Delta Charges Family Thousands To Let Injured Son Elevate Injured Leg During Flight

Delta Airlines charged a U.S. family in need of urgent medical care more than $6,000 to fly to the U.S. after their vacation in Thailand was cut short when a motorcycle struck the young boy Saturday.

Bennett Davis, 5, requires care from an pediatric surgeon in the U.S. or risks long-term damage to his leg, which was severely injured in the accident, according to Tyler Davis, the boy’s uncle. Delta initially had the family booked for a flight, but a US-based surgeon urged the family to wait for swelling to decrease before flying. The doctor also stressed the need for Bennett to elevate his leg during the flight, something that is impossible in economy class. Delta said that despite the medical emergency, an upgrade to first class reclining seats would cost $3,125 per ticket.

“To me, this isn’t because of the cost of the ticket,” Davis told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “This is about the morals and values of a company not willing to do what it takes to care for a customer in a horrible situation when there were things that could be done.”

Delta cited difficulties in getting its partner, Shanghai Air, to accommodate the family, despite having 10 available seats. The family was initially told that the trip to Shanghai would cost more than $7,000 per ticket, but Delta later lowered the price to $3,125 per ticket.

“We apologize for this,” Delta told the family. “Please know it is absolutely never our intention to purposefully inconvenience our passengers in any way. Observations and specific experiences, like the ones you’ve shared will help us to better serve our customers.”