Airlines asking you??

[Travis from MN]

I had the strangest thing happen. I have a flight in a couple of weeks, and I was called by the airlines tonight asking me about my seizures!! I already had been sent the ticket and confirmation for the reservation.

The employee confirmed reservations (I already have my itinerary printed out). Then asked about the party flying with me; gave them that conf# as well. The part where my antenna really shot up was when asked "have you been hospitalized or had a seizure in the LAST TWO WEEKS?"

I kid you not. Can they even ask us this? I have never had a seizure on an airline all the years I've been flying since I was a kid. Whats really worrying me is if this flight provider will now have me flagged for future flights. I don't need that hanging on my name every time I fly.

They don't ask passengers if we are convicted felons, have diabetes, or are on our deathbed's. Why should they be able to ask about Epilepsy?!!

I really needed to vent this.

Questions, comments on the legality/discrimination of this??

--Travis

[Porkette]

Hi Travis,

I can't believe the airlines would do such a thing to you. This is totally illegal and they have no legal right asking about your sz. and if you've been in the hospital the past 2 wks. The only time they can do anything like this
is when they are flying a patient from one hospital to another to get better medical help. It's up to you but I know I would take legal action on them and also report them for discrimination, and invation of the private policy act.
I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue

[UTC12]

I can not believe that they asked something like that. Is it a new policy that the airlines have enacted? I would call the airline's corporate offices, and ask them about this. It may just be this one airline that has this policy, somewhere in the small print of when you print out your ticket. If you do not get anywhere with calling the corporate offices, I would hire a lawyer and go after them for discrimination. What is the airline that you are flying through?

[lor]

I can't believe it either. Soon as I read it I thought 'would they ask if you had diabetes' then a second later I saw you said the same thing. Besides, what does it matter? Yes, take legal action. Maybe it was just that one person so maybe they should be disaplined by the airline. ("Have you been hospitalized"..... maybe you just had a baby.)

[Travis from MN]

Contacting Customer Relations is a PAIN. I called customer services ("we can't help you") and customer relations ("we need to get you to the right location" ::HOLD::) with little avail.

What really scares me is the PNR the airlines use for us. It holds information such as religious, food pref's, and special needs...you get the idea. I don't want this to be a problem every time I fly.

I fired off an email to customer relations and will hopefully be hearing form them.

Thanks for the input. The bad thing is I am flying with (what do they call it) an "assistant" (relative) seated next to me. THAT is irrelevant in my opinion. If anything it should make the whole issue LESS of a problem.

--Travis

[lor]

Travis, What airline is it? I fly with John sometimes.

[Travis from MN]

sent PM. Don't want to say in public. The flight is in a couple of weeks, so I'll see if everything goes smooth.

--Travis

[Ted-T]

Need a CEO email address, Internet search to the rescue

OK, when a hurdle arises, I usually write the CEO directly, e.g.: Caremark, Verizon, Time Warner Cable, PSEG, etc.

My email typically starts:

Need to bring something to your attention, followed by the details, followed by my contact information.

But, how to find the email address?

First use an Internet browser to search for the names of the senior executives using such terms as:
+CEO, +President, +name of firm

Then, search for the proper format of the email address. Typically it is first name “dot” last name “@” domain “dot” com.

This becomes: first.last@targetcompany.com

One can search multiple ways and most often I am 99% successful.

Sometimes one can deduce the email address if others at the firm have their email address in the public Internet.

Here are some assistive URLs:


Oh, and most often an admin reads the emails and forwards them to an individual to reply.


Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

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Yup, I always receive a reply. While I may not be 100% satisfied with the response, I do receive a reply.

Good luck!!

[Travis from MN]

Thanks Ted. I already had sent a letter to the HEAD of Customer Service at the airline. They don't post it publicly, but I found it within two searches. I'll see what happens. I hope this won't happen again, but I have my doubts. If not me, it'll happen to somebody else.

And you are right. It was first.last structure for address! I am glad I'm oldschooled with the internet and online services. Years of staring at the text based web does have it's advantages at times!

--Travis

[lor]

Thankyou Travis

[Tattoo2]

Travis. How would they even know to ask you that? Did you tell at some point so that it was recorded for future notes etc. Sure is strange but I have heard of two women being asked to leave the plane when I was learned they had epilepsy. That was years ago and I have forgotten the airlines now. I would tell if I could remember. We do not help others to avoid what you experienced nor help to make the changes that prevent it from ever happening again so we are not treated differently nor marginalized if we do not expose those responsible. Let them slide, and it will continue. We have a choice only as long as we have all the information needed to make informed choices. Tattoo

[Travis from MN]

The problem originated when my mother was trying to get a credit for the unused ticket because I had a seizure and was hospitalized. She mentioned the seizure to get the refund.

However, they had documented "uncontrolled seizures" on my reference number for some reason. Mom found this out when she spoke with the airline yesterday. She corrected that, and it sounds like the airline removed that from my name.

When I spoke to them today, the airline was saying it was for accommodations for having the other ticketed person next to me. They also said that *if* they were unaware of my seizures, and I had one on the plane, the flight would be diverted and I'd need to have a medical evaluation to continue on the flight.

It's just (can't say the word) annoying. We shouldn't have to inform services of our condition. It just feels like I am jumping through hoops here. I feel they shouldn't have tagged me in the first place when we were getting the refund.

Sounds like it's all corrected. The airline person claimed the reference number doesn't follow you, and it was only for this flight. For some reason I don't believe that...BUT everything seems clear...for now.

--Travis

[howdydave]

What happens if you simply respond with:

That is an illegal question!

[Travis from MN]

It never should have been entered in the first place!

I can think of several parallels. I would imagine if I asked to see the pilots medical card I'd be booted off! And the medical card is an FAA regulation for General Aviation up into Commercial to be able to fly.

In needing to vent I was also trying to say be on high alert. If it happened to me it's bound to happen to others.

I wasn't the one who paid for the tickets, and I am not one that likes to take legal action (I avoid confrontation at all costs).

--Travis

[howdydave]

On the other hand...

One can get very obtuse and ask for clarification of the question...

On the other hand you can get very explicit and list all of the seizure types that you haven't had.

Start with:
Muscle cramps
Hiccups
Asthma
Labor pains
Cardiac arrest...

Seizure is a very loose term and if somebody loosely uses the term you have the right to either ask for an explicit definition or interpret it any way you choose to.