A regular flyer has been criticised for boasting about being rewarded with air miles after she reported a flight attendant to customer services. The passenger complained about the flight staff members using their personal mobile phones during the flight.
Author Dr Angela B. Peery, a frequent flyer and member of the esteemed "Diamond Medallion" tier, recently shared her experience on the "Official Delta Diamond Medallion Group" Facebook page. She reported a flight attendant using a personal mobile phone during a flight, a behavior that is strictly prohibited by Delta Air Lines.
As a result, she was awarded 8,500 SkyMiles from customer services, a testament to the airline's commitment to passenger satisfaction and safety.
In a statement on social media, Dr Peery wrote: "Wrote my complaint about Joshua, the FA who hid in the galley and was overall s***** SDF-ATL [Louisville-Atlanta] Wed. I got a personal call from a Delta customer service agent and 8,500 Skypesos [slang for SkyMiles]! Winning!"
In another post, Dr Peery, an educational consultant, posted an image of a flight attendant using their phone while seated in a staff seat at the front of the plane.
The author commented: "This will be the third photo I've sent Delta in two weeks. In three out of four flights, FAs are on their devices. This one is clever - hiding it behind the Delta device while headed toward take-off."
According to Delta Airlines, staff members are prohibited from using their devices while working on a flight. However, while the flight attendant appeared to be breaching the rules, Dr Peery's satisfaction after reporting the telephone incident and being rewarded with flight points has been stridently criticised.
First reported by yourmillagemayvary.com and A Fly Guy's Cabin Crew Lounge, critics took to Dr Peery's Amazon profile, posting negative comments about her book What To Look For In Literacy.
One Amazon user wrote: "This book is written by a wretched s*** whose hobbies include harassing airline employees in exchange for frequent flyer miles."
Yourmileagemayvary.com reported a response to her post that was shared with Reddit, which accused her of lacking respect and understanding for cabin crew members.
"Did you even consider that FAs might be messaging their family/loved ones, saying they miss them, checking on them, and can't wait to see them? The fact that you even posted this just makes me see the worst in people at times. Did these FA's not meet your needs or the needs of all the other passengers during the flight when they could actually perform their role?" the user wrote.
"To any FA who sees this, thank you for all you do and the time you take away from your loved ones to make my flight experience great."
Another thread posted on Reddit likened Dr Peery's viral complaint to a "witch hunt." Responding to the slamming, Dr Peery posted a statement on the Official Delta Diamond Medallion Group to "update" the group members.
The author wrote: "It is against Delta policy for employees to have their personal phone in view while working... So, for those who said I should mind my own business or stop being a Karen, be aware – this is a safety violation and a fireable offence. Kind of a big deal. You should never see an FA using a personal device unless on crew rest."
Addressing the controversial complaint, Jay Robert, who has experience as a senior cabin crew member for Emirates Airlines, told reporters that Dr Peery's alleged desire for more air miles is not acceptable if she plans to continue her complaints.
Roberts, who also runs the Fly Guy's Cabin Crew Lounge, told MailOnline Travel: "This behaviour fosters an untrusting safety environment for staff. Every crew functions better in their safety role, knowing their airline supports their choices when they go on a flight."
"There are situations when we have to deviate from service procedures due to many factors, and knowing there is someone on the plane who will be looking for those situations to exploit for their gains just adds more stress," he added.
"Many airlines have a policy about using cell phones to encourage crew to focus their attention on passengers. I don't know how Delta views the use. However, there are times when the crew must shift from the procedures for important matters."
"Flight Attendants are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.... We are human. We have to deal with many family emergencies from miles away on our devices. I've got news about every family member I've lost since I started flying on my cell phone while on trips. At my former airline, I would simply inform the senior that we had an important matter and needed to use our phones, and there was no issue."
