Every now and then I come across a case that leaves me deeply conflicted. This is one of those times.
Joel Pomerantz is a doctor who did the right thing, no question about it. A passenger on a US Airways flight needed help, and he volunteered his services. What happened next — and what to do about it — is less clear.
I could use your help, readers.
Here’s what happened to Pomerantz in his own words. It’s a letter he wrote to US Airways after the flight:
On July 12, 2009, I was traveling with my wife, Judy, in celebration of her 50th birthday on USAirways FLIGHT #718 (Philadelphia to Rome), SEATS 20G & 20H. I had just fallen asleep when I was interrupted by an emergency call from the crew asking for a doctor to assist with one of your passengers.
I am a practicing physician in Philadelphia. After hearing the flight crew’s request for medical assistance, I volunteered to help.
The passenger had overdosed on prescription sleeping medication. Interestingly enough, the flight attendants had allowed her to consume at least four bottles of wine and at least one small bottle of liquor. She attempted to breach the door of the flight crew and to turn on her cell phone to call the President of the United States to tell him she was being kidnapped. In addition, she exhibited other psychotic delusions.
Simultaneous to asking me for my medical help, the flight crew initiated a call to the ground. The on ground physician thought that the plane should make an emergency landing. I believe we were over Scotland or Ireland at the time.
I assessed the passenger, examined her and treated her in the air. I started forced hydration, induced vomiting, and sat with her for the next four hours until we landed. I personally monitored her vital signs every 15 minutes. This was done in conjunction with the on ground physician.
During the same time I was treating the passenger, I was asked to attend to another passenger who was experiencing headaches and dizziness due to increased blood pressure. I reviewed her medications, examined her, and treated her blood pressure (240/140) with extra doses of her medication.
When we landed, I was offered a bottle of champagne for my services. Neither my wife nor I drink. No alternate compensation (meal, transportation, or hotel voucher) was offered to us.
Although I am astonished that the passenger could be allowed to consume so much alcohol while in flight and/or be allowed to board the plane in such condition, I am a physician and personally feel a duty to respond to such situation as occurred on our flight to Italy to celebrate my wife’s birthday. That being said our “vacation flight” was interrupted to our detriment by non-sleep and exhaustion upon arrival in Italy. In reality, our long-awaited vacation, (I work about 80 hours a week and had planned to relax) which was supposed to begin on arrival after a nights sleep on the plane, did not start until the next day after we had caught up on our rest.
In consideration of the above and as some compensation for my assistance, I would ask for two round trip tickets for a trip that my wife and I are planning in October 2009 to Tel Aviv, Israel.
You might think that this request is a bit bold. After all, no one at US Airways had agreed to compensate me for my services as I was rendering them. And, I did not ask for compensation at the time. However, it is one thing to spend five minutes checking up on a person who needs medical assistance. It is quite another to spend four hours in the middle of the night being a psychotic passenger’s personal physician.
The physician on the ground had strongly recommended an emergency landing. However, due to my treatment of the patient, the flight continued without interruption to its final destination. If I had not been on board and if I had not offered to help, Flight #718 would most likely have been forced to make an emergency landing. I saved US Airways the cost of this emergency landing, the re-booking of passengers, the cost of feeding them, and probably the cost of accommodating some of them in hotels. This savings does not include the costs of missed connections once they arrived in Rome.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated prompt attention to this matter. It was my pleasure to be of service to US Airways.
So Pomerantz’s vacation didn’t get off to a good start. He had to work on his flight to Rome and was offered a bottle of champagne, even though he doesn’t drink. Does he deserve more? Yes, I think so.
Here’s what US Airways said:
Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at US Airways. It is our pleasure to be writing this letter to you, and to have an opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks for the compassion you showed in a recent medical emergency on July 12, 2009 onboard US Airways Flight 0718.
Although these situations are rare, it is always of great comfort to our crew and passengers when individuals with integrity, experience and commitment to the medical profession offer their assistance. You exemplified these admirable characteristics and we commend you.
Regrettably, we are unable to honor your request for two free round trip tickets as US Airways does not use the requested means of compensation as reparation for the flight incident that occurred. In addition, we are unable to offer compensation unto your wife.
In appreciation, we have authorized a $175.00 Electronic Travel With Us Voucher(s) (E-TUV). Your E-TUV is valid toward the purchase of travel on US Airways. Please be advised the E-TUV is not valid with Internet bookings and must be redeemed within one year from the date of this letter.
In other words, thanks, you’re a hero, but we’re not giving you and your wife a free ticket. How about a $175 voucher?
So here’s where I’m conflicted: I can see the doctor’s point. He saved US Airways a lot of money by volunteering his services on that flight.
At the same time, he volunteered his services, meaning that there was an assumption he would work without pay.
The bottle of champagne was not an appropriate token of the airline’s appreciation, given that Pomerantz doesn’t drink. The voucher was a more fitting gesture, but it was one he shouldn’t have had to ask for.
Should I send this case back to US Airways? Did the airline fail to reward Pomerantz for his services? Or did it do enough?
(Photo: superciliousness/Flickr Creative Commons)
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WOW! With medical and transportations costs what they are today, given the extent to which this man gave of his time, professional service, etc. and the trouble and disruption he directly helped avoid (to other passengers, crew, and the airlines), what’s the deal with not granting him the 2 tickets? $2000? So what? I agree with others but inparticular feel Peter B. Richardson of Texas put it best. (Well done, Peter!) The good doctor went above and beyond the initial call for a “medical assistance” and lucky for all he did (except him and his wife). So yes — to answer your question — send this back to USAir and keep us posted.
The good doctor should remember that like all professionals the reward is in doing a job he has sworn an oath to uphold.As an aircraft mechanic working for an airline my reward comes from seeing passengers leave on an aircraft I repaired for them ,I do not pass the hat and say see I saved your travel day where is my reward for that.Doctor saving a life is a gift not everyone can do it and thank you for putting your profession first but a good deed is a good deed whether you help an old lady cross the street or save a life the payment is the same zero dollars.
I don’t think it is the airline who would have paid the costs for emergency landing. I believe airlines carry insurance against emergency landings, so the doctor probably saved some insurance company that money. Of course, more importantly, he saved many people the inconvenience of the delay.
Still, the airline is not offering adequate reward. While roundtrip tickets for an intercontinental flight is probably too much, I also think First Class upgrades and Club Membership is the right thing to do.
The request for two tickets to TLV is a little extreme. He should receive something. The bottle of champagne was probally given by the Cabin Service Director (the lead Flight Attendant) on the flight. That was gesture of goodwill by a single employee not as some type of offical compensation from the company. The official thank you and compensation should have could from Tempe. keeping in line with Low Class Carrier motto he should have be lucky to have gotten that from Tempe
I have said it before and I will say it again: being nice does not pay. The doctor and his wife should have been bumped to first class for the remainder of their flight to Italy. They should have been given vouchers for free future travel, perhaps not to TLV but to Europe or for 2 domestic flights. Of course, what the doctor should have done is say, “This person needs significant medical attention. Per the onground physician, the plane needs to land.” This way he would have gotten much needed sleep.$175 voucher? That is pathetic. Chris, you should suggest USAirways try again.
This is to Louis, I agree that doctors take an oath and this is something that they should adhere to at all times.
But do not compare it with you working your normal shift at work. If you were on vacation and you had to spend one day of it fixing a plane for some company ,I don’t think a “thank you” would make you happy either!
This wasn’t just a simple case of looking at someone quickly, he worked an 8 hour day! Vitals every 15 minutes for 8 hours? Are you kidding? And then there was another paassenger to look at!
He saved the company thousands, made the other passengers on the plane happy for not having to interupt their plans etc…….. This was a big deal.
So basically you said that when you’re doing your job on a normal day you wouldn’t “pass the hat around”, and expect anything and you’re right, and if the doctor was working at his “normal job” he wouldn’t either, but he wasn’t, so don’t compare the 2 situations. They’re not the same!
While the airline should have done something for the doctor, in my opinion, helping this person out in a time of need should be reward enough.
@Louis
So you spend your vacations repairing commercial airlines for free?
Is there an update to this situation? Maybe it’s time to let it be heard in the court of public opinion, similar to the “United Breaks Guitar” story (not by music, but in the news).
@Michael Liebmann (and others who have asked) — US Airways is aware of this situation. To the best of my knowledge, nothing has been done about it. I will update you when that changes.
@Joyce just like the Doc you have is ripping off her private pay patients – if I pay your doc cash, its $300 for a 15 min appt. If its Medicare / Medicaid, then its $60 for $15 min. If its private insurance, its $85 for 15 min. Why should the guy without insurance get charged $300? I don’t understand what point you were making – other than airline prices are like doctors prices – it depends who are and when you buy the service! Sure, if the seat is empty its lost revenue – but that’s not the point I was making. I was merely pointing out what you did – that USAir would be giving up very little.
And folks, an ‘oath’ is not enforceable at law, so whats the point of claiming he took ‘an oath.’ The oath which no one takes any longer is to ‘do no harm.’ It is not to care for their fellow man or all comers regardless of who they are or if they can pay. Most docs are in fact dedicated professionals and will provide services to truly deserving persons with no problem; but there is no legal or moral obligation for them to do so. . .. on an airplane or otherwise.
Whatever happened to just helping someone in need with no thought of monetary reward?
Regarding the appropriateness of a ticket for the wife as compensation for what the husband did: The wife may not have been caring for patients for those four hours, but I bet she wasn’t sleeping the whole time, either. He says they had to catch up on “our rest” before they could begin their activities. Even if the wife didn’t miss any sleep, once in Rome her choices were to sit around the hotel waiting on her husband or go off by herself. Hardly the stuff of a couple’s getaway.
The doctor acknowledges his request is out there. The doctor is, at worst, being gauche. On the other hand, clearly he wasn’t going to get anything if he didn’t ask. But he makes a compelling case that he provided extraordinary services, and I think his request is in line with what he delivered. The airline isn’t disputing how much he did. Its only explanation or defense, if you will, is that it “does not use the requested means of compensation as reparation.” Clearly a matter of “won’t”, not “can’t”.
@Jeff Adams: excellent point. The crew gave the only thing they had available. For them, it was the thought that counted. Apparently corporate US Airways is not thinking at all.
@Jennifer Hanuschak: also an excellent point. Chris has done far more for those far less deserving.
Yup, well, it’s been said before and it’ll be said again and again and again: being nice doesn’t always pay, but sometimes it’s better being nice than angry and helping create ill will. We won’t always have our way with others, but we always have our way with how we feel or react to things personally.
But…whatever works for you and whoever agrees with you.
At the end of the day, it boils down to what both the doctor and US Airways got themselves into in this situation. Like I said, good luck to both parties working out what they can agree on and deal with the results as they occur.
LOUIS said:
“As an aircraft mechanic working for an airline my reward comes from seeing passengers leave on an aircraft I repaired for them.”
I didn’t realize mechanics were working gratis these days. Guess those union contracts aren’t what they used to be. How did you pay for your computer and internet connection, Louis?
About missing sleep not being compensable (the crying baby argument): If it isn’t my baby, I can ignore it. Maybe my sleep isn’t as sound (who sleeps soundly while stuffed into a metal tube with a couple hundred other people, anyway?), but at least my eyes are closed and I can do my best to relax and rest. That’s a far cry (no pun intended) from attending a psychotic patient who’s trying to break into the cockpit and call the POTUS with claims of kidnapping, forcing hydration and vomiting on said psychotic person, and taking her vital signs every 15 minutes for several hours.
Ooo! Here’s a great compensation for Dr. Joel Pomerantz: write it up and sell the movie rights!
I was pretty appalled to see all the people who thought this poor doctor should get nothing for working very hard for hours with 2 very sick patients when he was on the plane for a vacation and needed to be sleeping! Normal people have NO idea how hard doctors have to work just to get their degrees, not to mention how hard they work day in and day out for their patients. I don’t work 80 hours a week and I don’t think many other people do either. The good doctor did not owe the airline or the passengers anything, yet he kindly offered to help, obviously not realizing what a mess he was getting himself into. He did not take an oath to save the universe 24/7, ok? Everyone deserves time off to rest and relax, especially people who work as hard as this doctor. Since he was willing to give up hours of his time to help the passengers and the airline, the airline owed him at least an upgrade on the trip back home and some free tickets to a U.S. destination for him and his wife.
@Sal
The doctor did not volunteer, USAir asked for help..he did not have to identify himself as a doctor.
1- The Airline has handcuffs and other restraints aboard for use with disruptive passengers, and US Air Marshalls, and sometimes other law enforcement officials, IF the Captain and crew decided that the passenger posed a threat they would have landed ASAP.
2-Unless you are a medical expert, seems like the doctor cared for patient#2 in an appropiate manner.
3- Dr. Pomerantz, would be a really old resident to be celebrating his wife’s 50th birthday! I googled him, he is a fully certified and highly rated and well established doctor…
And unless US Airways has a crew base in the diverted airports city…The passengers would be delayed a long time…
My father (God rest his soul) was a small-town GA doctor who took his Hippocratic Oath seriously; he even delivered a baby to a women in the north part of our county in a driving rainstorm aftermath of a hurricane – all the while not knowing (or worrying) if he ever got paid insofar as the ‘call’ was more important than thinking about money.
As for Dr. Pomerantz’ dilemma I vote to give him the free trip with his wife to Tel Aviv. Is it really worth it for Useless Air to create a small maelstrom of Customer Relations by denying him a pair of freebie tix for his service on board?
QUESTION: What if he had been silent (breaking his oath) and as a result the patient had died, God forbid? What then? Would he be held accountable? Responsible? He volunteered AFTER answering a call from the crew for a doctor on board, as I read this.
Is he supposed to smile, say, “Geez, wasn’t it great that I was on board, minding my own business, but could be of help for FOUR HOURS and save Useless Airlines money by not avoiding problems and diverting the flight and having to emergency-land the aircraft, etc. etc. (Enter US Air employee: Small pat on the back, a jug of Mogen David Supreme 20/20 wine (Retail: about 2.50/liter) and ‘flight coupons’ good for $175.00 each. Gosh, how generous!)
Having traveled for over 45 years, I long ago gave up on Useless Air and this story only reinforces my feelings.
I hope U(seless) S Air gets to spend the money saved on freebie tix and throw themselves a party commemorating the saving of a passenger on board by luckily having a physician who volunteered his services.
No wonder this country is heading down the wrong path.
Jason in Duluth, GA
This doctor sure has a nerve. Asking for some kind of compensation is one thing (although the airline is in no way obliged) but to spell it out by asking for 2(!) round trip tickets to Tel Aviv is downright obnoxious.
I disagree with higher compensation.
I once found a creditcard on the street ‘in my free time’. I returned it to the bank so they could deactivate it and notify the owner. It’s not like I was expecting 2000 dollars for returning the card, although some criminal could have used it to make purchases that high.
And the crew did NOT know he and his wife do not drink. Many people occaisionally enjoy a drink so I think it was a very appropriate and nice gesture from the flight crew.
And of course, the doctor himself did a great job, but I know I certainly won’t be asking hundreds of dollars if I ever perform CPR on someone(in my free time), just because I saved someones life and medical bills.
He was offered a bottle of champagne!! What more does he want?!?! perhaps if the bugger learnt to enjoy the occasional drink, he wouldn’t be so uptight.
Heck, I don’t get to bill my company or clients for the work I do on weekends, where does this guy get off demanding frist class tickets for two on a TATL flight, just because he did a little glorified nursing for a few hours on a plane?!
My parents are in their eighties. They realize they are slowing down, and they only have limited time left on this Earth. So, they have started reminiscing.
My mother recently showed me some newspaper articles and some letters to the editor (of a local paper) from decades ago.
They were ‘thank you’ letters, and articles about a mysterious stranger who
assisted some people on the road. He stopped, he helped, he left without taking anything more than a ‘thank you’.
Apparently, he did this more than once.
And apparently back then, people wrote letters to newspapers to thank
mystery good samaritans.
We kids never knew. Dad never bragged–just like my wife’s uncle who was a bomber pilot in WWII, shot down over France, and rescued by the resistance. We didn’t know about that for years either.
True heroes don’t brag, and volunteers don’t expect anything more than a
‘thank you’ and a pat on the back.
(Well, maybe some public recognition–a big ‘thank you’ after some decades
of service.)
In other words, I think Joel Pomerantz’ request for two free tickets was
wrong.
BTW, he should have accepted the champagne and simply passed it on to some friends who do drink.
Sincerely,
Ed L
His request only seems bold and out of line because he had to ask for it. He was very much entitled to a first class upgrade on the return flight and a similar upgrade on their next flight, regardless of where it went. Things could have been worse for the doctor. Had the plane landed he would have had to stay with his patient until treated at the hospital and he would have missed his trip altogether. Trust me, not many would volunteer to help out on their vacation…and why do people always believe that doctors will do this time and time again because we are such great humanitarians? The insurance companies and the lawyers have done a lot to stop us from caring so much about our fellow man. Don’t be so quick to put this hardworking man down for asking for something that should have been given right away.
http://memorial.aviation.ca/content/view/7705/117/
Air Canada faced a similar claim and were ordered to pay 1k for the doctor’s time.
This guy did not have to do what he did. I am sorry. I agree with the one who said he took an Hippocratic oath, plus add the word “volunteered” (his own words), and sorry, you don’t do something under the guise of “volunteering” and “helping” someone and then demand what you think is a fair assessment of your services after the fact, especially for a trip you had already planned! The audacity! Doesn’t this guy make enough money at his Philly practice? I doubt it. What a jerk. I’m sure if the airline doesn’t “reimburse” him, he’ll go after the patient next! Look “Doc”, you wanted to go to Israel, pay for it yourself.
This guy did not have to do what he did. I am sorry. I agree with the one who said he took an Hippocratic oath, plus add the word “volunteered” (his own words), and sorry, you don’t do something under the guise of “volunteering” and “helping” someone and then demand what you think is a fair assessment of your services after the fact, especially for a trip you had already planned! The audacity! Doesn’t this guy make enough money at his Philly practice? I doubt it. What a jerk. I’m sure if the airline doesn’t “reimburse” him, he’ll go after the patient next! Look “Doc”, you wanted to go to Israel, pay for it yourself.
As a critical care anesthesiologist I would like to leave three comments.
1. The physician volunteered his services. The airline did not force him to do so and he has no legal obligation to identify himself.
2. The physician’s care of the first patient (drug/etoh o/d) was completely inappropriate. Inducing vomiting and forced oral hydration are the opposite of what one should do in this situation. It could lead to aspiration of gastric contents into the lung which can be serious and sometimes fatal. Furthermore, alcohol and most drugs are quickly absorbed into the body and therefore vomiting would have little impact on the amount of drug in the body. The plane does have an emergency kit on board with an IV set and a small amount of IV fluid if hydration was essential before the plane could land. The fact that nothing bad happened to this patient is pure luck. As a side note, “pumping someone’s stomach” is no longer standard of care for almost all ingestions in the ER, especially alcohol.
3. The physician’s actions on that plane (should something have gone wrong) fall under he Good Samaritan Act (at least by US law; even as a physician). However, once he accepts reimbursement from the airline for his work he becomes an agent of the airline. As an agent of the airline he opens himself up for civil litigation. His malpractice insurance most likely would not cover him in this circumstance because he acted outside of his practice for which they insure him.
So physician’s out there–> it is best to accept nothing but a token from the airline for any care given in the air. If the patient was truly unstable from intoxication (could not protect her airway, breathing) then the plane should have landed. If not, the patient should have been restrained until landing.
I cannot stand to fly, because what if something happened? This guy just tried to help. And he did help. And his trip is ruined, and if the airline gives him anything, they’re liable so they’ll never do anything to say thank you. It’s awful. You get a better community on the bus.
…..
i understand why you are feeling so confused. personally i feel that the doctor is a hero and that his medical obligation didnt have to go past the checking on them phase, however he stayed with the passenger the entire ride, as well as treat a seperate costomer. and i feel that a voucher for is hardly giving thanks, however i also feel that asking for 2 new tickets is also alot to ask for as you put it, volenteering his time.
Interesting case, Hildy. I wonder, though, if Air Canada indeed paid.
The airline needs to compensate the doctor. They should just give him what he asked for. After all, they asked him to do something, and HE did it. This airline is ripping him off!
From a commercial standpoint, U.S. Airways missed out on a great public relations opportunity. They could have given away the tickets, sent out a press release, got a couple media sources to cover the story, and looked GREAT in the public eye. Now, though, they look very stingy, cheap, and ungrateful.
I do feel that USAIR should have been more generous in their thank you.Ido think that the doctor was rather crass in his demands.
This just shows how USAir really feels about their customers and their customer loyalty. I don’t understand why they cannot spare the couple thousand dollars to compensate the doctor for his services. If anything they should be thankful they don’t have a lawsuit on their hands for continuing to provide alcohol to a passenger that was probably noticeably intoxicated and sick. If the doctor had not volunteered, and the plane had to make an emergency landing, they might not have made it in time. And if the passenger died, they could be faced with a serious lawsuit, costing far more than two plane tickets abroad.
And where is the Customers responsibility on all this? Wasn’t it the Customer that took the medication and alcohol? Was it the airline that forced her to take the drugs and alcohol? You want compensation – talk to the Customer! Why is it the airline is always responsible for everything. A Customer has a medical condition or creates a medical condition – the airline has to pay. Ridiculous.
Just wondering why no one has commented on the amount of alcohol given to the “patient” by the flight crew. I understand that it’s not always easy to tell when someone has had too much, but c’mon, no one goes from sober to psycho in a matter of moments. Stop over-serving on planes, please, for everyone’s safety.
The doctor’s request for TLV tickets may be excessive, but the airline ought to consider a reasonable “thank you” gift so that Dr. Pomerantz and any other doctor hearing of this incident will render aid the next time it’s needed. The doctor had no obligation to help; he could have ignored the calls for medical assistance and not gotten involved, and he would have incurred no liability for going back to sleep. The fact is that he treated a serious medical condition and may even have saved that person’s life. As a frequent traveler, I want to know that the airlines are taking reasonable steps to ensure that doctors will step forward when needed. If it takes some freebie to make Dr. Pomerantz and others render aid, then so be it.
Absolutely the good doctor should get at least 2 round trip tickets. If you’re bumped from a flight, they’ll make such an offer. It would have been one miserable day for everyone — including the patient — if he had not gallantly come to the rescue.
@Jane: obviously the woman consumed more alcohol than was healthy for her, but four single servings in roughly the first half of an 8 1/2 hour flight (according to US Airways schedule, that’s how long the flight is from Philadelphia to Rome) would not generally be considered excessive.
I put points into my karma bucket as often as I possibly can. When I am able to help a fellow human (or even animal), I walk away with a sense of having done good. And that is enough. I try to be as anonymous as possible and several times when offered compensation, I say I don’t want anything except for them to remember the act and repay it to someone else when the chance arises.
Having said that, the airlines should have taken their own initiative to thank this gentleman for his services. The champagne was nice enough but the flight crew should have called HQ and explained exactly what he did. Customer Relations should have jumped on that and shown their appreciation in a more gracious manner. Poor form by USAirways.
The doctor should not have to ask for compensation. If he feels slighted, he should keep it to himself and simply choose another carrier for the rest of his traveling days.
Maybe he should be contacting the pax, who had the problem for compensation.
Hey Chris – are ya sorry you asked? ;-)
If US Airways wants to have medical services on board, they should have medical services on board. He’s right that the woman took up hours of his time and affected his overall vacation because US Air 1) didn’t have the resources they needed and 2) contributed to the woman’s condition by not cutting her off, and 3) should have made an emergency landing instead of relying on the doctor’s good will.
It seems the doctor, however, would have been better off to ask for reimbursement for his flight tickets, or to simply send them an invoice for his extended services.
Simply my opinion, but I think the doctor should receive some sort of thank you gift from USAir. However, I believe his request is inappropriate and exorbitant. Two flights from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv in October would be between $2,000-$3,000 ($3,000 for two non-stop flights) retail. For four hours of work, that works out to between $500-$750 dollars an hour. While I’m sure that the doctor is compensated very well for his work in his hospital or practice, I’m not sure if $750 per hour is the right number. In fact, the average ER doctor makes $231,000 a year, which working only 40 hour weeks (a dream for any ER doctor, I’m sure!) would put them earning about $115 an hour. This doctor is requesting what would be about 7 times that of a typical emergency doctor’s pay! This doctor is obviously not hurting for money, if this trip was already planned. It’s not as though they received a voucher and said “oh! let’s go to Tel Aviv!”
I definitely think USAir missed a great opportunity to say “thank you.” Perhaps a voucher for $500 off their flights would be more appropriate.
As a physician who has helped several times I will say this. We do have a duty to help to a degree, as well we are also paying customers on this flight. So while I have never asked for any compensation I have been offered a bottle of wine and frequent flyer miles which I was happy with as I performed a good faith gesture and was not taking care of 2 pts simultaneously or babysitting an intoxicated pt for hours.
Honestly would anyone reading this blog think this physician would volunteer his time in this situation again? Probably he would let the plane make an emergency landing. So I think this particular situation warrants a good faith gesture on the airlines part not as compensation but as appreciation. Remember this passenger was a paying customer and while the good samaritan law obsolves him of legal risks there are risks of infection transmission and injury to himself if restaint is needed, hiv and hepatitis, all these are real risks to consider. My 2 cents from the front line.
Maybe the good doctor wanted the flight to continue so he wouldn’t have been inconvenienced by the emergency landing. You do something nice, you shouldn’t expect anything in return. That’s what doing something nice is all about. This request strikes me as entirely inappropriate.
Regardless of whether Dr. Pomerantz deserves free tickets to Tel Aviv, this is just another example of how clueless airlines are these days. If it wasn’t for the fact that I can’t get from NY to LON in one day without an airline, they’d have gone out of business years ago.
Can you imagine if other companies had customer service comparable to an airline’s? You walk into Burger King, order a hamburger, but then change your mind and ask for French fries instead. How would you feel if the cashier kept your money for the hamburger, charged you a $5.00 order change fee, charged you for the French fries, lost your receipt, and then refused to serve you because they had no receipt and you can’t prove that they ever did? Then they arrested you for arguing with the cashier, in violation of the Patriot Act.
In regards to the specific question of Chris’ article, let me make this easy: Imagine YOU are on U.S. Airways and have a heart attack mid-flight. The crew asks if a doctor is present who can help save your life. There IS a competent doctor on the plane, but he doesn’t speak up because he heard about how U.S. Airways treated Dr. Pomerantz, and didn’t want to render hours of free medical service when the plane could just make an emergency landing and save you with its own medical services. As a result, the airline makes that emergency landing, the airline’s insurance company pays out tens of thousands of dollars to reimburse U.S. Airways for a percentage of all the expenses associated with the emergency landing, half the passengers miss their connections, the other half are inconveniened, no one is reimbursed because the delay doesn’t violate the airline’s Contract of Carriage, U.S. Airways receives horrible press, and – oh – you die for lack of prompt medical treatment.
If you could have avoided all that (and survived the flight) by U.S. Airways giving Dr. Pomerantz a couple of free tickets to Tel Aviv, wouldn’t you have done so? Regardless of how audacious you may think his request, would you rather see the opposite precedent set just to uphold your high-horse principles that all people with applicable skills should render necessary services in emergencies with no compensation other than a pat on the back and a gift of the very poison that caused the medical emergency in the first place?
Don’t you don’t think a person’s life, the saving of tens of thousands of dollars, the staying on-schedule of 200+ passengers, and the comfort in knowing that future physicians will assist when needed is worth a couple of tickets to Tel Aviv?
Apparently U.S. Airways doesn’t, which is why I won’t be flying that airline in the future! (But had this story read, “U.S. Airways gives generous upgrades and a free flight to caring passenger who saved another’s life mid-flight,” I would have specifically USED their airline when I could, seeing how well they treat people who make their company look good.)
It doesn’t seem unreasonable that he’d be entitled to some form of compensation comparable to what he’d normally receive for rendering similar services, and then slightly more for the emergency situation. However, regarding the first patient, the ‘illness’ seems entirely self-inflicted. They mixed too high a dose of sleeping pills with four alcoholic drinks? Even if their own doctor didn’t warn them not to do that, I’ve never seen any sort of sleep aid that didn’t have a warning about alcohol on the packaging.
If the plane had been forced to make an emergency the landing, the airline could and should have gone after the passenger for reimbursement for the expenses, as they did in the famous case of a drunk passenger defecating on a serving cart, who later turned out to be in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. If the doctor wants to be reimbursed for his time, he should take that up with patient #1, which I would 100% support him in doing. It doesn’t sound like patient #2 was much of an inconvenience, comparatively.
Additionally, if airlines were to offer substantial financial compensation for situations like this, it opens the door to all kinds of abuse. What’s to stop someone from booking a flight with their doctor friend, purposely (or purportedly) causing themselves to have some medical problem, then splitting the rewards? For a free intercontinental ticket, it would be very tempting to do so.
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