Elderly man with oxygen denied flight
Published: Jan. 10, 2008 at 10:39 AM
PHOENIX, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- An 82-year-old man with an oxygen machine was kicked off a US Airways flight out of Phoenix for not having required paperwork about needing the device.
Bill Sullivan, an oxygen-dependent emphysema patient with congestive heart failure, wasn't allowed to complete his trip when the pilot kicked him off the flight, KPHO-TV reported Thursday.
"A fella stopped me and asked me if I had a doctor's permit to use oxygen to take off and land. I said, 'No, I didn't.'" Sullivan said.
US Airways officials told KPHO-TV that Sullivan was missing a form with his doctor's signature that he claimed he hadn't been asked for on the first half of his December round-trip flight.
"The rules are the rules, the policies are the policies. We didn't follow it for half of his trip and shame on us," US Airways employee Morgan Durrant said.
It reportedly took four hours for the airline to reach Sullivan's physician, allowing him to fly home.
Bill Sullivan, an oxygen-dependent emphysema patient with congestive heart failure, wasn't allowed to complete his trip when the pilot kicked him off the flight, KPHO-TV reported Thursday.
"A fella stopped me and asked me if I had a doctor's permit to use oxygen to take off and land. I said, 'No, I didn't.'" Sullivan said.
US Airways officials told KPHO-TV that Sullivan was missing a form with his doctor's signature that he claimed he hadn't been asked for on the first half of his December round-trip flight.
"The rules are the rules, the policies are the policies. We didn't follow it for half of his trip and shame on us," US Airways employee Morgan Durrant said.
It reportedly took four hours for the airline to reach Sullivan's physician, allowing him to fly home.
© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
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This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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