and applies in all venues. It would be encumbent on the father to determine what info would be appropriate for them to know. A very brief, simplistic explanation of her issues without divulging very personal issues would not necessarily invade her privacy.
The attendant in this situation showed very bad judgment and understanding in a delicate, difficult event. As a nurse, I work with these children and know the anguish these...
HIPPA is universal and applies in all venues. It would be encumbent on the father to determine what info would be appropriate for them to know. A very brief, simplistic explanation of her issues without divulging very personal issues would not necessarily invade her privacy.
The attendant in this situation showed very bad judgment and understanding in a delicate, difficult event. As a nurse, I work with these children and know the anguish these parents already experience on a daily basis. I hope he is held accountable and the company really educates the staff if they are going to be allowed to take such invasive and over reaching control over peoples' lives, which really oversteps their expertise and bounds.
You made several good points here. I agree.
To " Another Lump" - it's thinking like yours that causes more problems in society than need be. Obviously you have no clue about any of which you state as being true. Shame, shame & also very sad.
Was on a flight recently and i overheard the lady at baggage claim talking to a man..he had no birth certificate and didnt know his child's birthday... He tried 3 times and got it wrong.... He then just had to agree the child was at least born....I mean I don't thinkI mean I don't think itI mean I don't think it wasI mean I don't think it was anything fishy but it was sure something to overhear
It's good for flight attendants to be trained to notice "possible" indicators of human trafficking but they should also be trained to be aware of possible disabilities. This flight attendant I'm sure felt he was doing the right thing but w/proper training there should have been further steps to take before notifying police at the flights ending city. It would have saved an unnecessary & embarrassing situation. Perhaps the attendant was fairly new at this...
It's good for flight attendants to be trained to notice "possible" indicators of human trafficking but they should also be trained to be aware of possible disabilities. This flight attendant I'm sure felt he was doing the right thing but w/proper training there should have been further steps to take before notifying police at the flights ending city. It would have saved an unnecessary & embarrassing situation. Perhaps the attendant was fairly new at this job. Even if not, he should have discussed w/another or senior attendant. I'm sure Rachel was even more anxious w/all the actions that occurred following the attendant's mistaken assumption. Simply contacting someone in Delta's customer services or records would have helped stop the results of the mistaken assumption. Anyone could be anxious about flying, maybe even are medicated to relieve anxiety, or they just don't want to talk to someone they do not know. Think maybe Delta & other carriers should provide more para-medical training to help attendants recognize disabilities (mental, emotional & physical) or people who may possibly be medicated for anxiety/fear. I hope this attendant & others don't jump to an immediate assumption of something that might appear as a irregular situation to be an illegal issue. Mr. Espinosa should be provided free flights for life for him & his daughter from Delta. This action is something that requires more than an apology. But if Mr. Espinosa decided to never fly Delta again, I think it might be a wise choice. Unfortunately, due to a number of changes in the industry there are less choices available.
The attendant did the right thing. He was trying to help someone he believed was in danger and we should all accept this,
But if it was her mother traveling with her , no one would blink an eye. What a horrible experience for this father and daughter.
As usual the typical cry of racial profiling of Mr Espinosa by Mr Espinosa.Did it ever occur to him that his daughter is ALSO Hispanic? Seems Mr Espinosa is using the race card to his own disadvantage.
I think that this could have been avoided with prior knowledge by the flight crew that he travels with a daughter with disabilities. I do not believe this was racially motivated, I think the flight crew would have been on alert no matter the race. Crew is taught to watch out for suspicious behavior and to them this was just that. The safety of everyone on that plane is the crews responsibility and I feel...
I think that this could have been avoided with prior knowledge by the flight crew that he travels with a daughter with disabilities. I do not believe this was racially motivated, I think the flight crew would have been on alert no matter the race. Crew is taught to watch out for suspicious behavior and to them this was just that. The safety of everyone on that plane is the crews responsibility and I feel terrible for this man and his daughter, but in these times erring on the side of caution is their job..
Does everyone see what is happening to our world? The govt, the media and certain religious groups have people so paranoid about everything that they start something out if nothing because if be all bullshit flying around our nation. Go to YouTube and listen to "Nu Breed & Jesse Howard" they put it out there....along with Ryan Upchurc
The best answer is to let parents of special needs children post this info on their profiles if they choose to do so. It's not an invasion of privacy if the parent initiates it and it's not required. Otherwise, I really don't think Delta overreacted. The dad could have gotten up, taken the flight attendant aside and explained the situation.
My 15 year old son is in the moderate-severe range of Autism. Flying is one of the things he enjoys, as long as we help manage the sensory environment and try to reduce the potential stressors. (Some things are out of our control, like IRROPS, but I've found that when we are able to smooth out the things in our control, the uncontrollable is manageable.) Non-stops are preferred over connecting flights, and direct flights (i.e.,...
My 15 year old son is in the moderate-severe range of Autism. Flying is one of the things he enjoys, as long as we help manage the sensory environment and try to reduce the potential stressors. (Some things are out of our control, like IRROPS, but I've found that when we are able to smooth out the things in our control, the uncontrollable is manageable.) Non-stops are preferred over connecting flights, and direct flights (i.e., one-stop, no change of planes) are avoided, because he thinks it's time to get off the plane after we arrive at the gate).
And, understanding the various steps that we are likely to follow is important (thank you to the OMAAT and FlyerTalk communities for all the detail that is available regarding airports!). When arriving at ATL a few years ago, I had forgotten to tell him about the train to the rental car facility. Whoa! That was an unwelcome surprise, but we got through it.
In the U.S., TSA has historically been very accommodating. In the UK, LHR has a nice green lanyard system that alerts airport and airline personnel that a family member might need a little extra help. Both U.S. Customs and the UK Border Force tend to have kindhearted agents who know how to lower their voice and talk to my son in a non-threatening way if I mention discreetly that my son has Autism.
When booking, we note a "cognitive impairment" (or something similar) and also ask to pre-board. (Some airlines have a special needs desk that will collect more information.) I mention discreetly to the gate agent that my son has Autism. This also gives me the ability when boarding to let the FA at the door know discreetly that my son has Autism. Almost always, the FA asks if we need any help, and they tend to give him space if the situation warrants it. Bulkheads provide less visual stimulation than sitting in front of another row, and F helps give him a little more elbow room (and reduces the risk that we might need to hop over someone on the aisle).
Our #1 challenge is deplaning. When we arrive at the gate, my son has a very difficult time waiting for the rows in front of us. So, I usually let the FA know that they might see him get agitated and I sometimes ask them to gently let him know that it will be his turn to leave when the people in front of us leave.
Travelling with a special needs family member is challenging in its own right, but the challenges are compounded in part because it is a continuation of the round-the-clock efforts of helping the family member to manage their life's affairs. I have felt tempted to be defensive on behalf of my son when people stare or when he is treated with what I perceive as a lack of courtesy by others. I have found that remaining calm and helping to deescalate a situation (or avoiding an escalation of a situation) helps him remain calm and sometimes opens doorways to talking about living with special needs.
It seems more and more people are easily offended on a personel level but are outraged on a mass media level and feel helpless when they suffer at the hands of criminals and demand something be done. " some body do something!!!" Syndrome. I would be pretty close to right if I said the parent of a missing child due to human trafficking would consider this incident a very small price to pay if it saved the tragedy they suffered.
My comments
I think its ok that this happened it means they are truly trying to help trafficked humans. Yes it was a mistake but sometimes mistakes happen this was for a greater good . the man should recognize that and see that he may need to let staff know about her special needs.
I can just imagine the frustration upon exiting the plane and being greeted by police. There should be more training on this type of thing, and some way to make notes in his profile. However, the father and others should look at it from the other side as well. If this was in fact, a trafficking situation they would have prevented it from going any further. I am not sure the race card should be...
I can just imagine the frustration upon exiting the plane and being greeted by police. There should be more training on this type of thing, and some way to make notes in his profile. However, the father and others should look at it from the other side as well. If this was in fact, a trafficking situation they would have prevented it from going any further. I am not sure the race card should be part of this. I would hope that if they saw someone else's daughter acting agitated, uncomfortable and suspecting trafficking, they would have done the same thing. The flight attendant obviously thought they were doing the right thing and I would hope he didn't act on his own but discussed the situation with other crew members before making the decision to call police. With so much human trafficking going on, saving and protecting one person/child at a time is what we should hope for.
The assertion that he was only questioned because he was Hispanic is 100% fabrication. The flight attendant might not have asked if she only spoke Spanish, but that's the extent of how his ethnicity was involved.
Yes, the line of questioning might have made him uncomfortable, but imagine how uncomfortable she would have been had it actually been a case of trafficking and the FA did nothing.
This wasn't a case of poor...
The assertion that he was only questioned because he was Hispanic is 100% fabrication. The flight attendant might not have asked if she only spoke Spanish, but that's the extent of how his ethnicity was involved.
Yes, the line of questioning might have made him uncomfortable, but imagine how uncomfortable she would have been had it actually been a case of trafficking and the FA did nothing.
This wasn't a case of poor training, this was a case of a one in a million set of circumstances that training can't prepare you for.
Human trafficking is an enormous issue, and I'd rather have a thousand people interviewed and cleared than one person be sold into servitude or sexual slavery.
This entire article is a failure of conscience.
It would never have been written if Mr Espinoza were not a million mile rich guy. (Yes, I too can draw unsubstantiated conclusions).
Im a human trafficking survivor. I agree with so much of this article. People are often shocked when they find out my trafficker was white. They expect a black or hispanic man...because racism' s tendrils are wrapped so deep around this whole country. That being said, I do vehemently disagree with the claim that seeing his records that he traveled frequently with his daughter would have proven anything. It would not have. Traffickers will happily...
Im a human trafficking survivor. I agree with so much of this article. People are often shocked when they find out my trafficker was white. They expect a black or hispanic man...because racism' s tendrils are wrapped so deep around this whole country. That being said, I do vehemently disagree with the claim that seeing his records that he traveled frequently with his daughter would have proven anything. It would not have. Traffickers will happily fly their girls out, and go with them to and deliver them temporarily to customers and receive payment. Traffickers dont permanently sell girls to someone else. That would be a huge loss in profits. They keep the girls and sell them repeatedly. Seeing the flight records indicate he travels frequently with his daughter would have proven nothing. I dont have the answer for how to handle this situation perfectly....all I can provide is a trafficking survivor's perspective, and my slice of knowledge about the depths of racial profiling in our country.
Much love,
Rachelle
This is the same reason people with disabilities often end up in a bad outcome with police. It is because there is a compete lack of training and sensitivity. This flight attendant obviously lives in some alternate universe. How do you get that far with no awareness? As a teacher of special needs students, I'm thinking a very comprehensive training for all employees is in line. I'll be glad to teach it.
Oye Vey ♀️
It's real simple. Delta is an airline. It's business is to transport you from point A to point B. for a fee. It is not their damned responsibility to be police. This is stepping over the line in so many levels. If anyone has any responsibility in trying to filter passengers for trafficking is maybe TSA. Delta owes this man a huge apology to say the least. And stop the practice of trying to be police.
Good well-written article. Just one small objection. Traveling frequently with a person is NOT an indication they are not being trafficked. In fact, some would argue for the exact opposite conclusion.
No, if they were white it would ha e been handled the same way, shame on you for accusing someone you know nothing about of being racist. You are worse than what you accuse the F.A. of. If that was a real case the attendant would be praised for doing his job. Stop accusing people you don't know of racism.
If anything its not a racial situation that encouraged the flight attendants attention, think about it... Its seeing a single dad with an anxious teen girls attention. It's rare for men to be single successful Father's riding with their children that they could have easily left with a nanny. It doesnt make it right either way, but it shouldn't always be soo black and white either... His daughters actions would have raised flags any color...
If anything its not a racial situation that encouraged the flight attendants attention, think about it... Its seeing a single dad with an anxious teen girls attention. It's rare for men to be single successful Father's riding with their children that they could have easily left with a nanny. It doesnt make it right either way, but it shouldn't always be soo black and white either... His daughters actions would have raised flags any color they were. This wasn't a racist thing. Maybe bias, but not racist. I believe that the attendants do need more special training. This dad is owed an apology and some free miles for sure... But In conclusion, ALL LIVES MATTER. Period.
This is an unfortunate situation. Sadly, some fathers do traffic their own daughters, so proving that he travels with the same person frequently doesn't really clear up the situation at all. If a passenger is exhibiting anxiety and won't communicate with outsiders, it could be a red flag. Or, it could have been an innocent trip. How to tell the difference? I'm not really sure. It is worth looking into. I do commend the flight...
This is an unfortunate situation. Sadly, some fathers do traffic their own daughters, so proving that he travels with the same person frequently doesn't really clear up the situation at all. If a passenger is exhibiting anxiety and won't communicate with outsiders, it could be a red flag. Or, it could have been an innocent trip. How to tell the difference? I'm not really sure. It is worth looking into. I do commend the flight attendant for doing his best, and I hope it wasn't racially motivated. After all, white men traffic family members too.
This is Horrifying situation. It really has nothing to do with the patient and doctor confidentiality. Her Father had already done due diligence and provided the Airline information regarding their travel in his profile. This entire situation caused severe harm to his Daughter. She should be compensated for the harm she and he endured. The Airline should now have comprehensive training from someone who has credentials to train the employees effectively and legally regarding trafficking,...
This is Horrifying situation. It really has nothing to do with the patient and doctor confidentiality. Her Father had already done due diligence and provided the Airline information regarding their travel in his profile. This entire situation caused severe harm to his Daughter. She should be compensated for the harm she and he endured. The Airline should now have comprehensive training from someone who has credentials to train the employees effectively and legally regarding trafficking, abuse etc.
Sounds like Delta needs to provide training on various characteristics on special needs kids. And Mr. Espinosa needs to find a good attorney.
I can understand training their employees to spot signs of human trafficking since they are a business that transports people to many places. Do they also train/teach their employees the signs and mannerisms of all types of disabilities? Many people with autism don't like to make eye contact with some of their own family members, let alone some random flight attendant trying to badger them with a bunch of questions!!! To Delta and every other...
I can understand training their employees to spot signs of human trafficking since they are a business that transports people to many places. Do they also train/teach their employees the signs and mannerisms of all types of disabilities? Many people with autism don't like to make eye contact with some of their own family members, let alone some random flight attendant trying to badger them with a bunch of questions!!! To Delta and every other airlines: educate your employees in all aspects of life.
It would have been really easy for the employee at the gate checking / scanning boarding passes to notify the flight crew that Rachel was a special needs passenger flying with her father!
If it's not noted on the boarding pass "special needs" it should be!
And for Delta to tell a loyal customer to ""separate from his daughter"" make her sit next to a stranger is adding insult to injury !
You might want to read HIPAA again. My job entailed obtaining medical info and I was not part of the medical field in any way.
"If you see something, say something"...unless you are white...because then they make a movie called "Karen" after you.
Shoot first ask questions later. Don't they have air marshals to handle those sorts of things. Anyone with any common sense would have been able to speak with them and discern the truth. Without the witch hunt in public on this poor family. It has nothing to do with race or sex it's about the fact that we all are losing our rights. Papers Please!!!
He should write Delaware that is delta headquarters for a small claim to sue them for being. Slandering this guy bane and and for then being careless all Mexican not bad i have neighbors that are Mexican with children and they do good with there kids i think they love kids alot and over protected off then ..Delta in new york jfk needs to hire new stuff everyone there is racists and dont like America...
He should write Delaware that is delta headquarters for a small claim to sue them for being. Slandering this guy bane and and for then being careless all Mexican not bad i have neighbors that are Mexican with children and they do good with there kids i think they love kids alot and over protected off then ..Delta in new york jfk needs to hire new stuff everyone there is racists and dont like America ppl they missed up my flight in may these airline industry are getting bad also and alot of people are sueing them also ..if this guy wasnt trafficking his daughter and the police was call on him wrongfully he has a law suit to sue delta ...and by the way i am a civil rights lawyer
I am shocked that the Flight Attendant did not recoginize Britney Spears!
This situation is infuriating because it was avoidable.
Absolutely, SEE Something SAY Something but say it..to the PILOT!!!
In this situation the Flight Attendant should Observe & Report and a Senior Crew member should have "owned" the situation.
We stop flights from departing because some knucklehead refuses to wear a mask but they could not take time to identify, investigate and clarify before they departed?
Common sense, behavioral profiling and thorough...
This situation is infuriating because it was avoidable.
Absolutely, SEE Something SAY Something but say it..to the PILOT!!!
In this situation the Flight Attendant should Observe & Report and a Senior Crew member should have "owned" the situation.
We stop flights from departing because some knucklehead refuses to wear a mask but they could not take time to identify, investigate and clarify before they departed?
Common sense, behavioral profiling and thorough and clear communication are lost skills. All of which must be part of the protocols before involving law enforcement. The Crew should have never involved LE, but certainly 4 Officers is not appropriate or necessary, rather an individual with Social Worker/Child Advocate experience should have been involved prior to, or at minimum, upon arrival.
1) Some basic indicators this was not a criminal transport:
Terrorists do not fly first class, use Rolex watches to detonate an explosive device or put those devices in designer bags. They rarely are frequent flyers or especially Million-Milers." Traffickers follow suit.
2) Too many people in power positions stray from their lane, too frequently without proper and thorough evaluations. Too often "high" "intoxicated" or "unresponsive" individuals are mishandled while having a diabetic event and simply need a milky-way bar.
Finally, I am not a fan of the crutch of racism to explain a poorly trained crew, bad management or bad decisions. Especially, since human trafficking statics demonstrate the exploitation of the most vulnerable and thus, minorities. However, if you are going to open the Hispanic door or specifically, the language barrier, you also must close it and incorporate a Spanish speaker to ensure you are not about to embarrass and traumatize a father and his daughter.
Be glad that flight attendants notice when something doesn’t seem right.
Your Daughter Should When Traveling Anywhere Should Have HIPPA Documentation Of Health Issues.You Did Not Inform The Flight Crew Of Autistic Behavior . They Have No Action With Little To Go On.HIPPA Laws Were Not An Issue Since Your Daughter Was Not Informed Of Policy.
A "Karen" being herself, not operating OR getting correct information.
Making a note in the computer "Special Need's Daughter is not a HIPPA violation at all. It does not give any personal medical history. It would be the same as making a note of "needs wheelchair".
Trafficking is an issue and sometimes the airlines and the government agencies involved go overboard. Once I flew with my son (looks like his mom Hispanic) on one flight and my daughter (looks like me White) and her then boyfriend on another flight. I got the 20 questions from Canadian Immigration before they let us pass. My daughter and boyfriend waved through. At the time Hispanic looking boys were being trafficked more than white girls....
Trafficking is an issue and sometimes the airlines and the government agencies involved go overboard. Once I flew with my son (looks like his mom Hispanic) on one flight and my daughter (looks like me White) and her then boyfriend on another flight. I got the 20 questions from Canadian Immigration before they let us pass. My daughter and boyfriend waved through. At the time Hispanic looking boys were being trafficked more than white girls. Enough of the political correctness. The law enforcement community needs to follow crime trends not PC trends
I commend this flight attendant for what was done. It was probably a hard choice to make. Maybe the police shouldn't have been the first to be notified. Working as a nurse for 30 yrs we were always taught to step up if someone can't for themselves.
I also have two special needs daughters, one black & one white. IF anyone sees something suspicious I want them to intervene. That's part of our problem,...
I commend this flight attendant for what was done. It was probably a hard choice to make. Maybe the police shouldn't have been the first to be notified. Working as a nurse for 30 yrs we were always taught to step up if someone can't for themselves.
I also have two special needs daughters, one black & one white. IF anyone sees something suspicious I want them to intervene. That's part of our problem, people don't want to be bothered. If my husband or son was in that position hopefully they would appreciate that someone cares. Too many wouldn't have done anything but look the other way.
Good grief! The attendant might have meant well and you can’t expect them to be masters of everything (drunkenness assessments, carry-ons, COVID, etc.). On the other hand, no parent should be placed in the position that this father was put in, especially since he is a well-known flyer to Delta, simply because a crew member made little more than an un-educated guess and then launched a serious accusation about the flyer based on that guess....
Good grief! The attendant might have meant well and you can’t expect them to be masters of everything (drunkenness assessments, carry-ons, COVID, etc.). On the other hand, no parent should be placed in the position that this father was put in, especially since he is a well-known flyer to Delta, simply because a crew member made little more than an un-educated guess and then launched a serious accusation about the flyer based on that guess. In these days of ‘RealID’ and so much personally identifiable information being collected just to fly, could Delta not have done better?
I blame Delta for this fiasco, fully! They owe much more than an apology to the affected passengers. How traumatic for father and daughter to have had to go through this!
Boy you blue such a good opportunity to actually report news this is where making comments with your opinions like this"Would this have happened if the family were white, and/or if the daughter were traveling with a woman rather than a man?" Shows your true bias towards gender and race get a grip and stick to the news
How could you possibly speculate that the flight attendant had good intentions? You weren’t there. You don’t know the flight attendant. What is clear is you have little experience with people with special needs. You would not be so quick to give the flight attendant the benefit of the doubt if you did. People with disabilities are the most discriminated against group there is. Stick to miles and points and leave out the speculation.
The flight attendant was correct in everything that was done, especially involving the police! Moreover, just because Espinoza is a frequent flyer, it may mean that he traffics this girl a great deal! He should be happy that people care enough to say something! So he was inconvenienced for awhile, too bad! The probability of his daughter being trafficked was more important! Dont be so naive as to think that there are some fathers who would!!!
I love this..being a woman of two young girls. I would rather have it go this way, than having someone take my daughter's from me...they are doing their jobs... I am Latina and get sick and tired of people throwing the racial card out!!! Be grateful that there are people that care..that's rare to find now. At the end of the day no one was physically hurt. And you have your daughter in your arms.
That flight attendant knew he was dealing with an extremely good customer...frequent flyer levels are clearly indicated on the passenger manifest. They should have used that cockpit messaging system to ask the question before calling the cops. I appreciate the flight crew wanting to protect an endangered person, but golly folks, a little consideration for such a high mileage passenger is fair and reasonable.....and that deserves a little extra consideration and effort.
That flight attendant knew he was dealing with an extremely good customer...frequent flyer levels are clearly indicated on the passenger manifest. They should have used that cockpit messaging system to ask the question before calling the cops. I appreciate the flight crew wanting to protect an endangered person, but golly folks, a little consideration for such a high mileage passenger is fair and reasonable.....and that deserves a little extra consideration and effort.
Both of my young adult children are severely developmentaly impaired. I appreciate that people, including FAs are willing to look out for them. Whenever I've flown with them I let the airline know in advance and I also ask for help from TSA's traveler assistance. The worst I've had from that is a pat down for me and an explosives swab to make sure my son's Ensure wasn't something else.
Having kids with disabilities...
Both of my young adult children are severely developmentaly impaired. I appreciate that people, including FAs are willing to look out for them. Whenever I've flown with them I let the airline know in advance and I also ask for help from TSA's traveler assistance. The worst I've had from that is a pat down for me and an explosives swab to make sure my son's Ensure wasn't something else.
Having kids with disabilities isn't their fault or, generally, ours. But it isn't the fault of those we interact with, either. Giving people we interact with advance notice can go a long way towards heading off these sorts of problems. That may not seem fair, but the root cause of the unfairness is who / whatever is responsible for our children's disabilities, not a worker trying to do his / her job in good faith.
If he requests in writing that a note go in his records saying he is flying with a special needs person this should happen. They put her mental health at risk for no reason. Shame on the Airline.
What IF your daughter was being human trafficking? You would be grateful someone asked a question and stopped her at that point.
It’s a fragile situation; however, please understand the enormity of this problem across the world and have some appreciation that the attempt to STOP it IF it were truly happening.
My prayers for the daughter and father for any trauma they experienced.
Mr. Espinosa has the right to keep his daughter health information private, if she or he doesn't do anything wrong, I don't think will be necessary the flight crew to approach to Mr. Espinoza and start asking questions, that was harassment and Delta can be in trouble to doing this when they are not doing anything wrong! Mr. Espinosa can take to court Delta for this behavior and having a bad experience flying with Delta.
HIIPA does not apply in this situation, but Federal Privacy Act does, although the airline would be obliged as long as the customer authorizes it.
I haven't had the problem with the airline but I've had a problem with medical professionals, teachers and babysitters that don't understand special needs kids. It's a horrible situation where especially trained professionals like teachers or medical professionals don't know what they're talking about when it comes to a child and how that child should act or should an act. Or how the child can't answer questions correctly because they don't know how to.
Although not delicately handled the the concern the airline crew showed is laudable. Most trafficked youngesters have been seen many times and suspected of being trafficked but people are to afraid to act. Kudos to the airline crew for speaking up. Fault lies perhaps with a heavy handed response on the law enforcement side. More discretion would have been best.
Just one more example of ignorance, poor training and the inate prejudice of white america....not to mention the pathetic state of the airline industry overall.
Why, after multiple requests from a "premium" customer over several years, did Delta fail to flag his profile with information about his daughter's status? Sounds like a Delta screwups. They owe this guy for the aggravation, inconvenience and embarrassment they caused him despite the good intentions of the Delta employees.
I would like to wish this man a happy father's you did your job sir he is asking this board for help put on his miles a note as he is asking for I not you can you do it for me he only fly Delta look at how much mileage avoid conflict wash your numbers after this happen thanks so much
Hats off to the flight attendant!! Easy to prove this is his daughter and move on. Only the police have the authority to stop this man and officially question the situation; he can just keep walking and disappear from anyone else. This father should be happy that people are watching out for this kind of thing and accept that mistakes will happen.
Wow, I am shocked at the reponses more than your reporting.... Trump has really enabled people to think they can be open about their racist mentality. Read the entire story....
1. His daughter is 20 years old, so she would have needed TSA approved ID to get through airport security.
2. Since when did flight attendants become experts in vetting out "traffickers" and trained "psychologists" when "interrogating" a person. Let them
3....
Wow, I am shocked at the reponses more than your reporting.... Trump has really enabled people to think they can be open about their racist mentality. Read the entire story....
1. His daughter is 20 years old, so she would have needed TSA approved ID to get through airport security.
2. Since when did flight attendants become experts in vetting out "traffickers" and trained "psychologists" when "interrogating" a person. Let them
3. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF SYSTEMIC RACISM.... Shouldn't the flight attendant have thought twice about a Diamond Medallion member being a trafficker? I will put money on the table that this is a senior flight attendant. The protections of FA union and seniority crap have to stop. I have personally been mistreated and accused of being drunk by flight attendants ( I am NOT caucasian).
4. And as you point out, the ground agent should have escalated how to handle the situation to senior management given the status of the member and the travel history with his daughter frequent flier records.
5. You Trumpist people are absolutely disgusting in your feedback....
I'm a proud Trump hating liberal. I'm former Delta and now TSA employee. This isn't about race! And so what if some precious medallion member was inconvenienced!!! What would your stance be if the flight attendant said nothing and this was a known trafficker!!?? How do you think 911 happened? Airline employees afraid of offending someone! Look it up. Better safe than sorry. Yes, that have limited training, they aren't police. They, and we, are...
I'm a proud Trump hating liberal. I'm former Delta and now TSA employee. This isn't about race! And so what if some precious medallion member was inconvenienced!!! What would your stance be if the flight attendant said nothing and this was a known trafficker!!?? How do you think 911 happened? Airline employees afraid of offending someone! Look it up. Better safe than sorry. Yes, that have limited training, they aren't police. They, and we, are trained to look for signs. Dad could have mentioned she was special needs at ANY point.
Where's the lawsuit against Delta as well the individual Delta employees who acted so ignorantly and outrageously??. I would not have been calling Delta the next morning. Rather, I would have been meeting with one or more of the high power law firms in Seattle I have used in the past. And, I would have made certain the Delta employees involved in this debacle wished they had not gotten out of bed that day.
Saying his daughter is special needs is not medical info. There are a lot of reasons to use the term. Terrible that this was done to these people.
If he already contacted Delta & updated the info about frequent travel with his daughter that is on the airline! Delta messed up…
Ben, this is probably something you should stand down on since it's clear you don't know anything about trafficking. They should have done something other than call the cops? No that's exactly what they should do. The police are trained to investigate these things flight crews are not. So they ruffled a million milers feathers, so f'n what. If they stop one person from being trafficked then it's worth it. I am guessing you are...
Ben, this is probably something you should stand down on since it's clear you don't know anything about trafficking. They should have done something other than call the cops? No that's exactly what they should do. The police are trained to investigate these things flight crews are not. So they ruffled a million milers feathers, so f'n what. If they stop one person from being trafficked then it's worth it. I am guessing you are the kind of person who sees a person in possible distress and just walks by because you don't want to offend anyone. For your edification, high end traffickers often travel with the same victims taking them on a circuit among high end clients. So looking at a travel profile wouldn't have really accomplished anything. adding info to the travel profile would just allow traffickers to make sure their travel profiles were set up so no one in the crew talked to the victims. Stick to reviewing the vapid things you tend to focus on, it's an area that suits you.
If there was a suspicion the flight deck crew could have contacted operations and a simple check would have shown the details of this high tier frequent fliers status and any relevant notes - assuming that he has indeed travelled with his 20 year old daughter previously
Heyr.mojo what if we were right every time we go to war. Probably to deep 4 a flight attendant to understand. I now hear from 2 of you and both of you would not last in the real world putting a man and his daughter through that. Just simply wrong and stupid. Just like a no knock warrant
Sue their pants off. As a father, I would find that jacka** and open a can on him. What a disgrace. I will never use that airline again. And no sorry Dad this was not racial just a dummy that needs to go behind the shed with you until you are satisfied with the whipping that you put on him. The airline should pay money for putting both you and your daughter through that. At least 10 million. That will make them think hopefully
Yes this situation was uncomfortable. However, I applaud the flight attendant. This is necessary in today's world of human trafficking. Uncomfortable encounters like this one save lives. There are many children, teens and adults who would do anything to be put in this family's position and be saved from trafficking.
This is very very weird, checking out the travel history may have been very helpful, and informative.
My son in law was stopped by the state police. He and his 10 year old son was in a black pick-up truck,couldn't figure out why they were stopped. The officer saw ( beer bottles) in both their hands. Laughter later ,it was Root beer cola. My son in law was glad the officer was looking out for his son.
You can look at this situation the same way. The airline employee thought he was protecting the man's daughter.
I am thankful for the flight attendant speaking up, human trafficking is a huge issue and more people need to speak up
This comment makes me angry, lol!
I have worked in the airline industry for 30 years. I have always treated my passenger with the utmost courtesy and respect. There were time in which I didn't have my A game so I had to check my attitude. I also as a ticket and gate agent subscribed to amber alerts. Sometimes an abducted child is taken by air carrier to another state during a kidnapping. I would never treat a gold medallion customer...
I have worked in the airline industry for 30 years. I have always treated my passenger with the utmost courtesy and respect. There were time in which I didn't have my A game so I had to check my attitude. I also as a ticket and gate agent subscribed to amber alerts. Sometimes an abducted child is taken by air carrier to another state during a kidnapping. I would never treat a gold medallion customer this way especially given the number of miles he flies with his special needs daughter. As the gate agent, I would ensure it was documented in his record then inform the flight crew so there is no problem like this in the air. I feel bad for him and I certainly would have handled this situation better.
You should Sue Delta Airlines
This is profiling. There wasn't any basis for this attendant to make that assumption. I feel that this man and his daughter had their right to travel peacefully, distinguished. I hope that the daughter has not suffered from a traumatized experience. She may not ever be able to fly again.
I think both Mr. Espinosa is 100% spot in with the note on his account.
I also appreciate the flight attendant and police making sure this was not a human trafficking situation.
They both can be right.
So long as human trafficking exists this type of thing will probably continue to occasionally occur.
While unfortunate and inconvenient, I don't think it's the worst thing to happen.
How tragic! And yes I believe he was targeted because he was Hispanic. The response from delta the following day leaves a lot to be desired. They (Delta) should indicate on their computer records that this man is not a trafficker and that his adult daughter has special needs and is not being trafficked by him. Where was the apology? He should be upgraded to First Class at no expected to him from now on....
How tragic! And yes I believe he was targeted because he was Hispanic. The response from delta the following day leaves a lot to be desired. They (Delta) should indicate on their computer records that this man is not a trafficker and that his adult daughter has special needs and is not being trafficked by him. Where was the apology? He should be upgraded to First Class at no expected to him from now on. I worked for a large organization, snd we always would upgrade our customers’ experience when we issued apologies. Okay
We travel all the time with our grandkids 15 and 16 (the 16 yr old is autistic) and they have been questioned by TSA before. We fly with Southwest and are able to document we are traveling with a special needs child AND pre-board to cut down on anxiety. It's in his air records. Delta needs to up their game and include this info in known travelers documentation! Shame on them!
How do you spell relief?
L-A-W-S-U-I-T
30 year American flight attendant here. This was a very unfortunate situation and I agree we do not get enough training for this type of responsibility. However, it doesn't matter your race or your status. How soon everyone forgets, Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski, John Heely, Mario Batali....the list goes on. What if the flight attendant was right??
MOJO,
But he wasn't and caused harm to this family.
Thanks E T
What harm??
Most people who are incorrectly profiled are traumatized and offended. But, does anyone know the amount of lives that have been saved through profiling? When profiling stops a terrorist attack the profiler is a hero. But when they are wrong, they are now racist. What are we willing to sacrifice for safety? Ask the family of a person who was taken against their will and trafficked. Ask the families of any 9/11 victim. More often...
Most people who are incorrectly profiled are traumatized and offended. But, does anyone know the amount of lives that have been saved through profiling? When profiling stops a terrorist attack the profiler is a hero. But when they are wrong, they are now racist. What are we willing to sacrifice for safety? Ask the family of a person who was taken against their will and trafficked. Ask the families of any 9/11 victim. More often than not, they would give ANYTHING for their loved ones safety.
We are all against our rights being violated. Until that violation benefits us directly. There is no easy answer. But I guarantee if Mr. Espinosa's daughter was being trafficked. He would honor the flight attendant that rescued her.
I hear what you are saying; but NO. There are policies and procedures for this type of situation and trained personnel to handle this. This untrained person could have caused more harm If this was a real victim.
But when you aren't trained and sex trafficking is not your profession and you act like this flight attendant did you can cause much more harm. I'm sure if Mr. Espinosa daughter was being traffic he...
I hear what you are saying; but NO. There are policies and procedures for this type of situation and trained personnel to handle this. This untrained person could have caused more harm If this was a real victim.
But when you aren't trained and sex trafficking is not your profession and you act like this flight attendant did you can cause much more harm. I'm sure if Mr. Espinosa daughter was being traffic he wouldn't want someone untrained to get involved and make matters worse. I'm pretty sure he would want the person to observe and report so the proper trained people can intervene.....That's all.
This is what happens when bigoted, glorified waiter tries to be a detective. Plenty of blame for Delta, also, for not training these people beyond the most rudimentary level. Can you imagine the anxiety, and fear, that the daughter felt when she was separated from her father?. Bottom line, the flight attendant should be summarily discharged and the airline should be sued for millions.
Gosh darn it Clifford, I agree with you 110%!!!! And if I was an Attorney I would take this case Pro Bono! This untrained Flight Attendant caused more harm then good. The FA was overzealous, overstepping, and out of control. NOW DELTA PAY THIS FAMILY AND TRY AND MAKE IT RIGHT!
Clifford your comment is fire!!!!!! I agree with you wholeheartedly. This is what's wrong in the world today. People overstepping, and moving reckless outside of their lane. DELTA need to fire this employee and take responsibility and pay this family. I believe the best teacher is by example. This man is a much better person than me; God bless his ability to stay controlled when his child was being interrogated by a flight attendant.....when I...
Clifford your comment is fire!!!!!! I agree with you wholeheartedly. This is what's wrong in the world today. People overstepping, and moving reckless outside of their lane. DELTA need to fire this employee and take responsibility and pay this family. I believe the best teacher is by example. This man is a much better person than me; God bless his ability to stay controlled when his child was being interrogated by a flight attendant.....when I say it out loud it sounds crazier. "Interrogation by a Flight Attendant" because they are trained to deal with a sex traffic victims that is in the middle of being traffic...........what a mess!
People we have to do better!
I can't with this foolishess.
Nobody should be treated like this. He should have been allowed to speak(by the attendant) and, even if it's not in his profile, there should be a way for it to be known of her condition regardless. Maybe a medical alert tag?
My son has autism. We have been flying since he was an infant, he's now 17. I would always have the airline note that he has special needs while booking a flight. If the airline ever gave us a hard time, we never flew them again. ( US Airways )
I can't imagine what this dad went through, as my son is able to make eye contact and answer most questions. We are white,...
My son has autism. We have been flying since he was an infant, he's now 17. I would always have the airline note that he has special needs while booking a flight. If the airline ever gave us a hard time, we never flew them again. ( US Airways )
I can't imagine what this dad went through, as my son is able to make eye contact and answer most questions. We are white, and he's a male. I do believe profiling played a part in it. I can say though that most Airlines will make every effort to work with you before your flight , while making the reservation and at the airport. We generally use international airlines, they seem to be friendlier and more well versed in special needs children.
I hope he sues Delta Airlines and the attendant for what their negligence . Also for what they put him & his daughter thru. Especially with him being a million mile flyer. They owe more than a apology and more miles.
This is a very unfortunate situation, but human trafficking is a real and significant issue...in South Florida, teachers are having required trainings because we're an extremely active part of the pipeline. I can understand Mr. Espinosa's frustration, but the flight attendant did the right thing based on what he observed. However, I think Delta dropped the ball by not having a procedure and policy in place for parents to properly notify them about a person's...
This is a very unfortunate situation, but human trafficking is a real and significant issue...in South Florida, teachers are having required trainings because we're an extremely active part of the pipeline. I can understand Mr. Espinosa's frustration, but the flight attendant did the right thing based on what he observed. However, I think Delta dropped the ball by not having a procedure and policy in place for parents to properly notify them about a person's special needs. The fact that he tried to be proactive about it only makes it that much worse...he was keenly aware that it might present a problem and subsequently ignored to this point, which undoubtedly traumatized his daughter.
Shame on Delta & shame on that flight attendant. They need to revamp their training techniques!! Besides, it shouldn't be up to the flight attendant to make any kind of judgement call! It's called "Chain of Command". He decided to do "racial profiling" & now he's gonna pay! Shame on him! God don't like ugly.
So sorry for this man & his daughter!!
#SHAMEONDELTAAIRLINES
Yesssss Melinda!!!!!
God don't like ugly and the beast showed if face and now they are consequence for this type of behavior.
Delta, Fire the Flight Attendant and any others like him, Get better training, publicly apologize, pay this family and do better!
A not so subtle example of systematic racism.
Matt Gaetz and the girls he flew to party in the Bahamas in connection with an accused sex trafficker would never had endured this indignation.
If you are concerned, call law enforcement and see if this guy is a suspect. Then let them handle it.
The fact that the passenger is a well known flyer just adds to the insult.
Considering all of the young girls and boys that are victims of sex trafficking, I appreciate every effortthat flight attendants make. I'd much rather them be wrong about someone than not try and miss the chance to save a child or young adult. It's so not about race and this crap about everything being about race has got to stop. Its gotten so far out of hand that it's almost a joke at this point....
Considering all of the young girls and boys that are victims of sex trafficking, I appreciate every effortthat flight attendants make. I'd much rather them be wrong about someone than not try and miss the chance to save a child or young adult. It's so not about race and this crap about everything being about race has got to stop. Its gotten so far out of hand that it's almost a joke at this point. That man should be thankful that someone cared enough to make sure his daughter was okay. Maybe from now on, every time he flies he should give the flight attendants a printed sheet of paper with his daughters diagnosis on it instead of expecting them to be mind readers or doctors.
My son has severe dyslexia. When he was approximately 4 years old I took him to a pediatrician for a checkup and some vaccines. Having dyslexia my son often said things that were very inappropriate regarding any questions he was asked. His pediatrician asked me if I was his mother. My son replied no, the pediatrician asked me and him several times are you his mother I would say yes he would ask Matt and...
My son has severe dyslexia. When he was approximately 4 years old I took him to a pediatrician for a checkup and some vaccines. Having dyslexia my son often said things that were very inappropriate regarding any questions he was asked. His pediatrician asked me if I was his mother. My son replied no, the pediatrician asked me and him several times are you his mother I would say yes he would ask Matt and he would say no. Finally the pediatrician said if she's not your mother who is she? He replied she's my father mother. The pediatrician during our visit also noticed my son frequently injured himself most dyslexics do as children. He questioned me about Mark's scratches he found on my son. And actually threatened to have the police talk to me. I advise him I was glad that he questioned me if he was concerned that was being abused. I was not offended at all as Matt frequently injured himself I could see where his suspicion would come from even though none of the scratches or injuries were serious. I don't understand if someone is questioning you because they think you might be trafficking a person you would be offended. I would be grateful because I like to know that we are watching out for all our children. He had no issue once I said I'm fine with that with the police come and interview both of us the doctor knew at that point I wasn't abusing him. I found out later when I became an RN that people that abuse their children always get irate when you question them and very defensive and begin telling you what a great parent they are. If anyone ever questioned me about my grandson or my child that suspected abuse I would be happy to talk to them and have them talk to the child or a young adult they have social workers that know how to talk to people that have autism.
As someone that works in aviation & on aircrafts , I can understand the flight attendants concern. I do believe it was done with the concern for the young lady but perhaps he the flight attendant should have had a private conversation with Mr. Espinoza to voice his concerns prior to getting the authorities involved.
Personally I would have knocked that attendant out.. This is uncalled for and in no way would I allow some noisy guy to verbally make my daughter feel like that.. I would have stood up immediately and said "My daughter suffers from autism so if you have any questions direct them towards me or put your hands up now to fight. Period!"
No one has any right to approach anyone and there kids to act...
Personally I would have knocked that attendant out.. This is uncalled for and in no way would I allow some noisy guy to verbally make my daughter feel like that.. I would have stood up immediately and said "My daughter suffers from autism so if you have any questions direct them towards me or put your hands up now to fight. Period!"
No one has any right to approach anyone and there kids to act like this unless your a fool and want to get punched.. That's what is wrong now a days people don't get punched enough, if they did Karen's wouldn't exist
Ok tough guy. You're all over the place here. If the dad would have just said that, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Kudos to the FA for caring about the well being of a person he didn't know. Maybe you should try it sometime
Very hard situation who is to say that just because he travels with his daughter doesn't mean he isn't selling her or trafficking her at the destination. The airline should indicate on the travelers profile that he travels with a special needs person. Like I said hard situation.
N the modern world which we live the message is “ if you see something , say something! It’s really better to be over cautious and hurt his pride than a young person being trafficked
Delta’s flight attendants on this flight we’re phucking idiots. Delta’s response team is just full of idiots. This passenger who has so much flying time should have been treated like a KING. When they landed and separated the daughter from her father is abominable.This guy should sue Delta for racial profiling, ineptness, idiocy, prejudice, harassment, putting his daughter’s life in danger. Delta - ALL PEOPLE WHO HOLD TOP OFFICES WITH THIS COMPANY SHOULD BE FIRED...
Delta’s flight attendants on this flight we’re phucking idiots. Delta’s response team is just full of idiots. This passenger who has so much flying time should have been treated like a KING. When they landed and separated the daughter from her father is abominable.This guy should sue Delta for racial profiling, ineptness, idiocy, prejudice, harassment, putting his daughter’s life in danger. Delta - ALL PEOPLE WHO HOLD TOP OFFICES WITH THIS COMPANY SHOULD BE FIRED AS WELL AS THE STAFF ON this flight and BANNED from ever working in the airline business again.
They have been focusing on human trafficking yes, however I have seen far too many stories about travelers having someone with special needs in their party and the airlines not knowing how to handle it, therefore they’ve been kicked off flights, demoralized etc. maybe it’s time we figure out how to bring compassion back to customer service on the airlines. Proper training for those with different abilities as well as well as add a section...
They have been focusing on human trafficking yes, however I have seen far too many stories about travelers having someone with special needs in their party and the airlines not knowing how to handle it, therefore they’ve been kicked off flights, demoralized etc. maybe it’s time we figure out how to bring compassion back to customer service on the airlines. Proper training for those with different abilities as well as well as add a section for those who Want to provide this type of information. Voluntarily providing info does not violate Hipaa.
Maybe if old Ed would stop playing the critical race theory and political game, then maybe he could focus on his actual business and loyal customers. If I can't keep my diamond status for next year, then I don't see a reason to stay with Delta.
Possible this gentleman should contact TSA Cares. TSA Cares is a service provided by TSA to assist individuals with medical conditions such as this. After explaining the situation of his daughters condition he could get assistance from TSA in clearing security screening and even more helpful would be the email TSA sends to the individual about his daughters condition. He could have used the letter for either the flight staff or the police. Additionally the...
Possible this gentleman should contact TSA Cares. TSA Cares is a service provided by TSA to assist individuals with medical conditions such as this. After explaining the situation of his daughters condition he could get assistance from TSA in clearing security screening and even more helpful would be the email TSA sends to the individual about his daughters condition. He could have used the letter for either the flight staff or the police. Additionally the flight crew would have likely already been notified of the situation.
When traveling with my wife with a medical condition we have been taken through security checking, my wife wheeled to get the gate by a TSA agent, and had similar service at the destination airport.
Before I dealt with TSA Cares I totally hated going to the airport and thought that TSA's total job was to delay people to the point where they elected not to fly anymore.
I applaud the flight attendant for caring to protect a girl that might be trafficked or in trouble. Maybe if they have the same last name that might have helped understand. A message to the crew in advance or a note in records might avoid this again. I don’t see any racial profiling here. Sorry they had to go through this but if it saved a girl in trouble we would be in a better world.
Going forward I think that he and anyone in his situation should notify the flight crew of his situation before takeoff. It also would help if he could produce a copy of her birth certificate.
I feel most sorry for the daughter having to go through that s***. Followed closely by the father having been racially profiled. I say the father should sue everybody and retire. All the flight attendants and pilots go thorough training how to keep their mouth shut and observe versus spouting the first negative thing that comes to mind. We're too anxious to get into other people's business and "Save the Day". When usually it's the simplest answer that is the truth.
I think that there should be a special list given to the flight attendants upon the passengers boarding regarding special situations and passengers, this way if they have a list that tells them passenger "X" in seat 23A has special circumstances then they are already aware and can better handle situations. I'm sure there are not that many on any one flight, hopefully. But that seems like it would help. I'm sure there are special...
I think that there should be a special list given to the flight attendants upon the passengers boarding regarding special situations and passengers, this way if they have a list that tells them passenger "X" in seat 23A has special circumstances then they are already aware and can better handle situations. I'm sure there are not that many on any one flight, hopefully. But that seems like it would help. I'm sure there are special provisions for Rich People that choose to fly commercial.
He is doing his job. Better safe then sorry. If it was my daughter I would be happy someone care. There are a lot of crazy people out there kidnapping giels
Unfortunately, HIPPA applies to everyone, not just doctors but everyone.
They didn't accuse him of anything, they were concerned for her safety.
Quit trying to spin what really happened.
Sue happy people suck!
My only fault with this "article" is your bringing race into it. He asked if she spoke Spanish because she was Hispanic. Somehow you segway into if it was a white this wouldn't have happened. J Epstein is a fine example of whites going down too. Stick to the facts without your speculations. Now the comments have people arguing about race....which was the goal of most "journalists"/writers these days.
We should all be glad that people are working to fight human trafficking. They won't be right every time. Please don't take it personally! The best solution for this gentleman would be Delta adding the special information regarding his daughter in his record. That way the crew would have known from the get-go to expect unusual behavior from the daughter.
Everything was done correctly. The flight attendant spoke up, there's not much more to be done on the flight. Good for him looking out.
I stopped reading at autism.
This is simply the normal course white people take when they want to diminish someone that is of different race. My father was subject to the same treatment from a white referee that disliked he used Spanish in the field and not the english he wanted to hear. White people is simply EVIL, they always been.
Don’t be a snowflake!!! Your father is in the US, tell him to speak English. It is not polite to speak a language to others when they do not understand. Usually when that happens you are not saying good things about the person.
Better to be safe than sorry. Delta did the right thing.
Be happy they were looking out for her, quit trying to get paid karen.
No policy is immune from error; false positives are statistically inevitable. So while additional training may have resulted in a different outcome, it also may not have.
The flight attendant was clearly following some sort of trained procedural checklist to vet his suspicious against known trafficking indicators. That process indisputably needs continuous improvement.
While I'm sympathetic to this the gentleman's situation (which is mostly an advocacy position for his daughter and those who...
No policy is immune from error; false positives are statistically inevitable. So while additional training may have resulted in a different outcome, it also may not have.
The flight attendant was clearly following some sort of trained procedural checklist to vet his suspicious against known trafficking indicators. That process indisputably needs continuous improvement.
While I'm sympathetic to this the gentleman's situation (which is mostly an advocacy position for his daughter and those who share her condition), I can't help but think about the conflicting interests at play. Does a policy that seeks to avoid false positives like this one come at the expense of enabling real human traffickers to game the system?
It may not be comforting to some, but the larger social need for diligence in ending human trafficking outweighs our personal desire to be treated as we'd prefer. So let's not, in a surge of empathy for this father and daughter's situation, unintentionally shame an imperfect yet net-positive practice out of existence.
P.S.: For those defending race-based criminal identification in the comments, the traffickers in Russia and Eastern Europe must LOVE the stereotypical garbage that you're perpetuating.
Are the Russian traffickers Million Mile club members too?
Its difficult because you font want to Fail to help someone who Is really in a Horrible situation & your also have some family situations that are out of the norm - a tight- wire to walk for sure
My comments about this incident should have been handle more intelligently but reading his info first before such drastic action I too travel with my grand children and 2 of the 11 grandchildren has autism what going to happen then when the don't answer delta hostess questions get your facts together because this is a open cases of lawsuits for delta airline..
This is not "an unfortunate situation." Putting aside whether it's racial profiling, this is an accusation of a very serious felony bard on absolutely nothing. Delta has exposed itself to a defamation lawsuit, and false imprisonment claim if Mr. Espinosa was detained.
If he had said that his daughter was on the autistic spectrum, that should have been the end of the matter.
And no, HIPPA provisions do not apply to non- health care providers.
"Would this have happened if this family had been White". Most likely if you got the same dimwitted flight attendant. What about if they were Asian? Stop with the White bashing! if you pulled this constant baggering on any other race, you would be sued your asses off!!
First off Frank B is wrong. You can have your doctor make arrangements for HIPAA. be involved with this particular situation
Well, it should have been handled prior to boarding. Does he have the obligation to tell the ticket agent or even the TSA officer that his daughter has a medical issue? No but.....this might happen again unless either Delta and other airlines puts a note, stamp etc...on the boarding pass, passenger manifest with the parents permission of course. I think that both Delta and the passenger have an obligation and it truly bothers me that...
Well, it should have been handled prior to boarding. Does he have the obligation to tell the ticket agent or even the TSA officer that his daughter has a medical issue? No but.....this might happen again unless either Delta and other airlines puts a note, stamp etc...on the boarding pass, passenger manifest with the parents permission of course. I think that both Delta and the passenger have an obligation and it truly bothers me that race is brought up again and again. It's the fallback option for everyone who isn't white.
I applaud Delta for being proactive and wanting to help people that are stuck in human trafficking they made a mistake this time but it's better they make a mistake and save five other girls and not save any of them
See this is what our country is currently coming to flight attendants overstepping their authority were not properly trained. I feel this is a overreach from Delta employee that employees should be reprimanded for falsely accusing this gentleman me personally I would be suing Delta for defamation of character.
It’s like their mask policy it overreach is also again COVID-19 exist but these people have no clue what they’re actually dealing with when it...
See this is what our country is currently coming to flight attendants overstepping their authority were not properly trained. I feel this is a overreach from Delta employee that employees should be reprimanded for falsely accusing this gentleman me personally I would be suing Delta for defamation of character.
It’s like their mask policy it overreach is also again COVID-19 exist but these people have no clue what they’re actually dealing with when it comes to children and children’s of special needs I cannot wear a mask should have a waiver.
And as you will see I am a firefighter paramedic and this does not violate Hyppa act by informing them of his daughters handicap because he is supplying the information not a doctor not a medical office not any medical facilities the father of the daughter is supplying the information.
They should hand out the snacks and drinks and mind their own business. They give more attention to the wrong things
For an airline attendant to question the topic of human trafficking is absurd. Agents go to school for years on how to point out someone who to approach. Also they do approach with caution as not offend someone.
Sorry! I bet'cha he was white
I think this man and his daughter needs an big apology. And a free trip trip paid hotel fare $1000 in spending change that's was very embrassing and humiliating and embrassing to this man and his daughter Compensate then for being falsely accused Or be sued I bet'cha that flight attendant was white train your employees screen some of y'all white business men they are the ones who's dealing in sex trafficking big time
Human trafficking is a crime who else other than the police should investigate it? That being said the story very clearly indicates that the daughter was certainly exhibiting signs of trafficking. The author of the article should do a bit more research for his article. The fact that the father has traveled with her often is not an indication that she not being trafficked. 9n the contrary, that happens more than most would know. What...
Human trafficking is a crime who else other than the police should investigate it? That being said the story very clearly indicates that the daughter was certainly exhibiting signs of trafficking. The author of the article should do a bit more research for his article. The fact that the father has traveled with her often is not an indication that she not being trafficked. 9n the contrary, that happens more than most would know. What would be unusual for trafficking situation would be traveling first class more than the frequency.
Wow! This just makes me sad. Why does different race negate criminal? You can give training on diversity, Race, Medical, culture difference. And some just won’t understand! Because of preconceived ideas!
There's more to this story. Wht would the father say to the daughter, do you speak only Spanish??? May still be human trafficking. We don't know where the girl is.
I personally think the delta employee did exactly what they should have done under the circumstances.
1. Flight attendants probably dont have access to someone's flight profile to look up those details in the air.
2. The flight attendant was responding to a sketchy situation and didnt have all the information. It is not a flight attendants job to investigate, that is the police's job. The flight attendant did the right thing by...
I personally think the delta employee did exactly what they should have done under the circumstances.
1. Flight attendants probably dont have access to someone's flight profile to look up those details in the air.
2. The flight attendant was responding to a sketchy situation and didnt have all the information. It is not a flight attendants job to investigate, that is the police's job. The flight attendant did the right thing by calling the police to investigate because they did not have authority to make that judgement.
3. This all could have been avoided if the father took the flight attendant aside and said "my daughter is disabled/non-verbal". He didnt have to announce it to the whole plane, the father could have easily protected his daughter's dignity and informed the attendant.
I have a feeling that the flight attendant wasnt just responding to the girl, but also the defensive way the father could have been acting (I am assuming). Delta should change nothing about their procedures and the way the employees are trained to handle these situations. The flight attendant could have saved someone's life, meanwhile this Dad is upset about something that could have been avoided if he communicated that his daughter was disabled.
If diabetes wear bracelets, driver’s license can show you are a donor, can they provide a bracelet of some sort for her disability?
The Delta employee SHOULD HAVE at least listened to the passengers full explanation, before quipping " i need an answer from her.."... If the attendant had just listened to the full response, i would think a different result would have occurred.
All races are racist at one level or another BFD ! There's certainly no law against it so stop crying about it
Insue the airline for many $$$$$ they embarrassed you . Treated you like criminal and profiled you. Sue then
Come on smh. He knows his daughter has autism, and he travels with his daughter all the time so WHY didn’t he simply get up, set into the galley and TELL the flight attendant his daughter had autism? I’m sure at 20 she has a I’D card and passport. They should have the same last name. He could’ve avoided ALL of that by simply talking to the flight attendant. Perhaps he thought he was above...
Come on smh. He knows his daughter has autism, and he travels with his daughter all the time so WHY didn’t he simply get up, set into the galley and TELL the flight attendant his daughter had autism? I’m sure at 20 she has a I’D card and passport. They should have the same last name. He could’ve avoided ALL of that by simply talking to the flight attendant. Perhaps he thought he was above explaining because he’s a high mileage frequent flyer sitting in first class, it makes no sense that he WOULDN’T explain since it can’t be the first time someone was unaware his daughter has autism and suspected something might not be right, even if they didn’t confront or try to talk to her, I’m sure there was a lot of strange looks. If the flight attendant hadn’t said anything and it later turned out his daughter was being trafficked her family wouldn’t been mad at Delta for not doing anything. Since he’s been trying to get Delta to put something on his frequent flyer profile what’s wrong with his mouth? He can tell the ticket counter agent , gate agent and flight attendant that his daughter has autism when he checks his bags, gets to the gate or boards the aircraft. All of this could’ve been avoided by him simply communicating.
My youngest son is 50 yrs old. He has aspbergers syndrome. He is high functioning. When we go on vacation, where we share a room, l have never felt that it was inappropriate. Separate beds always. I have taught him respect for others. I have taught him about privacy, which he totally respects. Recently we flew on Delta, and when asked to move to a different seat, he was not comfortable with that. I privately...
My youngest son is 50 yrs old. He has aspbergers syndrome. He is high functioning. When we go on vacation, where we share a room, l have never felt that it was inappropriate. Separate beds always. I have taught him respect for others. I have taught him about privacy, which he totally respects. Recently we flew on Delta, and when asked to move to a different seat, he was not comfortable with that. I privately explained the situation to the stewardess. We were allowed to sit together, no questions asked. I wonder if the situation had been reversed (father/daughter), if the outcome would have been the same. People need to understand that people with disabilities/situations need to be handled in a much more appropriate way. How embarrassing and uncomfortable for this father and his daughter. Shameful, actually.
The flight crew may be just slightly overtrained in this area and definitely overzealous. They had this wonderful new training about "having the ability to spot and identify would be human traffickers," and it's obvious that they wanted to put it into use " to save some poor victim from a terrible human traffiker criminal!" So, because this so-called "heroes of the skies!" saw what they wanted to see as a "probable save the damsel...
The flight crew may be just slightly overtrained in this area and definitely overzealous. They had this wonderful new training about "having the ability to spot and identify would be human traffickers," and it's obvious that they wanted to put it into use " to save some poor victim from a terrible human traffiker criminal!" So, because this so-called "heroes of the skies!" saw what they wanted to see as a "probable save the damsel in distress from the villain scenario," they totally overreacted without knowing the full story. Because if they had checked his history first, even if they didn't include personal info, but the father who was traveling with her daughter who needed special accomodations when traveling in a plane, before they over hastily calling in the "marines," they would of seen that the daughter has special needs, and that this guy travels with her very often. Not even including that this man is a premium first class customer who uses Delta for his travel needs ( although after this, it might be a different situation!)
But because they saw a man who was Latino, they didn't think they assumed to much! How is the airlines going to apolised for the outrage!
They humiliated this guy, traumatised his daughter and made him look like a criminal when he did nothing wrong! It's more than outrageous, it's infuriating to think that these "flight attendants" have that kind of power and they can use it against anyone they want at their own whim. Whether they were trying "to do the right thing" or not is not the point, the point is that they could see anyone to whom "doesn't look right" to them, and use it against them! If that guy and his daughter had been white, would that attendant had been so quick to call the police?
Sue the air line! I am so sorry for your pain
My driver's license displays medical information. This is at my choosing in case I am found unresponsive. This notifies law enforcement to know I may need medical assistance. There should be a way for travelers to notify companies of specific medical concerns before flying.
I think that he would hate it if (god forbid) it was his daughter that got in trouble with human trafficking and so he might overlook their good intentions considering that his situation is unusual and some wires were crossed. Who got harmed here? Only his ego.
I think you have given very good suggestions that would've prevented this situation. I understand the need to say something if you see something but just as importantly, we need to do much better to prevent racism, racial profiling and engaging in activities that portray us as racists. This outcome was totally unacceptable imo.
I feel horrible for the Man and his Daughter. I know id be horrified if i was acused of somthing like that. I sure hope delta compensates both of them fairly. This just cant happen . To many people wana play the cop and get themselves introuble. More should mind there own business. And not judge . It hurts people. So sad for Dad and Daughter.
The father needed to get up and arrange a private moment so he could speak to the flight attendant in charge and explain the situation with his daughter's health. While HIPAA may prevent disclosure of a person's health issues, the father would be within his rights to explain it himself to the crew and give them more information to work with. Had a red flag like this been ignored and this was a trafficking situation,...
The father needed to get up and arrange a private moment so he could speak to the flight attendant in charge and explain the situation with his daughter's health. While HIPAA may prevent disclosure of a person's health issues, the father would be within his rights to explain it himself to the crew and give them more information to work with. Had a red flag like this been ignored and this was a trafficking situation, the repercussions would have been enormous, especially for the girl.
We often travel with our granddaughter who is now a teenager I have noticed that we receive
Extra scrutiny from customs when she is with us.
Our granddaughter is on the autistic Spectrum and even though it is usually in our profile we have had incidents where Delta flight attendants were insensitive or even rude. However conversely we have had flight attendants who went out of their way to accommodate her needs for which we were most appreciative.
This is outrageous and absurd to be treated like that and no repercussions for the flight attendant who ignorantly harassed and humiliated the Father and Daughter?! Honestly this is so upsetting that I will definitely think about not taking Delta for my flying needs in the future. This is an outrageous act that should be known by the world, what you may expect flying on Delta Airlines.
Social workers familiar with dealing with special needs and trafficking should have been called as lead investigators. They would know how to question her. Just because she is a frequent flier doesnt rule out trafficking.
If the flight attendant really believed something was wrong, ignoring it would be wrong. Having police follow up may be harsh, but what if the attendant was correct. Delta's response to the matter was wrong. They should be taking steps to help these two travel together, not separate to them. This was Delta's reply...Espinosa called Delta customer care the day after his flight to express his dissatisfaction at the situation, and was told that in...
If the flight attendant really believed something was wrong, ignoring it would be wrong. Having police follow up may be harsh, but what if the attendant was correct. Delta's response to the matter was wrong. They should be taking steps to help these two travel together, not separate to them. This was Delta's reply...Espinosa called Delta customer care the day after his flight to express his dissatisfaction at the situation, and was told that in the future he should find a way to separate from his daughter and notify the flight crew of his daughter’s special needs
In this case the flight crew made an error.
Were the outcome different we would applaud them as hereos!
I believe their heart was in the best interest of his daughter. Moreover, myself being a long time Delta customer, I can attest Delta values him and regrets the error.
I suggest Mr. Espinosa accept their apology, thank Delta for their awareness of human trafficing and move on.
The flight history would have helped, but look how many times Epstein flew (private) with the same girls. But I'm sure this man has flown with her since she was a baby, so the history would have cleared him.
Voluntary profile notes would definitely have helped in this situation and never should have been denied to him for years. However, sex traffickers could easily do the same without the child's consent or awareness that it...
The flight history would have helped, but look how many times Epstein flew (private) with the same girls. But I'm sure this man has flown with her since she was a baby, so the history would have cleared him.
Voluntary profile notes would definitely have helped in this situation and never should have been denied to him for years. However, sex traffickers could easily do the same without the child's consent or awareness that it is on there. But this would be a useful tool in case of emergency like a crash or extreme turbulence, seat changes, onboard violence between ither passengers, etc, because an flight attendants need to know when they are handling one emergency, an autistic child might over react or react in what would seem to most in a violent nature when it's not and they can't control it. They need their person and their steps to regain their calm. A simple note could give every employee a heads up on which child to protect first. Think flights into Florida. Parents should always be able to add profile notes.
Many countries require passports to fly domestic. That would have solved this. Just a simple passports request from the father.
Question: How did the police legally question the child in custody without a parent or lawyer present while the father was being detained in the other room? Civil rights violation?
Delta once again involved with racial/ethnic discrimination. The hits are starting to add up. Maybe they should focus less on messaging and more on firing.
I think it went way to far. Maybe the father could have some sort of ID with daughter picture and status. Still Airline handled wrong
People are always allowed to wear medical bracelets perhaps individuals with special needs could wear something identifying that they have a situation and also flight attendants really do need to be aware that they are creating circumstances for potential victims when they call the police on customers shameful what they did to that family
Then airlines know who's a frequent flyer and who has a special needs traveler along with them. I suggest the airline gives a training class to their flight attendants are the airlines require the special need person wear some kind of Delta symbol that only the flight attendants will recognize the special need person onky.Not saying the special needs traveler is a piece of luggage; but it would send a indication when the flight attendants...
Then airlines know who's a frequent flyer and who has a special needs traveler along with them. I suggest the airline gives a training class to their flight attendants are the airlines require the special need person wear some kind of Delta symbol that only the flight attendants will recognize the special need person onky.Not saying the special needs traveler is a piece of luggage; but it would send a indication when the flight attendants see it the will know we have a special need passenger on board, that way the can try to communicate with that person, or allow the person traveling with the special needs passenger to speak, and not only speak but also listen.There are no Hippa violations with airlines on in a Dr's office are a Hospital. This is just my opinion this situation could have been handled better.Or tag the frequent flyer profile say traveling with his special needs daughter.Something so simple need to be implemented in such matters as this.Then would the flight attendants recognized the special need person. I do however commend the flight attendants for paying attention because what if she was being trafficking, the flight attendants would be saving a life. This incident will cause all airlines to have a new policy in place and the flight attendants to recognize the special tag or symbol on the special needs traveler.It very well could save the airline a lot of law suits.
The comment that Delta made was crazy stay away from his daughter and let them know of his daughter condition. Checking to see or find information on the travel is really easy. Just call ahead and ask about the traveler get a check on the man seem like they had a way to call the police why not call to the airport about him this is crazy if they was lilly white there would be no problem. Skin color shouldn't make a final decision on nothing.
Irregardless of HIPPA the airline is negligent. Flight attendants are not police or experts. Clearly, this is going to be either a huge mistake committed by a White Knight. How insane that a renegade act as a Social Worker. I’m no bleeding heart but wrong is wrong, the race card will be in play as well. I hope Delta worries about their industry.
"Did the flight attendant really think that the man’s daughter was being trafficked? Probably. Would this have happened if the family were white, and/or if the daughter were traveling with a woman rather than a man? I would guess not, but who knows."
I'm getting really sick of this garbage. I am white. My father is white. I was traveling with my father and we went from Detroit, MI to Windsor, ON and back across...
"Did the flight attendant really think that the man’s daughter was being trafficked? Probably. Would this have happened if the family were white, and/or if the daughter were traveling with a woman rather than a man? I would guess not, but who knows."
I'm getting really sick of this garbage. I am white. My father is white. I was traveling with my father and we went from Detroit, MI to Windsor, ON and back across to Detroit. On the way back across the border we were asked to come aside from additional screening. I was separated from my father and was asked a series of questions regarding our relationship and why I was traveling with him.
So to answer your question with real world experience, YES, this same situation would play out if the travelers were white. Every bad thing that happens to a minority did not happen because they were a minority. People make judgment calls every day and if you are inconvenienced by that there is a good chance it was someone acting out of an abundance of caution, not some affront to your skin color.
Thanks you for that.. As a minority I am so sick of the race card.. In my family and I am dark I am called white washed because I dress very American for being hispanic and I fought for America.. These same cousins who say that racist stuff to me are always the first to Throw the race card.. My belief is anyone who throws the race card out is a racist because you are...
Thanks you for that.. As a minority I am so sick of the race card.. In my family and I am dark I am called white washed because I dress very American for being hispanic and I fought for America.. These same cousins who say that racist stuff to me are always the first to Throw the race card.. My belief is anyone who throws the race card out is a racist because you are now accusing that person of being racist without knowing there intentions.. Especially if that person is white.. The new headmaster in Brooklyn for the schools is a black woman.. A few months she said in public
" All white people perpetrate racism"
Meaning she is saying all white have racism and she was praised for saying that but if you as a white man say
" All black men perpetrate thug mentality"
You would be labeled a racist and most likely have people assault your house and family.. Its a weak and pathetic mentality..
If you put a voluntary notation on your flight record u don't see as a hipa violation. Seems we get around it all the time with covid and vaccinations and constant questions about that.
Where are the statistics for successful detections?
Where are the ground crew supervisors to provide a higher level of supervision and appropriate response?
Everybody is so goddamn full of their own self-righteousness these days. Ever since 9/11 they've been filling flight attendants heads with this "you're the last line of defense" nonsense, in the event someone should try to breach the cockpit. In my experience, of you give the average person arbitrary authority they almost always abuse it.
If a flight attendant gets uppity call them a stewardess, regardless of their gender. If they keep it up...
Everybody is so goddamn full of their own self-righteousness these days. Ever since 9/11 they've been filling flight attendants heads with this "you're the last line of defense" nonsense, in the event someone should try to breach the cockpit. In my experience, of you give the average person arbitrary authority they almost always abuse it.
If a flight attendant gets uppity call them a stewardess, regardless of their gender. If they keep it up switch to calling them "air waitress".
TSA is always giving my teen the third degree even though she is both deaf and has severe anxiety. (FWIW we are white and look like twins.)
What in hell is our society degrading to? No, flight attendants are not qualified to assess this type of situation.
This is so stupid. Stop reading into everything so much, people; maybe it's just a girl on a trip with her father. The attendant is the one who caused this girl harm.
Damn if you, Damn if you don't.
This is embarrassing for the traveller and should be researched thoroughly before calling the police. The Flight attendants should not make a call with out witnessing a crime. I am rethinking flying Delta. Also, majority males make up the predominant sexual offender registry and engage in this behavior more likely Just look at any sex offender registry.
I own a small bed and breakfast in Florida. The state of FL made me take a human trafficking course against my free will or fine me $2,000 a day. If I was suspicious, with or without the course, I would rather be wrong than to see someone in danger. It is unfortunate it turned into a racial issue. Maybe the father should thank the stewardess for her concern about his daughter. Wouldn't that make the world a better place instead of suing?
He didn't sue Delta. Just complained.
Non minority "Karens" call the police and threaten to sue.
1) We don't have stewardesses any more.
2) If you read the article, you'd know the FA was a man & the customer did not sue.
Unfortunately Lack of training has targeted once someone of another color! I always say to anyone that isn't a person of color or have walked in our shoes to stay silent! Whites are so quick to say we call the " Race Card" when 99.9% of the time that is exactly what's going on! I was treated terrible by a Delta airline employee and my Son on 2 different occasions and I too was an...
Unfortunately Lack of training has targeted once someone of another color! I always say to anyone that isn't a person of color or have walked in our shoes to stay silent! Whites are so quick to say we call the " Race Card" when 99.9% of the time that is exactly what's going on! I was treated terrible by a Delta airline employee and my Son on 2 different occasions and I too was an Delta miles member, however I cancelled my card, because your complaints don't get you anywhere! We try to avoid flying Delta now and unfortunately they lost a Diamond customer this time! Sex trafficking monitoring by an employee that had no clue how to handle situation in questioning someone with a disability! I agree it could have been handle much differently and avoid causing the person to cause An anxiety episode! Then to have police to add to the situation of greeting the Father and Daughter at the gate! Get Real and meanwhile a person that is guilty of this crime walks off the plane Scott free!! Delta owes this father Compensation and a Big apology and not compromising with the employer that I Feel has a problem with people of color...Im trained, Im a Nurse and I fly Less Delta due to past treatment!
Your logic here is flawed. If he was trafficking his daughter then the many flights with her would likely be a further indicator of that trafficking. Maybe Delta did look at the history, saw this and that is why they proceeded with the police.
If I was the father I would have told the attendant something like, "My daughter is autistic and you are making her very anxious and uncomfortable and I'd like you...
Your logic here is flawed. If he was trafficking his daughter then the many flights with her would likely be a further indicator of that trafficking. Maybe Delta did look at the history, saw this and that is why they proceeded with the police.
If I was the father I would have told the attendant something like, "My daughter is autistic and you are making her very anxious and uncomfortable and I'd like you to stop."
It seems like he didn't tell anyone on the plane during the interaction that she was special needs.
I'm not blaming him, just adding it to the list of many ways it could have gone different
This is all ridiculous and unfortunate for this family. This could have all been avoided with common sense and the ability to think critically. Which in my opinion is a lost art. This sounds like an employee who was on a power trip and took it too far. Let's see how and if Delta will stand behind this careless employee when it cost them money. Being poorly trained is no excuse for being less than...
This is all ridiculous and unfortunate for this family. This could have all been avoided with common sense and the ability to think critically. Which in my opinion is a lost art. This sounds like an employee who was on a power trip and took it too far. Let's see how and if Delta will stand behind this careless employee when it cost them money. Being poorly trained is no excuse for being less than smart. In this situation the Father was being accused and not investigated. When you accused someone, your mind is made up and the verdict is in. When you a investigating you are fact finding. This employee accused this father of an unforgivable accusation and caused harm. This is why if you aren't properly trained you should inform others that are and stay in your lane.....if you come to the scene of an accident and don't know how to administer first aid you wait and watch for the ambulance. Why, because you are not trained! This FA abused his position PERIOD. This is a teachable moment for this individual and hopefully he will learn when Delta won't stand behind him; because they won't. We all know when you bring bad publicity to a company, it will distance themselves from you. The FA should have taken noticed reported to the properly trained individual, then when the plane landed this matter could have been investigated properly causing minimal to no harm to this family. Sounds like the FA was hell bent on brow beating this family; poking the bear. People we must do better there is no excuse for this from this Employee or Delta. Delta you need to do better!....As people we all need to do better; myself included.
The flight attendant did exactly what you said someone should do: alerted properly trained authorities who are in a better position to investigate. When the plane landed, they investigated and found that the woman was not being trafficked.
Apparently the FA was to separate the two and get another FA to ask questions. The FA appears not to have done that and instead just wanted to be a hero.
Well I was angry for him, and then the inevitable race card got played. Now I only feel bad for his daughter Rachel.
Jerry
I know what though ..I would sue they asses for defamation...
What would a review of his flight history have shown? That he flies multiple times pimping out the same person? You cannot reasonably conclude that someone is or is not being trafficked based upon the number of flight times.
In April 2021, my autistic son ran away, and purchased a flight ✈️ from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles, California. He panicked in the security line and abandoned his belongings. Delta called me to get his belongings. The Delta crew, and police claim my son never boarded the plane, even after viewing the security cameras. He did indeed board the flight. I had to buy two airline tickets to rescue him in Los...
In April 2021, my autistic son ran away, and purchased a flight ✈️ from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles, California. He panicked in the security line and abandoned his belongings. Delta called me to get his belongings. The Delta crew, and police claim my son never boarded the plane, even after viewing the security cameras. He did indeed board the flight. I had to buy two airline tickets to rescue him in Los Angeles. I missed my first flight, and had to buy a new ticket on Delta. They were very rude to me. Sincerely, The Adrenochrome Witch documentary.
There's something here that everyone is forgetting. The person with the medical issue is the adult daughter. She has to be the one who initiates the release of her medical history if she so desires - Dad can't do that, unless he's been given the right to do so by a court order because she's deemed to be mentally unfit.
This happened to my hubs during and autistic daughter back in September 2020. American Airlines did nothing either! This has to stop!
Human Trafficking has no race or national origin. You are uninformed if not we'll intended, like the flight attendant. This has nothing to do with race. (I am a human trafficking investigator, 17 years experience.)
Do some additional research. World wide, a vast majority of HT victims are European and Causasian in appearance.
In the States, HT victims run the gamut, but in my AOR, I see an equal split between Black, Hispanic, and...
Human Trafficking has no race or national origin. You are uninformed if not we'll intended, like the flight attendant. This has nothing to do with race. (I am a human trafficking investigator, 17 years experience.)
Do some additional research. World wide, a vast majority of HT victims are European and Causasian in appearance.
In the States, HT victims run the gamut, but in my AOR, I see an equal split between Black, Hispanic, and White. Asians are represented, but overwhelmingly, it's Lao, Hmong, and Vietnamese.
This guy is a clown. He should have handled things differently. He should have discretely explained his daughters special needs and she should have documentation on hand to support that assertion.
But instead, he wants to write a baseless Karen article on LinkedIn to he can get comped and bask in the victimlight.
What he did was discourage this attendant and many others exposed from this story from doing their due diligence in the future.
Your article does nothing but further this. What a shame.
I object to you calling the father a "clown". If you read the article, he did attempt to so advise the fa about his daughter's disability, but the fa would not allow him to speak, insisting that he/she would only speak with the daughter. Dud to his daughter's disability she was unable to respond to the fa's questions. That fa or another fa should have approached the father separately to question him discretely.
I don't have the experience you do Nathan but I agree. Obviously we don't have all the facts but his daughter's special needs are an intricate part of his every day life. I think it's safe to assume he has to disclose her specific condition for a variety of reasons on a fairly regular basis. Not at the level of being accused of human trafficking I'm sure but I would think it would have been his first response to any questioning like that.
I am a retired child welfare supervisor. Although this concerns an adult daughter, the screening standards are basically the same. Once the person is identified as being at risk, contact the authorities. It is up to the authorities, in this case the police, to investigate and make a decision, not the airline.
As far as a document regarding the daughter's disability, documents are quite easy to fake. The father's inconvenience in the matter is of...
I am a retired child welfare supervisor. Although this concerns an adult daughter, the screening standards are basically the same. Once the person is identified as being at risk, contact the authorities. It is up to the authorities, in this case the police, to investigate and make a decision, not the airline.
As far as a document regarding the daughter's disability, documents are quite easy to fake. The father's inconvenience in the matter is of far less concern than that of determining if the person is a trafficing victim.
I agree with the 1st paragraph Herbie and part of the second about fake documents.
The last part not so much. You lost me when you said "The father's inconvenience in the matter is of far less concern than that of determining if the person is a trafficing victim."
I don't agree with the way you worded that but I think I understand what you are trying to say.
I believe a...
I agree with the 1st paragraph Herbie and part of the second about fake documents.
The last part not so much. You lost me when you said "The father's inconvenience in the matter is of far less concern than that of determining if the person is a trafficing victim."
I don't agree with the way you worded that but I think I understand what you are trying to say.
I believe a child's safety is first and foremost and as a society we as adults have a responsibility to all children to see that they are safe.
My problem is the Flight Attendant did cause harm and if this was a real trafficker could have caused more harm. If you aren't trained correctly and don't know how to work with victims this could have been far worse. Because the FA wasn't trained in this matter and overstepped his pay grade he caused more emotional distress to a disabled person who was clearly already distressed. If he would have observed, reported he would not have added MORE stress to an already stressful situation. By him being combative with the father while he was only trying to protect his daughter did nothing but make things worse.
BUT IF HE WAS TRAINED HE WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT!.......THATS ALL.
I don't disagree about the father's "inconvenience", as you put it, considering what the concern was but the daughter could have been extremely traumatized by being separated from her father and questioned under such an unexpected and intense situation. Things like that can be lead to major setbacks and/or long-term effects for people with her special needs.
Just wanted to throw that out there because a lot of people are talking about the FA...
I don't disagree about the father's "inconvenience", as you put it, considering what the concern was but the daughter could have been extremely traumatized by being separated from her father and questioned under such an unexpected and intense situation. Things like that can be lead to major setbacks and/or long-term effects for people with her special needs.
Just wanted to throw that out there because a lot of people are talking about the FA and the father and not as much about the one who may have been most hurt by the situation.
If you have an adult child with special needs, more than likely you are their legal guardian. As I am with my daughter. I carry a copy of the legal guardianship papers with me at all times. All he would have to do is show page 1 of that document to show his and her name and he is in fact her legal guardian. Enough said…no further discussion or conversation at this point.
Well there again..it,s racial..it has gotten out of hand with the racial excuse..Hispanics and people of color are much more racist then any white person i encountered
WOW Silvia,
Are we speaking from white privilege????
If blacks are more racist as you stated was your experience; I wonder who they learned it from.....
Ummm probably from their history/society Or the mere fact their ancestors were owned and held against their will by white people.
In current time being held against your will is called "kidnapping". In current time being traded or sold is called "trafficking".
So blacks...
WOW Silvia,
Are we speaking from white privilege????
If blacks are more racist as you stated was your experience; I wonder who they learned it from.....
Ummm probably from their history/society Or the mere fact their ancestors were owned and held against their will by white people.
In current time being held against your will is called "kidnapping". In current time being traded or sold is called "trafficking".
So blacks were sold, traded, and treated like animals and you have the audacity to make this comment.
Smh.......sad!
SILVIA, racism is learned behavior no matter what end your on; giving or receiving.
I totally agree with the flight attendant. Better to be safe than sorry. The father being a frequent flyer, should have alerted the staff about his daughter when they first boarded the plane..just in case of an emergency or anything. If the daughter was being trafficked, people would be saying Delta didn't do enough..damn if you do, damn if you don't
What about a medical alert id bracelet or necklace? I’m bipolar and have PoTS and CANNOT miss those meds. So I got a bracelet.
Other than that I believe the airline employee should not have made the decision alone. Why could he not contact the ground and they could have made the decision by investigating while the plane was still in the air. I’d fire him.
OH the trauma. Next Case
It just seems like airlines are off the mark a lot lately. I know there are outbreaks of anger etc with masks and unruly people but the stories of the way families are treated with babies and disabled children seemed very alarming. I would make sure before I got on the flight that my child’s health and background was noted. If I’m getting in a flight I would not get in til it eas noted...
It just seems like airlines are off the mark a lot lately. I know there are outbreaks of anger etc with masks and unruly people but the stories of the way families are treated with babies and disabled children seemed very alarming. I would make sure before I got on the flight that my child’s health and background was noted. If I’m getting in a flight I would not get in til it eas noted that my child can’t wear a mask due to certain circumstances etc. if they can escort children without parents then they should be given information prior and allow the rules to be followed.
This is what happens when companies put half-assed programs in place for the sole reason of looking good. Has this program ever stopped one trafficker, or rescued one trafficked person? I guarantee we would have heard about it if it did, but all I've heard are stories like this one where an innocent person is harassed, and everyone including law enforcement has their time wasted. When companies pretend to care about serious issues it tends to do more harm than good.
https://fightthenewdrug.org/flight-attendant-rescues-sex-trafficking-victim-traveling-with-pimp/#sidewidgetarea
I agree 100%!
On boarding, the flight crews are looking at every single passenger for:
--passengers that might cause difficulty
--passengers that might be trafficked
--Able-Bodied Passengers that might be of assistance in the case of any flight difficulty
Through this lens, a lot of people look like they might match one of these categories.
Cheryl, shut the F. up!
Now, the flight attendant probably shoud have asked himself, hmmm is it common for human traffickers to fly in first class? Answer: probably not! I could be wrong, but I'm guessing they don't.
The father should have told the agents, at the gate and the flight crew, of his his daughters ailment everytime he flies just to be certain that they know whats up.
You will never get my business Delta! You should be ashamed of the employees you have. Racial profilling is wrong!
I believe it should have been noticeable that she was disabled I should have checked IDs she was 20 so she probably would have had one so in my mind it was racially motivated
I am glad flight attendants are alert to possible trafficking situations. My discomfort and embarrassment are small things compared to a child or adult being trafficked. I thank the airlines and police for taking their jobs seriously! Consider what might have been.
Based on what I witnessed recently on 2 flights, Delta needs to seriously focus on training some their flight attendants, from professionalism to appropriately interacting with passengers.
Not everyone is cut out for that profession, but training could go a long way, and when they realize they aren't cut out for it, they need to move on.
I was appalled at how bad things have become, and I think many of these stories lately, some...
Based on what I witnessed recently on 2 flights, Delta needs to seriously focus on training some their flight attendants, from professionalism to appropriately interacting with passengers.
Not everyone is cut out for that profession, but training could go a long way, and when they realize they aren't cut out for it, they need to move on.
I was appalled at how bad things have become, and I think many of these stories lately, some flight attendants are instigators, intentionally or not, but they need to work on difussing situations rather than provoking.
Agreed! This FA has a hero complex. He wanted to be right so badly he didn't get anyone else's opinion about the situation.
As a mom of an autistic daughter with high anxiety and who'd probably freeze upon being asked these kinds of questions from a flight attendant, this is scary. Delta needs to retrain its flight attendants, and quickly, before special needs people no longer want to fly at all.
Human trafficking is a legitimate concern so I'm impressed that airline employees have been trained to watch for suspicious behavior. I will say, however, that I've flown multiple times on at least four different airlines since 2019 and in my opinion flight attendants have been given too much federal authority and that, from what I've observed, simply thrills most of them. Overall, flight attendants are no longer even trying to be nice and/or friendly. It's...
Human trafficking is a legitimate concern so I'm impressed that airline employees have been trained to watch for suspicious behavior. I will say, however, that I've flown multiple times on at least four different airlines since 2019 and in my opinion flight attendants have been given too much federal authority and that, from what I've observed, simply thrills most of them. Overall, flight attendants are no longer even trying to be nice and/or friendly. It's Marshall Law up in the skies these days, and don't you forget who has the power! I will agree with the writer of this article that even though we haven't heard both sides of the story, this should have been handled MUCH more discreetly.
Flight attendants in most cases make the wrong decision simply because they have not received proper training on some sensitive issues
They don't accuse caucasian males of sexually abusing minors even though they are the main perps of statutory rape and date rapes, but we should accuse more minorities flying because they have more predominance in that crime.
By everyone's logic here, I should stop any child with a white male and call the police if I fell so inclined. Look forward to getting swatted, I guess.
The father said she couldn't speak. The FA should have called the ground before calling police. I would definitely never fly Delta again, just for the principal!
Guess what red flags are for FA Anti-Human Trafficking training:
* The person suspected of being trafficked avoiding eye contact or avoiding talking (they could have their family or someone else held hostage, and are thus following the trafficker's orders not to speak)
* The person suspected of trafficking not allowing the person being trafficked to speak
This encounter checks a lot of boxes. Was the FA in the right for being suspicious?...
Guess what red flags are for FA Anti-Human Trafficking training:
* The person suspected of being trafficked avoiding eye contact or avoiding talking (they could have their family or someone else held hostage, and are thus following the trafficker's orders not to speak)
* The person suspected of trafficking not allowing the person being trafficked to speak
This encounter checks a lot of boxes. Was the FA in the right for being suspicious? I would say so. Were the resulting actions in the right? I think a little more due diligence could have cleared this up before it became a real problem.
I would much rather be safe than sorry. It is so much easier to say, "I'm sorry, I was wrong" that it is to track down missing and exploited people. I don't think the flight attendant sounded like he was "profiling" or racist. He sounded like a concerned employee looking out for this young girl. I would have done the same thing.
Just another reason not to fly Delta EVER!
It seems that their FA's don't understand that without passengers they don't have jobs.
Maybe they have become so arrogant and entitled, that they think Delta will pay them to fly around in empty planes.
@Mark: LOL!!! Are you taking Greyhound? Tell me what US airline is so perfect that you will fall in love with. This was a FA that feels entitled and likes to make people’s lives miserable. Nothing to do with the airline but with the person.
I feel for father trying to be caring and protective father.The person I feel the most is daughterI sure was tramic experience for her.She has a hard enough time I assume without people frighting her Airline should have way for popup when he and daughter name on flight list to prevent this
That's just terrible..what is this world coming to? A friend if mine was in a similar situation. She was in her way home from a overseas adoption of a baby that was not the same race. On several occasions the flight staff questioned her about the baby. Insinuating she was not the mother. Well biologically, she wasn't but LEGALLY was. Upon arrival in NYC she was heavily scrutinized by customs and had to pull out...
That's just terrible..what is this world coming to? A friend if mine was in a similar situation. She was in her way home from a overseas adoption of a baby that was not the same race. On several occasions the flight staff questioned her about the baby. Insinuating she was not the mother. Well biologically, she wasn't but LEGALLY was. Upon arrival in NYC she was heavily scrutinized by customs and had to pull out all the stops and paperwork. Tired from her long trip, cranky airplane baby in tow, hungry baby and momma 6 hours later she was allowed to take her baby home. WTF IS WRONG WITH SOCIETY.
ANGRY IN HOUSTON
Even if Delta had looked at his mileage and frequent airline trips with his daughter, that wouldn't necessarily preclude Mr. Espinosa from trafficking charges, so that was a not very bright observation. Trafficking takes on many ways of doing its hideous business. He could've been trafficking her or acting as a pimp on those travels. What I don't understand is why he did not show their ID's and also have some sort of disabled/handicapped identification...
Even if Delta had looked at his mileage and frequent airline trips with his daughter, that wouldn't necessarily preclude Mr. Espinosa from trafficking charges, so that was a not very bright observation. Trafficking takes on many ways of doing its hideous business. He could've been trafficking her or acting as a pimp on those travels. What I don't understand is why he did not show their ID's and also have some sort of disabled/handicapped identification for his daughter. That should've nipped it in the bud.
As a retired Airline Employee I would have handled this situation exactly as the flight crew handled it. Racism,I don't think so. I have 3 granddaughters ages 13, 14, 16. I am of mixed race, my husband African (very dark skin). My granddaughters 16 year old white blond hair blue eyes, 14 year old medium brown with very course hair, 13 year old Mexican with dark olive skin and jet black hair. So whenever we...
As a retired Airline Employee I would have handled this situation exactly as the flight crew handled it. Racism,I don't think so. I have 3 granddaughters ages 13, 14, 16. I am of mixed race, my husband African (very dark skin). My granddaughters 16 year old white blond hair blue eyes, 14 year old medium brown with very course hair, 13 year old Mexican with dark olive skin and jet black hair. So whenever we travel yes, we are I notice that pay a little more attention to my rainbow family. I am ok with that. It is better to be wrong, than to hurt a child. Sex trafficking is sick, and evil. So my take is if a remote possibility the someone in being harmed in any way whether child or adult. Do whatever you need to do to protect them.
I read the first three comments and I will say this:if the passenger made it clear in his profile that he travels with his daughter and she is disabled, then the flight attendant should have access to that information, and if not, we as consumers should question why because what would be the purpose of putting this information on your profile if it's not going to be seen by the people who need to see...
I read the first three comments and I will say this:if the passenger made it clear in his profile that he travels with his daughter and she is disabled, then the flight attendant should have access to that information, and if not, we as consumers should question why because what would be the purpose of putting this information on your profile if it's not going to be seen by the people who need to see it? Though I wholly applaud the flight attendant for trying to prevent trafficking I do agree that the flight attendant had other means to resolve the situation than simply calling the police. The flight attendant could have gotten another flight attendant and had them approach the passenger respectfully and simply asked if the daughter was okay. At that time Mr Espinoza likely would have said yes but she is disabled. One simple question the flight attendant did not ask could have headed off a fiasco which caused extreme harm to Mr Espinoza his daughter and Delta itself. I don't blame mr. Espinoza at all for choosing to turn in his Delta Loyalty cards because I would have done exactly the same thing.
I am a Hispanic woman, and I still commend what this flight attendant did. I think that it's due to the fact that I am a mother of girls, so I am hyper aware of bad things happening to children like sex trafficking. This kind of thing happens under our noses all the time, if a responsible adult (like a teacher or a neighbor or FA) would have just asked the child the right questions...
I am a Hispanic woman, and I still commend what this flight attendant did. I think that it's due to the fact that I am a mother of girls, so I am hyper aware of bad things happening to children like sex trafficking. This kind of thing happens under our noses all the time, if a responsible adult (like a teacher or a neighbor or FA) would have just asked the child the right questions and believed in them, then there would be more children saved. I know he was wrong in this situation with his assumption, but one day he could be right, and save a child's life. Then he wouldn't be blasted, he'd be celebrated. Just give these flight attends a chance, they were on to something and I'd rather they ask and be wrong, then not ask and risk the life of an innocent human. Give the father a chance also, by giving him what he asked, which is a way to make it abundantly clear to all parties, of his daughters situation so that he doesn't feel this uncomfortable flying again.
Come on Santastico. I dont look particularly Hispanic nor do I have any sort of an accent, but that doesn't stop some people as seeing me as a foreigner once they see my last name. Hell some people before even interacting with me just assume I cant speak English. Doesnt matter who you are or what you look like if its in them its in them.
@Daniel Lopez: I have a heavy accent. My last name is not American BUT it the article says the FA approached him because he was hispanic. Sorry, if I don’t open my mouth or you read my last name on my boarding pass, there is no way you would target me for being hispanic.
As a former flight attendant, we all get yearly lessons in how to spot human traffickers called the Blue Light Initiative. It is part of our yearly recurrent training. The training itself consists of a poorly acted video presentation, lasts less than 40 minutes and there is an online quiz after. It is not very thorough. However, based on the information presented, the flight attendant did EVERYTHING right and NOTHING wrong. All the signs were...
As a former flight attendant, we all get yearly lessons in how to spot human traffickers called the Blue Light Initiative. It is part of our yearly recurrent training. The training itself consists of a poorly acted video presentation, lasts less than 40 minutes and there is an online quiz after. It is not very thorough. However, based on the information presented, the flight attendant did EVERYTHING right and NOTHING wrong. All the signs were there. What if Espinosa HAD been trafficking and the FA said nothing?
Jerry, from a psychological standpoint, from a common sense standpoint, from a critical thinking standpoint the Flight Attendant was ALL wrong. The FA was not TRAINED, you mentioned a 40 min video once a year gives him the authority and the skillset to make this type of decision...hell no, it does not! A 40 minute video gives you the authority to observe and inform the proper authorities; that's it!
Put yourself in that father's...
Jerry, from a psychological standpoint, from a common sense standpoint, from a critical thinking standpoint the Flight Attendant was ALL wrong. The FA was not TRAINED, you mentioned a 40 min video once a year gives him the authority and the skillset to make this type of decision...hell no, it does not! A 40 minute video gives you the authority to observe and inform the proper authorities; that's it!
Put yourself in that father's shoes.....and you think the FA was right? You condemned the training yourself in your post.
I guess you just don't realize the harm this FA brought to this family and the setbacks this may have caused. ALSO while this FA was hyper focused and harassing this family he may have missed a real trafficker or someone trying to do real harm.
People we have to do better; myself included.
Jerry, not trying to change your opinion; just wanting you to see it from a different side; moreso just trying to understand your perspective.
Jerry is right. What if one of the passengers was a terrorist and not stopped. Therefore, do rectal exams on all passengers, also examine their bank accounts prior to check in, take tests for sexually transmitted diseases on all passengers, and charge the passengers for the abuse of doing these things.
The FA was on a power trip and abused rules. Even Delta admitted the FA was not properly trained.
I agree, I’ve worked for 3 different airlines due to mergers, and the passenger could’ve avoided all of that my simply telling the flight attendant his daughter had autism. Saying she can’t “speak for herself” and some of the other stuff he said is ridiculous when he could simply said “she has autism “. Why people try to hide that type of thing makes no sense. Passengers with multiple disabilities travel every day, but we...
I agree, I’ve worked for 3 different airlines due to mergers, and the passenger could’ve avoided all of that my simply telling the flight attendant his daughter had autism. Saying she can’t “speak for herself” and some of the other stuff he said is ridiculous when he could simply said “she has autism “. Why people try to hide that type of thing makes no sense. Passengers with multiple disabilities travel every day, but we can’t help anyone if they don’t TELL us that have a disability. We’re not mind readers.
Evan: The story says that the father has tried FOR YEARS to have his Delta account flagged to show that he frequently travels with his daughter who is SPECIAL NEEDS. How very humiliating for this father to be confronted by police upon his arrival at his destination AND to have his daughter separated from him! I feel like the ball was in Delta's court for years but they failed and as a result this poor...
Evan: The story says that the father has tried FOR YEARS to have his Delta account flagged to show that he frequently travels with his daughter who is SPECIAL NEEDS. How very humiliating for this father to be confronted by police upon his arrival at his destination AND to have his daughter separated from him! I feel like the ball was in Delta's court for years but they failed and as a result this poor father and his special needs daughter were, delayed on arrival at their destination, humiliated in front of other passengers on the plane and in the terminal.
I noticed that, but the article points out a good point - can medical information like that be in a passenger record? That could be another can of worms in itself.
HIPAA doesn't apply outside of medical providers and facilities. Making a note of a customer's accommodations needed, like a wheelchair escort, transfer chair, nut free flight, etc is not considered privileged information. This young woman already has severe anxiety and it's likely now worse because of this situation. Her father has every right to be furious.
Let the courts take up this matter
NO AIRLINE can flag customer’s accounts., and they’re not going to reprogram the entire system for that. He’s a frequent flyer what’s stopping him from opening his mouth and TELLING the ticket agent, gate agent and the flight attendant that his daughter has autism when he arrives at the airport? He could’ve avoided ALL of that by simply opening his mouth and communicating. He mad the situation worst by NOT speaking up.
If i tell you not to doeak to my daughter ,and you dont back off. Someone else will have to call the cops for you.
Where did you get this data? More pedophiles are white
I have 2 children on the spectrum. Chilldren that look "normal ". It's not your job as a parent to explain to everyone that your child is disabled. If the person asking questions is upsetting my child they should have enough sense to stop.
If that had been my missing daughter I would have called the flight attendant and angel for rescuing her.
I hate what he had to go thru. Curious how the daughter did with the separation when they got off of the plane. I would love for him to have something in his profile that would stop any future issues.
I hope they find a way to do better....all around.
Mr. Espinosa-what grace you have! (because I would have flipped my *#+% once I was separated from my daughter. Thank you for making us look good.
Signed—Mom & Special Needs daughter (age 16•frequently fly in full leg casts)
From what I read, this is another case of the author "trying to stir the pot". First, the Delta attendant did not cause the passenger of trafficking. He may have suspected it, or have been concerned by the possibility, which is entirely reasonable. Better to say something rather than risk a real crime. Times have changed. Airlines do need a way to flag a special needs passenger and separation from the accompanying adult is clearly...
From what I read, this is another case of the author "trying to stir the pot". First, the Delta attendant did not cause the passenger of trafficking. He may have suspected it, or have been concerned by the possibility, which is entirely reasonable. Better to say something rather than risk a real crime. Times have changed. Airlines do need a way to flag a special needs passenger and separation from the accompanying adult is clearly not an answer. Cool off everyone, and look for pragmatic compromises.
the flight crew should have noticed the girl had a disability by lack of eye contact. I'm sure she showed other signs.
Guess what red flags are for FA Anti-Human Trafficking training:
* The person suspected of being trafficked avoiding eye contact or avoiding talking (they could have their family or someone else held hostage, and are thus following the trafficker's orders not to speak)
* The person suspected of trafficking not allowing the person being trafficked to speak
Maybe she did show other signs of having a disability, maybe she didn't. Either way as...
Guess what red flags are for FA Anti-Human Trafficking training:
* The person suspected of being trafficked avoiding eye contact or avoiding talking (they could have their family or someone else held hostage, and are thus following the trafficker's orders not to speak)
* The person suspected of trafficking not allowing the person being trafficked to speak
Maybe she did show other signs of having a disability, maybe she didn't. Either way as a father I would rather me and my family be inconvenienced than have someone else's daughter trafficked.
If the father stated she had autism then the flight attendant should not have questioned her unless trained to do so with an autistic person. There is a special way to do this. Had he been trained he would have known.
The crew did the right thing, in checking the situation.
SUE THEM BIG TIME....THEY CAN AFFORD IT AND FLIGHT ATTENDENT FIRED!!!
This is Absolutely Unexcusable!!! Someone "MUST" be held accountable for this attrocious behaviour. You are trained as a Flight Attendant and "NOT" a Medical professional. I can't begin to imagine the horror and humiliation this Father must have felt. I pray that he finds a good attorney and sues Delta to the point that they are put out of business. I assure you that I will "NEVER" fly on them. I would rather walk from...
This is Absolutely Unexcusable!!! Someone "MUST" be held accountable for this attrocious behaviour. You are trained as a Flight Attendant and "NOT" a Medical professional. I can't begin to imagine the horror and humiliation this Father must have felt. I pray that he finds a good attorney and sues Delta to the point that they are put out of business. I assure you that I will "NEVER" fly on them. I would rather walk from coast to coast than fly on this airline. I hope that the general public will follow my lead and Boycott any further use of this company.
The father is capable of getting through it, but don't forget the fragile daughter. It sounds like her security "blanket", is her father and for her to have that ripped away even temporarily, for a police interview, that will probably stay with her in a very bad way, the rest of her life. The police did not know her medical condition either, so God knows how that interview went. Everybody needs to put themselves in...
The father is capable of getting through it, but don't forget the fragile daughter. It sounds like her security "blanket", is her father and for her to have that ripped away even temporarily, for a police interview, that will probably stay with her in a very bad way, the rest of her life. The police did not know her medical condition either, so God knows how that interview went. Everybody needs to put themselves in the Fathers and Daughters shoes and stop saying things like "better safe than sorry", as if they are the final authority on how the world works. I think the Father should be commended for his letter to the Delta CEO, it showed great restraint.
Not out of line, reasonable misunderstanding.
I worked with a girl at a haunted attraction who was socially awkward like this, cry's upon eye contact or being spoken to, and her boyfriend had to be with her 24/7 to console her after interacting with each customer that came through.
This could explain the situation I experienced while shopping at the Culver City Ralphs a few months back. A 50+ man holding the arm of a...
Not out of line, reasonable misunderstanding.
I worked with a girl at a haunted attraction who was socially awkward like this, cry's upon eye contact or being spoken to, and her boyfriend had to be with her 24/7 to console her after interacting with each customer that came through.
This could explain the situation I experienced while shopping at the Culver City Ralphs a few months back. A 50+ man holding the arm of a probably 18-21 girl wearing a skinny outfit, and as I walked passed them the man said, "keep walking" to either me or the woman. A Hispanic dude heard it and saw them too and had a confused looked as well as I looked back.
The flight attendant was doing their job, you expect them to ask questions to stop trafficking people may not like it but good on them making sure she was safe
The whole situation is ridiculous. Your response of it being fair that he was racially profiled is the exact reason why the individuals felt comfortable doing what they did. It is NEVER okay to racially profile as the racial profiling reinforces the exacerbated situations folks have with people in position of power. The author of this article should be ashamed.
The flight attendant was totally out of order, for targeting the young lady simply because she would not respond to him. Flight attendants are not on board inflight police. He should have left his caustic insulting remark out of his conversation.
Furthermore the captain is in charge of the aircraft, passengers and crew.
Before he asked the Captain to make such an extreme decision to radio ahead for police, he could have consulted...
The flight attendant was totally out of order, for targeting the young lady simply because she would not respond to him. Flight attendants are not on board inflight police. He should have left his caustic insulting remark out of his conversation.
Furthermore the captain is in charge of the aircraft, passengers and crew.
Before he asked the Captain to make such an extreme decision to radio ahead for police, he could have consulted with other co-workers to see if they could pick up anything unusual with Father and daughter. Many women do not speak to Flight attendants, waiters, etc directly. Their husbands speak and order for them. Mentors and protogees also do the same at times.
Actually they are the onboard in-flight police
This is a tough situation to be involved in but I am glad to hear someone stand up who thought his daughter could of been in danger. she was wrong and the airline should of had this noted the disability in the account. But....
Thousands of girls fall victim and go missing every year, to be traded and used for human trafficking it is important that the community still watch out for these potential...
This is a tough situation to be involved in but I am glad to hear someone stand up who thought his daughter could of been in danger. she was wrong and the airline should of had this noted the disability in the account. But....
Thousands of girls fall victim and go missing every year, to be traded and used for human trafficking it is important that the community still watch out for these potential situations. It makes me happy to hear someone still cares about the welfare and safety of our children.
Stop with this BS of profiling and racism. Look at his picture on LinkedIn. There is nothing there that says he is minority. I am hispanic but you wouldn’t be able to tell it by looking at me. Thus, it was an unfortunate situation that could have happened to anyone but not just because he was a minority.
Also, he ends his letter to Delta’s CEO by saying: “ You will be receiving my Delta...
Stop with this BS of profiling and racism. Look at his picture on LinkedIn. There is nothing there that says he is minority. I am hispanic but you wouldn’t be able to tell it by looking at me. Thus, it was an unfortunate situation that could have happened to anyone but not just because he was a minority.
Also, he ends his letter to Delta’s CEO by saying: “ You will be receiving my Delta Platinum American Express card, my Delta Sky Club membership card and my Delta Diamond Elite Skymiles card back from me this coming week.” Well, as. Minneapolis based flyer, good luck no flying Delta. I think he should wait to see what Delta will say but not take actions because a stupid entitled FA decided to make his life miserable. That is what most FAs do.
don't be an ignorant monolingual US snowflake, snowflake ;) learn a language
This is a shame. Ever since covid has started the flight attendants have become TOO overbearing, and sometimes just outright rude to passengers over mask wearing as well. This was just a grave error on Delta's part accusing someone of such a crime when it should have been noted on this passengers profile as they have a place to do that when you are making reservations. It's called special needs I believe. I use to...
This is a shame. Ever since covid has started the flight attendants have become TOO overbearing, and sometimes just outright rude to passengers over mask wearing as well. This was just a grave error on Delta's part accusing someone of such a crime when it should have been noted on this passengers profile as they have a place to do that when you are making reservations. It's called special needs I believe. I use to be a Delta FA back in the late 70s and we were of course there for safety reasons as well as customer service which has flown right out the window in my opinion.
I'll let you know how customer service is on my next first class delta flight. Oh yeah and my husband retired with Delta after 43 yrs in the airline industry. Sad that I'd rather fly American as they have maintained better first class service then Delta by a long shot since the pandemic. Food and drinks provided in first class, anything I wanted.
I think I'm my opinion, which every one is entitled to their own opinion,I think just like the other person said,They should have reviewed the man's travelling status before jumping to conclusions,In a way if they thought anything was suspicious maybe they should have checked first, and by the way,they shouldn't just target Hispanic and black people,White people,Iam more than sure probably do human trafficking the most, People just don't want to admit that,so next...
I think I'm my opinion, which every one is entitled to their own opinion,I think just like the other person said,They should have reviewed the man's travelling status before jumping to conclusions,In a way if they thought anything was suspicious maybe they should have checked first, and by the way,they shouldn't just target Hispanic and black people,White people,Iam more than sure probably do human trafficking the most, People just don't want to admit that,so next time if any delta crew get suspicious, check the persons history out no matter what color they are, and if it still doesn't seem right,then notify the authorities because people definitely should not be sex trafficking kids,that's a big no no and remember when you do wrong it will catch up with you eventually,no matter who you are.
Better be safe than sorry. If being overly cautious saves one person from trafficking than so be it! I would rather be questioned and know they are being diligent.
That's a very ableist point of view. A person with a disability shouldn't be subjected to intrusive questioning every time she travels.
It's not better to be safe than sorry in my opinion, because it is sorry for the wrongfully accused. It's damaging innocent people because of suspicious lunatics. I'm fine with this being how things work as long as at the end of the "investigation" there's either an arrest or a significant payout. The individual shouldn't have to foot the bill for society's decision to be suspicious.
Simple solution: make it illegal for flight crews, airline employees, etc - or any private citizens- to suspect or question any minority individuals about crimes such as trafficking. As Ben’s analysis suggests, even if the individuals are guilty, the suspicion will always, ALWAYS be rooted in racism/bigotry/prejudice, and it is impossible to prove that someone is not acting out of bias, thus the suspicion and any expression thereof is invalid. Only when we specifically outlaw...
Simple solution: make it illegal for flight crews, airline employees, etc - or any private citizens- to suspect or question any minority individuals about crimes such as trafficking. As Ben’s analysis suggests, even if the individuals are guilty, the suspicion will always, ALWAYS be rooted in racism/bigotry/prejudice, and it is impossible to prove that someone is not acting out of bias, thus the suspicion and any expression thereof is invalid. Only when we specifically outlaw actions based on racism will such racism end.
Was this sarcasm or are you a lunatic?
You can't be serious. So never say anything if you suspect something. Absolutely brilliant
Not if it’s rooted in racism, which accusations against minorities always will be.
I don't think he was being sarcastic or facetious. It is akin to what the current administration is hinting for Americans to do and what BLM has demanded.
That's just crazy talk
I just finished the online recurrent training unit on this for the airline I work for a couple of days ago. What the FA is supposed to have done is have a co-worker interact with Mr. Espinosa and Rachel before calling the cockpit to have the cops standing by (and even then it's the captain's call to make in conjunction with dispatch). It's unclear if that happened but I seriously doubt it did.
This particular case was a misunderstanding..but I feel the airlines are doing the right thing
Just like Derek Chauvin misunderstood George Floyd? Or Lee Harvey Oswald misunderstood JFK?
Honestly, I think there's a *huge* difference between murdering a man by kneeling on his neck vs. calling the cops about a suspected trafficking incident.
If the flight attendants had murdered the father then the two incidents would be comparable. They did not.
God bless all our children and may they live in peace and happiness.
@Tiffany, this comment was not made by me. Do we not get exclusive use of our handles when we register?
Seems no!
My bold prediction: by end of 2021, FA’s will replace the TSA as the most hated group on travel
I may be the minority, but I don't think it's fair to pass judgment on the flight crew. We only have the passenger's side of the story. Some details were left out. For example, what were the questions asked by the F/A and the answers by the daughter? Also, I am wondering if the daughter's last name was different (I feel it would be mentioned that they both had the same last name). Also, it...
I may be the minority, but I don't think it's fair to pass judgment on the flight crew. We only have the passenger's side of the story. Some details were left out. For example, what were the questions asked by the F/A and the answers by the daughter? Also, I am wondering if the daughter's last name was different (I feel it would be mentioned that they both had the same last name). Also, it appears at no time did the dad mention his daughter has a disability, only that the F/A needs to speak to him.
F/A's see hundreds of people a day on a shift. This idea that "they should know this person is disabled, or they should know..." is unfair. They can't know everything about everyone. So, they have to go by observation. The F/A most likely perceived an extremely anxious minor. When questioning the minor, the dad told the flight attendant she was daughter and speak to him. What, do people think a human trafficker would say "this is not my daughter, I am trafficking her"?
Also, this idea of doing the research suggested in the article is ludicrous. At 35,000 feet with limited time before landing, the F/A has to make quick determinations.
Frankly, what surprises me is the dad did not tell the flight crew about his daughter's disability immediately upon boarding the aircraft. Does he have to? No. But, I've seen many parents with disabled children (or adults) do just that and the flight crews have been more than helpful to the parents.
This article isn't written by some who knows what human trafficking is either. I think you are assuming that human trafficking is a foreign stranger travel with a girl from point a to point b to drop her off.... In first class? Wow that's brazen. And statistically unlikely.
A far more common scenario would be to see this pair - a father and disabled adult daughter - flying together "frequently* with the father or some...
This article isn't written by some who knows what human trafficking is either. I think you are assuming that human trafficking is a foreign stranger travel with a girl from point a to point b to drop her off.... In first class? Wow that's brazen. And statistically unlikely.
A far more common scenario would be to see this pair - a father and disabled adult daughter - flying together "frequently* with the father or some other close male adult facilitating abuse. Yes that does seem less suspicious on the face of it - that's how so many men get away with long term abuse.
What happened on the ground after that report is not necessarily known to the person reporting.
Domestic trafficking happens, and it happens within families. Apparently they were wrong here, but what if the attendant did not report and something was going on?
I actually agree with you. Maybe it didn't come out clearly in my post, but you're right, trafficking (and abuse) takes place in many ways and many forms.
My beef is the way the article beats on the F/A, as an F/A should magically be able to know the girl was disabled and how to handle it. At 35,000 feet, F/As have to make decisions with limited knowledge. This decision was incorrect, but I agree it's better than not reporting something.
Yes! Respectfully, on the flip side of things, had Mr. Espinoza's daughter been missing and unfortunately trafficked, he would want anyone and everyone that came in contact with her to question the situation! I thank the flight crew for paying attention!!! I think its a good idea that when people are booking their flights they can self report a potential issue!
I agree. What was wrong with his mouth that he couldn’t step into the galley and TELL the flight attendant his daughter has autism? All of that could’ve been avoided. He made the situation worst by not simply speaking up.
I think it is fair that if your natural demeanor, for whatever reason, is one that solicits concern from others that you might be in distress or be fearful it might be good if there were a way to communicate that all is okay.
But I suppose it is also fair that someone with a disability shouldn't have to continually deal with this or hold the burden of communicating.
NO! Not "properly trained" is when an agent at the check in counter is unaware of the Covid restrictions for the African country of Malawi of they didn't look it up.
This FA was on a power trip just like police abuse people by shooting them point blank is the back of the head. Such execution would not be "not properly trained".
The guy was flying with his daughter. Presumably the same last name. The...
NO! Not "properly trained" is when an agent at the check in counter is unaware of the Covid restrictions for the African country of Malawi of they didn't look it up.
This FA was on a power trip just like police abuse people by shooting them point blank is the back of the head. Such execution would not be "not properly trained".
The guy was flying with his daughter. Presumably the same last name. The TSA has required ID for years.
The FA should be forced to load baggage as a form of re-education. The FA should look at that as leniency instead of being thrice cursed and sent to a North Korean labor camp.
The passenger should seek a status match and fly AA MSP DFW from now on.
This is FA power trip. Someday they will accuse a passenger of trafficking for traveling with a business colleague. After all, gay male trafficking is not impossible. NO!
This is more than an "unfortunate situation." If this man wanted to he could own Delta after something like this. There are so many things that the flight attendant could have done before jumping to the conclusion that the man was human trafficking. Not to mention the sexism, the blatant racism/ethnicism, the classist ableism (would this have happened to an older man flying with an autistic young woman if they were in coach?). Then to...
This is more than an "unfortunate situation." If this man wanted to he could own Delta after something like this. There are so many things that the flight attendant could have done before jumping to the conclusion that the man was human trafficking. Not to mention the sexism, the blatant racism/ethnicism, the classist ableism (would this have happened to an older man flying with an autistic young woman if they were in coach?). Then to have customer care tell him HE should have done something about it? Seems to me Mr Espinoza and his daughter are owed a significant number of points if not free flights for life.
Perhaps the father could get a state issued ID card that could help prove who he says he is?
Have you ever flown. You need a government issued id to even get in the airport, much less get on the plane so yes hes got state or federal I'd showing hes who he says he is. And being 20 his da8ghter does too
I keep wondering too if any of these main commenters have ever flown?
He doesn't mention that he told the flight attendant this she was "special needs". If he did then this matter should have ended, period.
The FA was likely abusing their power to retaliate, not a genuine concern for trafficking. The FA should be more aware of being picked on as gay men are. The FA was a man.
Ummmmm, Not all male Flight Attendant’s are gay. Just so you know.
suspicion most often is the issue of the observer
"...minorities and multiracial families are more likely to be accused of trafficking"
True, but they are also more likely to actually be engaged in trafficking. It's simply the reality that trafficking is higher coming out of latin America, Asia, and Africa than it is out of Kansas or Norway. Should everyone just ignore reality and accuse more innocent people, out of fairness? Or should we look the other way for fear of hurting someone's feelings,...
"...minorities and multiracial families are more likely to be accused of trafficking"
True, but they are also more likely to actually be engaged in trafficking. It's simply the reality that trafficking is higher coming out of latin America, Asia, and Africa than it is out of Kansas or Norway. Should everyone just ignore reality and accuse more innocent people, out of fairness? Or should we look the other way for fear of hurting someone's feelings, and allow more trafficking to occur?
This comment makes me angry.
Hi Charles, unfortunately facts do make people angry, especially when they go against closely held beliefs and narratives. We must ask ourselves if profiling is okay in a good-willed attempt to save lives. Educate yourself, I’m assuming you trust these people - https://www.aclu.org/other/human-trafficking-modern-enslavement-immigrant-women-united-states
You are totally misinformed and probably a racist. Trafficking, mass killings, theft and domestic terrorist attacks are often committed by white Americans in US. I know you hate to admit it cause you are blind sided and have bias thinking.
People who think like you is the reason why Russian and Ukrainian women are trafficked successfully.
And, yet another example of how the world we live has changed. Charles, if a perfect strangers comments make you angry, may I suggest that you evaluate why their opinion even matters to you? Why must we fall back on emotion when trying to make sense of a situation?
Looks like we should look the other way out of fear of hurting Charles' feelings.
There is nothing racist in this story, the flight attendant was acting on behavior he was trained to observe.
Yes the flight attendant was racist when asked... Do you speak only Spanish? Why the need to ask that question??? He was more aggressive and harassing her more with that kind of questions. Flight attendant must be suspended for what he did to a special 2 travelers.
He was asking, it sounds like, because he was trying to see if she was ok and needed a translator!!!!!
"It's simply the reality that trafficking is higher coming out of latin [sic] America, Asia, Africa than it is out of Kansas or Norway." So, on a flight from Minneapolis to Dallas...right - anything to rationalize racial profiling in Amerikkka.
If you look at the national Sex Offender registry majority males make up 65+ % of the list. Thus check your alternative facts.
That may be statistically correct based on the information from the sex offenders registry list ect, but it is flawed. What is missing from that list that skews the data and statistics percentages are the following.
1) reporting of offenders that are women. How many men/teenage boys report sexual assault, rape, ect done to them vs women? Unfortunately in our society it has been taught if you're a woman/girl report it. But for men/boys...
That may be statistically correct based on the information from the sex offenders registry list ect, but it is flawed. What is missing from that list that skews the data and statistics percentages are the following.
1) reporting of offenders that are women. How many men/teenage boys report sexual assault, rape, ect done to them vs women? Unfortunately in our society it has been taught if you're a woman/girl report it. But for men/boys don't report it, because it can't happen to you, you're weak, ect. Which isn't true and we need to change that, so men/boys feel safer to come forward. Example a man pinches a woman's butt is assault. But yet women get away with pinching men's butts all the time, both are assaults. Until society starts holding women to the same standards then women won't be reported as much.
2) how many men usually drunk end up peeing in a bush, alley, ect? It's very common (not ok, I get it), but it doesn't mean if you do you are a rapist, pedophile ect. But guess what, you get caught you are now on the sex offenders registry list for life. How many drunk women have done the same (I've seen it happen)? Yet no one says anything and goes about their business? Also as a society especially in the 70's-to whenever how many little boys were allowed to pee in the yard ect, but not girls? So they grow up thinking you shouldn't but it's acceptable, if you really got to go just be discrete about it.
If you look at that list it will tell you what they did to be on it. So subtract the drunk/non drunk people just really needing to pee and no where to go (not saying it's ok). Also add the women that have done all the same things men have. Then you will be closer to a more accurate data statistics percentage. Maybe more men would still be on the list then women. But until the accurate data is there, we won't accurately know for sure.
Exactly.
Actually not true. Domestic US trafficking does happen.
Racist bigot.
Why is this about race!?? It's based on behavior of a passenger. He didn't know she was special needs and probably noticed less that she was Hispanic
Your right. The Flight Attendant did not and could not have know the daughter has X syndrome. His first assessment of the situation after checking the passenger list was maybe she just doesn’t speak English. When that did not resolve the red flags he had to look at the behavior, both her’s and the father’s.
The female wasn’t responding verbally or making eye contact. She appeared anxious and uncomfortable while deferring to the male...
Your right. The Flight Attendant did not and could not have know the daughter has X syndrome. His first assessment of the situation after checking the passenger list was maybe she just doesn’t speak English. When that did not resolve the red flags he had to look at the behavior, both her’s and the father’s.
The female wasn’t responding verbally or making eye contact. She appeared anxious and uncomfortable while deferring to the male in her company. Meanwhile the male in her company is making it a point to have tor FLight Attendant speak to him instead of her and consistently answering for her.
Unfortunately this is the exact behavior Flight attendant’s, airport personnel and many others are trained to look for as indicators of possible human trafficking.
Their ethnic background or name had nothing to do with it. I am sorry that the father could not see beyond his anger and possible embarrassment to understand it was not racial but circumstantial. He should accept an apology and maybe ask the airline to add another category/code to their special assistance/needs key for the x syndrome. This would notify all airline staff of her special needs without him having to point it out and this will not happen again.
Had he been trained, he'd have known.
Bravo Lump Snarky travel blogs and their writers remain the scourge of air travel and this article only helps to cement it.
Okay. The fact that you said that minorities are more likely to to be engaged in human trafficking is incorrect. Because I'm pretty sure most human trafficking in America when it first started was from whites we just didn't call it human trafficking, we called it slavery. We still call it slavery even though in reality it's human trafficking. Minorities minds are not hardwired for trafficking, and it could be argued that white minds are....
Okay. The fact that you said that minorities are more likely to to be engaged in human trafficking is incorrect. Because I'm pretty sure most human trafficking in America when it first started was from whites we just didn't call it human trafficking, we called it slavery. We still call it slavery even though in reality it's human trafficking. Minorities minds are not hardwired for trafficking, and it could be argued that white minds are. So your statement of minorities are more likely to be involved in human trafficking is ignorant and insulting.
It can be argued whites are hardwired for trafficking? Who's the racist now?
Wow, never actually looked at it that way but you're right, that was a lot if human trafficking..
You sound so ignorant.. Top 3 countrys for trafficking aren't even American country's..
Belarus
Central African republic
China
Are the top 3 countries.. Your just racist trash hiding behind a fake woke mentality.. People like you are breeding a whole generation of white people who.are tired of being blamed for any minority problem.. Also Mexico is HUGE on human trafficking.. So get your facts straight and stop spreading that nonsense.. As...
You sound so ignorant.. Top 3 countrys for trafficking aren't even American country's..
Belarus
Central African republic
China
Are the top 3 countries.. Your just racist trash hiding behind a fake woke mentality.. People like you are breeding a whole generation of white people who.are tired of being blamed for any minority problem.. Also Mexico is HUGE on human trafficking.. So get your facts straight and stop spreading that nonsense.. As a 2nd generation immigrant minority who is married to a very kind white woman with half white kids I take that comment personal.. As if your saying my wife is part of a racist trafficking race.. Your weak..
I'm not trying to insult your wife. I'm stating facts. Whites were a huge part of slavery. Whites were a huge part of a war that killed millions of minorities simply because they were minorities. Whites are a huge part of trafficking today. Most trafficking command chains are headed by whites. I sound ignorant? Have you looked at your comment and actually read it? I said that it COULD BE ARGUED!! Not that they are....
I'm not trying to insult your wife. I'm stating facts. Whites were a huge part of slavery. Whites were a huge part of a war that killed millions of minorities simply because they were minorities. Whites are a huge part of trafficking today. Most trafficking command chains are headed by whites. I sound ignorant? Have you looked at your comment and actually read it? I said that it COULD BE ARGUED!! Not that they are. Read. It might help you understand what I said. You can see me as a raciest, all you like. I'm not racist because I said "it could be argued". It is racist to just assume that a girl trafficked because she is with a Hispanic male and to practically be asked point blank if he is a criminal. All because of where he came from or looked like where he came from.
Whites have always been tired of minority problems. It's not their problem, so why do they have to deal with it? The fact that you said that I'm reason that whites have issues with minority problems shows how ignorant you are. If it's not their issue then they shouldn't have to deal with.
Once again, I am not trying to insult anyone. I am stating facts that I have learned from schooling, from articles, and from life. I am half minority and I am half Caucasian. I do not identify as white. I identify as Caucasian, there is a difference. I'm not racist. I'm not a coward who hides behind a screen and calls another person weak. I am someone who speaks out when there is Injustice against minorities and when there is Injustice against Caucasians and whites. I don't understand how saying that it COULD BE argued that someone's mind is hardwired a certain way is racist. Please explain it to me. I don't understand how someone can assume that someone is being trafficked just because the person won't respond. I have noticed that I never read an article about a white person being asked unjustly if they are trafficking their own child. In fact, I've never even read an article about a white person being questioned on trafficking. All I ever hear about is minorities being questioned. So if you could include some articles on white people being falsely accused of trafficking and being put down because their child has a mental disability I would love to see it. Thank you. You really showed me how people think about someone speaking out against white Injustice. And maybe you should look up the difference between Caucasian and white. And then ask your wife if she's Caucasian or white.
You sound ignorant. Check your facts. There's human trafficking going on all throughout the states. With these drug addicted opioids users.
Minority Families don't usually traffic their own children.
You are wrong about Kansas. I know not of Norway. The US has had more abductions and trafficking all over than any other time before. Shopping malls and blonde cheerleaders are ever popular.
You are being racist. Plain and simple.
We are talking trafficking not the cliche of black pimps in fur coats in Harlem, okay?
If anything Russia and other Eastern European countries are very involved.
And what about Jeffrey Epstein?
...
You are wrong about Kansas. I know not of Norway. The US has had more abductions and trafficking all over than any other time before. Shopping malls and blonde cheerleaders are ever popular.
You are being racist. Plain and simple.
We are talking trafficking not the cliche of black pimps in fur coats in Harlem, okay?
If anything Russia and other Eastern European countries are very involved.
And what about Jeffrey Epstein?
Clearly, you are a bigot. It is truly sad. Get your facts straight.
Where are they taking them now that traitor trump had Epstein killed?
"More likely to be engaged?" Seriously?
I find your comment racist and totally unfounded! Epstein, Gaetz, etc, are white as white can be!
SMH
So there are no trafficers from Russia, Ukraine, or the other eastern countries? The Russian bride scam must be just that.
You need to check your states. Lots of trafficking going on right in the USA that has NOTHING to do with minorities or other countries.
I agree minorities commit a lot of bad crimes
I totally agree with you.
Still profiling most traffickers live in your neighborhood and are doing the trafficking. They come in the form of politicians, wealthy, and folks that know they can get away with stuff. Example: Ghislaine Maxwell
Minorities are the ones being trafficked
I noticed you failed to mention Russia or Ukraine...I wonder why?
The addition of medical information to where anyone can see it, I believe, goes against HIPAA. And how would anyone be able to see the history of 2 people traveling together? You assume then, that any airline can track when you and I have traveled on the same plane (you don't mention if they were on the same reservation). That entails a lot of resources and money that I don't see any airline willing to...
The addition of medical information to where anyone can see it, I believe, goes against HIPAA. And how would anyone be able to see the history of 2 people traveling together? You assume then, that any airline can track when you and I have traveled on the same plane (you don't mention if they were on the same reservation). That entails a lot of resources and money that I don't see any airline willing to spend, specially in COVID-19 times.
It is unfortunate how the story developed, but I would not clip the flight attendant's wings because I prefer that he was wrong this time but could be right another and for the sake of the trafficked... but yes, they might need better training.
HIPAA only applies to your doctor and your insurance company. Delta would not be a covered entity.
HIPAA applies to the Doctor and that they cannot share your information. It does NOT prohibit anyone from asking questions or displaying a cautionary note somewhere in the reservation.
There are other laws aside from HIPAA that would impact Delta. For example, Texas H.B 300 which would then make Delta a covered entity.
Sir with all respect. Please reread your first through third paragraphs. Now understand me clearly. Those exact things are what we are told and demanded to look for. Do you think we want the added job of trying to prevent people from trafficking other humans. I know you're likely one of the ones who think all we donis serve drinks but there are likely 5 other things going on at any given time on a...
Sir with all respect. Please reread your first through third paragraphs. Now understand me clearly. Those exact things are what we are told and demanded to look for. Do you think we want the added job of trying to prevent people from trafficking other humans. I know you're likely one of the ones who think all we donis serve drinks but there are likely 5 other things going on at any given time on a plane that flight attendants are taking care of that you have no idea about. While you feel so compelled to write all about something you know nothing about really, someone woman who was honestly, genuinely, lovingly trying to protect this girl probably is losing her job. Now if it had gone the other way and it was a trafficked human, she would be awarded and the airline would claim the glory for training their flight attendants to watch for these guys. You don't know the full extent of the story. I hope you're so proud of yourself and your little article here while someoen else is likely losing their job for doing what they were told based on training they recieved from the airline that tells them to look for THE EXACT SIGN YOU LKSTED ABOVE IN YOUR PARAGRAPH ABOUT THE GIRL, HER MANERISMS, HER BEHAVIOR AND THE LIKE. I hope your little blog doesn't come across my feed again. I am in no need of stories of ill thought, belligerence of facts, or any other bs you might pose. All the people saying oh this is so preventable also obviously don't work in the industry. I would love to see any single one of you on a plane with 300 people. Boarding deplaning, when someone spills over with a heart attack, seizures, stops breathing, or tries to enter the flight deck... it would be humorous to see what all of you experts would do. its amazing people's expert opinions on things they have no business commenting on. This flight attendant was trying to protect soemone she legitimately thought was in danger.
Well spoken!
Sorry I can't agree fully I was trained to also have a heart for the people I serve.
lol. have a heart to the people you serve?! Do you not think the FA was having a heart for a potential child in danger? Let's change this scenario and say it turns out the child WAS being trafficked. Then the FA would get praised for noticing something and doing something about it. Will an FA always get it right? No. They can't expect to in cases like these. People don't wear signs that say "I'm a human trafficker." Come on you idiots. Get real.
Well said, I agree with you Understanding.
HIPAA has no application here at all (as others have intelligently professed). It is a matter of an adult father taking necessary precautions whilst accompanying and protecting and guiding an adult woman with special needs. There must be ways that people in this situation have identification as well as special needs status documentation.
My grandson has a state issued special needs I.D. Problem solved.
Need to investigate way prevent this happening
How little you know about 1)HIPAA 2) the capabilities of technology and 3) trauma. You hit the trifecta!
You're spot on. I was thinking the same.
And when it comes to solutions, there are so many possible ways to avoid these situations. They're actually not that hard to implement. Especially when you know you're only going to improve your customer service and are avoiding any possible discrimination lawsuits, it only makes sense to spend how much ever money more. They are probably going to have some savings over potential massive lawsuit losses.
Delta attendant could have used the same energy calling to confirm info . Then police. Use common sense.
I was referring to Christina above when I said "You"
The State of Michigan requires doctors to have training in detecting human trafficking in order to get relicensure.1 hour that will help.
In Michigan it is not just doctors required to take sex trafficking classes its all health care providers. I am a LMT and i am required to be tske it. By the way this class makes you aware that actually it’s more common for women to traffic than men (they are often working for men but a large % are trafficking on their own.), and that boys are trafficked as much if not more than...
In Michigan it is not just doctors required to take sex trafficking classes its all health care providers. I am a LMT and i am required to be tske it. By the way this class makes you aware that actually it’s more common for women to traffic than men (they are often working for men but a large % are trafficking on their own.), and that boys are trafficked as much if not more than girls. The airline personnel really should be trained in trafficking more than most jobs and they should have some training in dealing with people with anxiety disorders for obvious reasons.
Obviously enough training to be dangerous
Nope. Not even close.
I do understand the nature, but the airline should have some form of information as this Traveller flying history and that he always fly with his daughter, the man is a frequent flyer and all that. This makes me wonder if I'm safe flying with these airlines, they seem to can't figure shit out.
He could just have easily been trafficking her all over! What happened to better safe than sorry??? So the dad was inconvenienced by the police for a few minutes, who cares! Where would your rage be if the exact opposite story were posted here!?
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Smart. I was thinking that I would do the same as the flight attendant.
It wasnt just the dad who was "inconvenienced", his special needs daughter was separated atnd questioned too. My oldest has special needs, and being questioned by anyone would be stressful and traumatic for her, much less being sperated from us to do so. Human trafficking is real and terrible, but so is traumatizing those with special needs. Asking delta to put a note on their account, get better training, and be understanding is not too much.
Are you really trying to equate multiple violent rap*s and false imprisonment of young girls and women to a special needs girl being questioned? Really?
More stressful than prostituted and raped? The flight attendant did the right thing. We don't need anymore cowboys on these flights.
A notice, like a diabetics bracelet or necklace, would be best,I think.
He was illegally detained, his right to privacy was violated and his disabled daughter was interested without representation of a guardian. Delta should be paying afew mill in a settlement.
I totally agree had the daughter been kidnapped they woukd as Delta how they allowed her on the plane without interaction possibly. Seems there is never a right answer these days to anything but I side on safe and inconvenience
And he just as easily was NOT trafficking his daughter! And how do you know how long he was "inconvenienced by the police" also his special needs daughter was also questioned and "inconvenienced" by the police! Bottom line is this could have been avoided.
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The exact opposite story was NOT posted - stay in the now.
If we could focus on what IS rather than what could've been.
Where would your rage be if this happened to you and your daughter?
You are so right
Who cares. What if it was you?
I'm not as concerned about the father's inconvenience as I am of the daughter's humiliation, how her dignity was handled would be of great concern. Imagine how frightened she must have been I pray the officer that questioned her was qualified to do so and used great patience as not to increase her fear of people.
I agree
You say that but if it was you you'd be irritated. It put the special needs daughter at risk for an exacerbation amd this could of negatively reflected the man's career by just having an accusation of trafficking. Let's do better and stop profiling people
If you have traveled over 2 million miles it's silly that this would be the accusation after so much travel. Easy to say when it's not you.
I would imagine as a million mile flier, probably has his special needs Daughter on the same ticket. As others have said hipaa does not apply. Bottom line Delta needs to do better.
They do fine. I feel safe flying with them. I would thank to the staff for showing care. They do best they can to protect a life. Sad to see these comments. Delta should give the flight attendant a raise and promotion
If the special needs person ask it be documented incase of an emergency it's not against HIPPA laws. You can disclose your own information.
I believe we are all still unsure if she is being trafficked. Just because he's a frequent flyer has solved nothing. Today human trafficking far outnumbers drug trafficking. Therefore I feel this should have been and continue to follow up with protective services and medical doctors to be certain. We live in a horrible Era in trafficking and I don't believe anyone can be over observant...Kudos to the Airline Attendant...
Better safe than sorry.
So, the constitutional right to privacy in our person's, not to mention the trauma for the girl mean nothing to you?
Time to change airlines.
Human trafficking does not outnumber drug trafficking. Not even close.
I. Your statement you used the word K'udos this word means Praise Honor and Glory which belongs to God not man. When people use words like this is am insult to God man is not the one who gets the glory.
Ummm being questioned by police officers solves everything! Pretty sure they followed through like they are supposed to do. Besides it also said he travels with her often
HIPPA violation is not valid since all medical info will be reviewed including mandating one show proof of treatments including whether you are vac or not.
If I give my consent to display my medical info, it does not go against HIPAA.
Might is an understatement
Yeah GG. You must be a flight attendant that has the same training. I can tell from your ignorance you should stop and think or research before you speak. Shush gg go away
I'm sorry Gg, they have the technology to indicate some one is on the terrorist watch list and mark passenger they ban, so notating someone is a special needs flyer should be something considered. And if it was her mother with her this wouldn't have happened. And I bet if it was a son with special needs and a mother or father this would have happened.
This seems like an obviously undertrained, overzealous flight attendant, probably picturing his 15 minutes of fame once this trafficker was arrested and story hit the papers. Headlines of "Alert Flight Attendant Saves Girl" floating in his head likely motivated his response, but I don't think it was racism. That shouldn't be the default answer. In fact I disagree with the article in that I think the FA would've reacted the same way to anyone in...
This seems like an obviously undertrained, overzealous flight attendant, probably picturing his 15 minutes of fame once this trafficker was arrested and story hit the papers. Headlines of "Alert Flight Attendant Saves Girl" floating in his head likely motivated his response, but I don't think it was racism. That shouldn't be the default answer. In fact I disagree with the article in that I think the FA would've reacted the same way to anyone in that situation as he was looking for it.
It is NOT a HIPAA violation to inform the airline of YOUR OWN INFORMATION. Too many people scream HIPAA VIOLATION without knowing a thing about it!
Obviously an airline would be able to track when two people have flown together.
I don't see how it's any different than wearing a diabetic alert bracelet or necklace. This man's just asking it to be electronically added to his account
There is a huge misperception about what HIPPA covers and doesn't. HIPPA does not cover self-revealing information and the traveler/airline can certainly add this information to its profile.
HIPPA is widely over applied as in this case.. perhaps the airlines should allow their profile to be a Profile
GEE UNDERSTAND why don't you tell us how you really feel! Start with getting the story straight. The attendant was a male.
He may be reprimanded but it's highly doubtful he lost his job.
Your job, if you are a flight attendant, is no different than millions of other jobs. Many of us do things that we are rarely thanked for and that few are aware of and can be downright risky to...
GEE UNDERSTAND why don't you tell us how you really feel! Start with getting the story straight. The attendant was a male.
He may be reprimanded but it's highly doubtful he lost his job.
Your job, if you are a flight attendant, is no different than millions of other jobs. Many of us do things that we are rarely thanked for and that few are aware of and can be downright risky to life and limb. That does not give us the right to racially profile, have someone illegally detained and force them to reveal to the world info that is not theirs to obtain. Had the shoe been on your foot I have no doubt you would be crying a different tune. The attendant, though crippled by poor training, should have used something you obviously lack, common sense. He could have realized what a can of worms he was opening and if nothing else, consulted management rather than do what he did. You chose your job and you"re well compensated for what you do which is service related not 007 in Her Majesty's Secret SERVICE.
GET OVER YOURSELF and see what is truly wrong here.
Human trafficking is an extremely serious problem affecting the most vulnerable members of society. It is imperative that members of the transportation industry report suspected trafficking to law enforcement. He could have easily taken the crew member aside and explained the situation in a sentence or 2. All of the subsequent drama would have been avoided. All it takes for human trafficking to proliferate is for good people to do nothing. This may be the...
Human trafficking is an extremely serious problem affecting the most vulnerable members of society. It is imperative that members of the transportation industry report suspected trafficking to law enforcement. He could have easily taken the crew member aside and explained the situation in a sentence or 2. All of the subsequent drama would have been avoided. All it takes for human trafficking to proliferate is for good people to do nothing. This may be the result of this seemingly entitled dad pushing this matter further. I feel the crew member should be commended for their vigilance in trying to protect the vulnerable members of our society. Off course this just my opinion as a person who recognizes the problem of human trafficking of vulnerable members if society.