Dr. Treats Passenger in Mid-Air, Wants Free Ride
When you have a medical emergency 30-thousand feet in the air, a 911 call isn't an option
By KAREN ARAIZA
Updated 2:45 PM EST, Wed, Sep 2, 2009
A Philly doctor who answered a call for help on a transatlantic flight wants US Airways to be a little more thoughtful about compensating him for his medical services.
Dr. Joel Pomerantz was flying from Philly to Rome recently when the flight crew put out an emergency request for help – was there a doctor on board? Another passenger was in the bathroom trying to phone the President to tell him she'd been kidnapped. Apparently, she was having a psychotic episode brought on by a mixture of too many sleeping pills mixed with too much alcohol on that long flight.
In a letter to the airline,Pomerantz said he spent the next four hours taking care of the passenger. When the plane landed, Pomerantz says he was offered a bottle of champagne. Yes, it was a special occasion (his wife's 50th birthday) but they don't drink.
The doctor asked US Airways instead for two round trip tickets to Israel.
The airline's customer relations folks commended Pomerantz for his compassion and care, but said no to the request for two free tickets and offered up a travel voucher for $175.
Pomerantz' story might have stopped there, but travel advocate and blogger Christopher Elliott posted the doctor's letter and the airline's reply on his Web site – asking if the airline did enough for the good doctor.
US Airways hasn't responded to our request for a comment, but Pomerantz, who says he works about 80 hours a week told us it's not just the fact that his vacation got off to a not-so-leisurely start. The doctor says the bigger issue is a safety one for all passengers -- Pomerantz thinks airlines should have medical professionals on all long flights to deal with emergency situations.
Get More: Christopher Elliott's blog
First Published: Sep 2, 2009 1:21 PM EST
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