Ore. man's Facebook post sparks Alaska Airlines backlash
BEND, Ore. (AP) - A longtime Oregon concert promoter sparked an online backlash against Alaska Airlines with a Facebook post describing what he called "the worst of humanity."
Cameron Clark of Bend wrote to his Facebook friends Friday that he saw a disabled man miss a flight because numerous airline personnel refused to give him extra assistance, even after Clark intervened and asked employees to help. Clark said the man told him he has late-stage Parkinson's disease.
KTVZ reports Clark's story spread quickly and sparked a series of angry Facebook posts directed at the airline.
The airline sees the incident differently and says employees did their best to accommodate the passenger. Officials posted on Facebook that the man's ticket was refunded, and he boarded a new flight Saturday morning. A spokesman said the man never said he was disabled and airline employees, smelling alcohol, believed he was intoxicated.
In his Facebook post, Clark said the man appeared to be in his 70s and told him that he missed a limited window of time he had to meet his daughter in Bellingham, Wash.
Clark wrote: "what happened to our collective sense of decency, of compassion, of our disposition to help those in need of extra help. alaska airlines. you broke a man's heart today. you maintained your policy, and ignored an opportunity to do the right thing. you broke my heart too."
Clark told KTVZ in a written statement that he never intended for his post to become viral, but the many people who responded to the story and put pressure on Alaska Airlines to "show that the best of humanity is alive and well. that light exists. that accountability is possible."
The man never told airline employees that he had Parkinson's disease or any other disability, spokesman Paul McElroy told The Associated Press on Saturday. Officials believed he was intoxicated because they smelled alcohol.
"We are prohibited from asking customers if they have a disability, and the customer never told us that he had Parkinson's, or any disability for that matter," McElroy said. "He did appear disoriented to us, and later, when we smelled alcohol, we were led to the conclusion he was intoxicated."
"We don't know whether this customer has Parkinson's or not," McElroy added.
McElroy said the passenger has not complained to the airline.
Cameron Clark of Bend wrote to his Facebook friends Friday that he saw a disabled man miss a flight because numerous airline personnel refused to give him extra assistance, even after Clark intervened and asked employees to help. Clark said the man told him he has late-stage Parkinson's disease.
KTVZ reports Clark's story spread quickly and sparked a series of angry Facebook posts directed at the airline.
The airline sees the incident differently and says employees did their best to accommodate the passenger. Officials posted on Facebook that the man's ticket was refunded, and he boarded a new flight Saturday morning. A spokesman said the man never said he was disabled and airline employees, smelling alcohol, believed he was intoxicated.
In his Facebook post, Clark said the man appeared to be in his 70s and told him that he missed a limited window of time he had to meet his daughter in Bellingham, Wash.
Clark wrote: "what happened to our collective sense of decency, of compassion, of our disposition to help those in need of extra help. alaska airlines. you broke a man's heart today. you maintained your policy, and ignored an opportunity to do the right thing. you broke my heart too."
Clark told KTVZ in a written statement that he never intended for his post to become viral, but the many people who responded to the story and put pressure on Alaska Airlines to "show that the best of humanity is alive and well. that light exists. that accountability is possible."
The man never told airline employees that he had Parkinson's disease or any other disability, spokesman Paul McElroy told The Associated Press on Saturday. Officials believed he was intoxicated because they smelled alcohol.
"We are prohibited from asking customers if they have a disability, and the customer never told us that he had Parkinson's, or any disability for that matter," McElroy said. "He did appear disoriented to us, and later, when we smelled alcohol, we were led to the conclusion he was intoxicated."
"We don't know whether this customer has Parkinson's or not," McElroy added.
McElroy said the passenger has not complained to the airline.
And the morale of the story...AVOID FACEBOOK - good bad or indifferent it's a loose cannon - FB can destroy companies and or individuals lives and reputations without being required to supply facts or allow time for due process to determine if the information is true or not.
Â
I'm not for or against Alaska Airlines as I've had good service and flown on them often. However I'm tired of Facebook and how it can be used as a weapon against companies and individuals whether on purpose or by how easy it is for videos etc. to go viral. And Twitter, texting are not far behind.
Â
The Patriot Act is a mosquito compared to Facebook/Twitter/Texting when it comes to invasion of privacy.
Â
OK I got off subject a little bit - but dang this age of uncontrolled communication has gone ballastic.Â
Maybe the man booked his trip on the internet since Alaska tries to make everyone do everything there.
Ever try to call and get help? The agents are limited to just a few minutes a call I heard from a neighbor who's son works there. Maybe the guy was so rushed off the phone if he did call he didn't get a chance!
 @3Tree That certainly has never been my experience with Alaska. Every time I've ever needed to call them for any assistance, they've always been very friendly, patient and helpful.
"because numerous airline personnel refused to give him extra assistance, even after Clark intervened and asked employees to help. Clark said the man told him he has late-stage Parkinson's disease."
Â
I also wonder what extra assistance they refused and if Clark was told about the Parkinson's did he pass on that information? Â Can't really blame the airline if nobody told them.Â
What was the extra assistance he was requesting?
A spokesman said the man never said he was disabled and airline employees, smelling alcohol, believed he was intoxicated.
Â
The man never told airline employees that he had Parkinson's disease or any other disability, spokesman Paul McElroy told The Associated Press on Saturday. Officials believed he was intoxicated because they smelled alcohol
Â
another WTF moment.... = \
 @angkor_warrior Airlines are supposed to deny boarding if they think a person is intoxicated.
i am disabled and have friends who are also. having said this when i book plane or train tickets for any of us, i state the disability and the device traveling with the person be it a dog, or walker, or wheel chair. I never assume the airline will have informed the gate nor do i assume they will have made plans on how to deal with the device. It is always easier to plan head than to deal with these problems after the fact.Â
You guys crack me up. The guy was late, acting odd and reeked of booze and was treated accordingly. If any of you got on a flight and they let a guy on who was acting crazy and stunk of booze and that guy proceeded to beat you and your kids youd be bitching to high heaven about why did the airline let him on. Newsflash, the airlines arent psychic, they dont know the ins and outs of your insanity. Bring a doctors note.
 @thatsjarrod  Where does the article state he 'reeked ' of alcohol and where does it state he was 'late'? I read the same article and it doesn't state either of your scenarios.
 @Granny_MAC Quite possible the article was updated to include that information after you read it.
 @Granny_MAC "A spokesman said the man never said he was disabled and airline employees, smelling alcohol, believed he was intoxicated."
Â
Maybe read the article before back lashing at others comments.
 @HannaJo It's pretty common for articles like this to be updated with new information, so it's quite likely that Granny_MAC read a version that didn't include that information.
 @thatsjarrod:Â
You might try a readcing comprehension course.
Â
The article says NOTHING about the gentlemaqn being LATE - it states CLEARLY that he has LATE-STAGE PARKINSON's. VERY big difference between the two.
 @LocalLady "You might try a readcing comprehension course."
You might try a basic spelling course yourself.Â
readcing?
gentlemaqn?
I have read many of the comments here and the news article. I have 2 comments; A person smelling of alcohol does not rule out their having a disability, that is not an excuse not to accommodate a person asking for assistance. (As if a person with a disability is not expected to drink alcohol?) They do sell alcohol airports so that is something to consider too with the airline stating their employees smelled alcohol on his breath. Persons with disabilities may not disclose their physical state but are legally protected in receiving assistance when they ask. If the airlines policy is not to ask persons if they are disabled, then they also need to respect when someone doesn't wish to disclose their disability and not jump to conclusions when they smell alcohol on someones breath.
 @TMB1231 Actually, smelling alcohol on someone's breath IS a reason not to accommodate an airline passenger. It's one of the few reasons gate agents can deny boarding to a passenger.
 @TMB1231 Looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's 99% a duck. The airlines are not allowed to ask if you are disabled, so if you don't tell them you are, it's still their fault because they have deep pockets...
I can't speak for this specific incident because I wasn't there. However, I would like to respond to some of the folks who think Alaska is the worst airline. I used to process their complaint cards and while some seemed valid, most were from people with unrealistic expectations. Overall, there really weren't that many of them though. I'd also like to note that in my 42 years I have never encountered a rude or otherwise undesirable airline employee from any airline. I have seen then get a bit annoyed with other passengers, but only when it was deserved. I truly believe that how they treat you is directly proportional to how you treat them. And I used to work retail. Despite normally being one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, I had my moments with customers where I might have appeared to others to be a total D-bag. Working with the public is VERY challenging sometimes!
 @chuckh0308 I used to be a CSA/Gate Agent for Alaska Airlines. You are exactly right that how customers are treated is usually proportional to how they are treating the Employees. Alaska's policy is that their employees are allowed to do whatever they feel is necessary to make customers happy (at least it was 12 years ago when I was there). Be that waiving fees, upgrading to 1st class or whatever it is. I used to hook people up all the time, waiving expensive fees, putting people in 1st class without telling them. On the opposite end, there were times when customers were absolute D-bags and they were treated accordingly. They were usually selected for extra screening. ;)
I remember the day my dad went to the hospital a few years ago.
Â
The signs he was exhibiting looked like he was drunk, when in fact he was having a stroke. The guys are work who were teasing and making fun of him didn't help. One of his co-workers recognized something was wrong and he was rushed to he hospital by ambulance. He lived for several years with his partial paralysis of his right side but was still able to enjoy life. Had that one kind - caring human not helped he may not have made it.
Â
It's ok to help people. All these stupid policies where you can't ask someone if they need help or if they are disabled is rediculous. Just imagine if the girl who saved the guy from drowning yesterday acted like it wasn't her problem!
Â
I'm glad Clark wrote a letter and brought the event to people's attention.Â
 @HonkeyCat Not meaning to belittle your experience, but people who are having a stroke may exhibit behaviors that make them look drunk, but I doubt it also makes them smell like they've been drinking heavily. As of when I read the article (a few minutes ago), Alaska claims that the person smelled of alcohol - usually a sign that they're drunk.
Well... that's what you get when you have union employees. They don't care because they know they can't get fired for anything. The employees responsible for this will never be fired and continue to act with apathy because they are protected. No matter what Mr. Clark says will correct the situation.Â
 @georgeg.:Â
This has absolutely NOTHING to do with unions or union employees (or even non-union employees for that matter).
 @GeorgeG. This is NOT a union issue. Your bias is showing.
I laud Mr. Clark for championing a disabled man's cause. Mis-communication or not, his heart went out to a person who he thought was being treated unfairly. How many of us would do the same? Would we take the time to do the same thing for a stranger? Or do we rush along our busy way to board our flights, text on our phones, pretend that we didn't see/hear anything and refuse to get involved? Yes, Mr. Clark maybe just a third party, but his compassion moved him to do what he felt was what a real human being should do in this situation. It is sad that people would rather criticize another human being for being compassionate as shown by the comments posted here.
 @dragonmaiden18 Gee, up to now I haven't seen anybody criticizing Mr. Clark. I don't see anyone to criticize except who ever set up the idiotic PC rules. It seems Mr. Clark may have over-reacted without listening to the airlines position first. It also seems odd that someone with late stage Parkinson's would be traveling on an airline alone. I bet there is more that we don't know about this situation than what we do know.....
 @boeman  @dragonmaiden18 I know someone in his late 50's with late stage Parkinson's who refuses to use a walker or brace, and travels alone quite frequently. For someone who did not know him, in some cases, he may appear intoxicated.  He does drink alcohol, but in moderation.  And, as a frequent traveler, Alaska is my next to last choice when flying.
My disabled son and I travel on Alaska every year. They are the most caring airlines we have flown with. They continually bend over backwards to help us when we ask. I'll side with them on this one, they have earned my trust for sure.
I'm with the airline on this one. The fact that he did not complain says it all...
Alaska Airlines employees are highly trained for medical emergencies or to help with those in need. Â However, if I saw someone acting a little weird and then smelled alcohol on their breath, I'd come to the same conclusion, that the person was intoxicated. Â
Â
Notice the article never explains whether passenger was indeed intoxicated, but it does say the passenger never complained. Â The passenger also never said they had parkinson's disease.Â
Â
Also, this part "....airline personnel refused to give him extra assistance, even after Clark intervened and asked employees to help. Clark said the man told him he has late-stage Parkinson's disease."Â
Â
This part of the article is written to make you think that Clark told airline personnel about the parkinson's disease. Â However, did this really happen? Â It sounds more like Clark talked to the guy AFTER the incident and when it was too late for the passenger to make the flight. Â Also, did Clark actually inform the Airline about the passengers disability? Â Or is he assuming the Airline already knew, and so is now making his current claim against them?
Â
I've always had excellent experience and interaction with Alaska Airlines and the way this article is written it seems Clark is really just a 3rd party who *thinks* he saw something, but didn't have all the facts to understand the situation and then complained about it publicly.
Â
Here's the facts from the article:
1) Alaska Airlines smelled alcohol on the passengers breath
2) Passenger did not notify he was disabled
3) Passenger did not complain about how the situation was handled
4) Passenger was reimbursed for missing the flight and was given another flight to same destination the next day
5) Alaska Airlines did follow policy (did not ask about disability and prevented a possible intoxicated man from boarding a flight)
Â
Â
So anyone acting a little funny and with a smell that may be alcohol MUST be intoxicated?? It never says they smelled it on his breath...and just to be correct one drink for most people can leave the smell on you without leaving you DRUNK or INTOXICATED...or someone could have spilled it on him or it could be strong aftershave...lots of other possiblities. Not saying he wasn't intoxicated just other possiblities. I have worked in customer service a lot time and I see it all the time...Maybe he didn't know he needed to state that he was disabled to recieve the extra help he needed and if you have never dealt with someone with Parkinson's it can be a lot for them and people assisting them. I am not sure why the articile would state the 3rd party asked for help and was refused if he didn't actually do so...what would be the point of that...Alaska is focusing on the fact the customer hasn't complained but he again probably doesn't know to do so or better yet doesn't want the media attention of it all! I am glad someone stood up to help him...weather or not AA was following their "policies"!
 @Landshark I agree with everything except your opening sentence. Did you ever work for Alaska Airlines? I did and we were not "highly trained" for medical emergencies. We weren't even given CPR training.
 @Landshark The problem is the article doesn't tell the full story. Some times it's better to either do a little more research before you jump in or just wait until the full story comes out.
 @Landshark  You have a problem with number 2 in disseminating facts. Nowhere in the article does it state anyone smelled alcohol on the mans breath. Anywhere!
4. The mans ticket was refunded which is correct. He boarded a new flight Saturday. It does not state what airlines he went on. So it is hardly proof that he was given another flight. Its hard to tell from the article but it would be nice to know for sure. If Alaska did that then they truly are a good airline. Its not clear by the wording though.
Communication is the key to success. Does not matter is you are talking about a marriage, a work relationship or a an airline / customer. If you don't have communication; it more than likely will not work out.
How many of the "angry" posters have done this very same thing to someone in an airport, train station, subway station or shopping mall?
Should the airline staff acted differently? Probably.
Should the other passengers who could have helped done so? Probably.
Should the passenger have informed the staff of his disability and request for assistance? Probably.
Â
Everyone acted poorly in this case! It is just a sign of how antisocial mankind has become!
Someone who is having glucose level problems like a diabetic look like they are drunk when in fact its a medical emergency. Many of the airport workers are underpaid and undertrained. Â
 @Granny_MAC As soon as I read the "Airport workers are underpaid and under trained", I knew you didn't have a clue what you are talking about. They are Alaska Airlines employees. I think you need to take a closer look if you ever fly anywhere. Not underpaid, or under trained from my experience with them. Don't make your accusations without knowing what you are talking about.
Â
 @Granny_MAC And a high percentage are just plain stupid!
What the article doesn't state is that Clark was standing right next to the guy for at least 15 minutes and didn't smell anything and when interviewed by Alaska wasn't asked if he smelled alcohol. Â There is much more to the story here, hopefully KOMO will do an update or follow up. By the way I fly Alaska all the time 100k a year average some times they are incredible sometimes not so much such is life.
Alaska Airlines remains one of the best as far as I'm concerned. People always have to have something to bitch about but this Airline's on time record and professionalism always keeps me coming back. Try flying without the option of Alaska Airlines and see what I'm talking about. They are tops.
HAHAHA!!! on time record....you're kidding right? I've flown Alaska for years because it generally has the cheapest tickets and (I fly about once a month) nearly every time I fly the plane is delayed. I've missed layovers, had to fly standby and they even completely cancelled the flight once when I was coming home from San Fran. I don't know the whole situation with this man and his complaints, there is too many questions left unanswered but as far as Alaska goes timeliness is their highest weakness.
 @Simoleon82 So, according to you, it's always the airlines fault for cancelling flights? How about San Francisco airport having so many air traffic control delays? SW stopped flying there it was so bad. You say they always have the cheapest tickets, and then complain because of weather delays, air traffic control issues or other things out of their control.
 @Simoleon82 if they can, every airline will over-book their flights by 10% because there are almost always no-show passengers.
I'm just saying that there are generally two airlines that I fly, Alaska and Virgin, and when I fly Virgin I have no issues with delays but when I fly Alaska I do. I'm told part of the reason for this is that Alaska overbooks their flights (which I guess a lot of airlines do) which is also why they are so unreliable. I know "you get what you pay for" and accept that but I sure wouldn't credit them with being "one of the best airlines" based on their "time record." Cheapness sure, but not timeliness
.
So there is a guy getting ready to get on a plan that is staggering around and reaks of booz. There is nothing new there. Airports are filled with bars. Â Go to any airline, read any city paper and you will see drunks not being allowed on the plane. You ever sit next to a drunk on a plane? If the airlines allowed drunks on, there would be backlash complaing about that. Our PC rules don't allow anyone to ask. So the airlines, any airlines go witht the percenteges, They deal with thousands of people a day. How many do you think have been drinking versus having Parkinson's?
 @bowhunter:Â
There is a HUGE divfference between "smlled of alcohol" and "reeks of booze".
Â
One of the main symptooms of Parkinson's is shaking - he could have easily had a SINGLE drink, and his hand was shaking so it spilled on his clothes. He would not be drunk from that, but he WOULD smell of alcohol (unless of course he magically had a complete change of clothes in his carryon bag).
No one would like to sit with a drunk next to him/her...that's tough for Alaska Airlines,hell if you
do and hell if you don't,no way they can satisfy everyone.
There are many factors that may lead to changes in dealing with Parkinson's disease. These include motor impairments such as rigidity and tremor that can lead to impaired mobility. There may also be changes in appearance such as sweating, drooling, changes in body odor due to the disease or medications, as well as gait disturbance.
Â
What may have been perceived as "an odor of alcohol" may have been the manifestations of the Parkinson's itself. I have a good friend who suffers from Parkinson's and his random motions make some people think he is falling-down drunk. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Â
Many people with debilitating conditions are embarassed to make a scene and avoid talking about their condition or asking for help.
Â
In my opinion, Alaska well deserves the bad press for not being a little more sensitive to the man's problem.
@Glassman If the man has Parkinson's he should have alerted the airline when he booked his ticket- they are there to help you but can only help with what they know. How many times do you think they hear "I am disabled" as an excuse for something when it isn't true? I saw a guy try to pull it the one time I flew- he was to stupid and drunk to know the disability he gave didn't line up with his "symptoms".Â
 @MomOf2 Like I said (try READING) Many times these people are reluctant to draw attention to themselves. They are embarrassed at not being "normal". My friend avoids the public as much as possible for this reason. Try putting yourself in their place for once. Your anecdotal example is a poor excuse for your behavior. Shame on you!Â
@Glassman Actually I did read what you wrote-word for word. I used to care for disabled adults and have cared for people with Parkinson's- I do understand that they don't always want to call attention to thier disability BUT if they want others to make special accomodations for them then they need to make sure the people know what accomodations are needed before hand. I have a disability that can't be seen and I know when it is going to cause me to not be able to do what is needed that I need to make sure those around me who are trained to help me know about my problems before hand- after all I don't expect them to be able to look at me and know what I need when I need it.Â
 @Glassman Thing is, they are PROHIBITED by law from asking anyone if they are disabled. The disabled have to CHOOSE to identify themselves in order to get any special assistance. Otherwise, Alaska gets sued by any other passenger who feels slighted for NOT getting special assistance.
 @glassman:Â
I agree with you 1000% on "don't assume".
Â
I purposely wear shorts year round because I got tired of the crap I had to deal with when people could not "SEE" my disability. I am a bilateral lower limb amputee. There are days I am not stady when up on my feet - if I was in jeans, people would "assume" I was drunk because I weave & lose my balance.
Â
Alaska SHOULD have asked if everything was alright, if there was some sort of assistance they could offer - NOT just "ASSUME" he was drunk.
 @Landshark Not asking them to be mind-readers. I AM demanding that they ACTUALLY communicate with the man and hear from him what is going on and NOT just assume, as seems to have been done in this case. Frankly, Cameron Clark makes a far more credible witness in this case because he ACTUALLY spoke with the man and DID NOT report any odor of alcohol.
 @Glassman If that's the case, then how is Alaska Airlines responsible for reading everyone's mind?
 @Glassman I realize that there are some people who choose not to advocate for themselves.  However, if you choose not to, you choose the treatment you get.  I do have medical issues that require me to do that and I do.  I don't like it, but I do if I have to.  Obviously things could have been done better here, but you can't expect people to just go ahead and guess what may or may not be wrong with a person.
 @Glassman Try dealing with drunk idiots all day and you'll understand why this man may have gotten treated as he did. If he had let the agents know he was disabled, I'm quite certain he would have gotten all the assistance he needed.Â
 @keeper And this is your reason to withhold compassion for the truly disabled?Â
There are reasons, and there are excuses and they are not necessarily the same. Your reason does NOT  excuse your lack of humanity.
 @GlassmanÂ
1) The passenger is acting odd
2) The passenger smells like alcohol
3) The passenger never mentioned a disability
4) The passenger never complained about how they were treatedÂ
5) Alaska Airlines allowed the passenger to leave on a flight the next day (possibly avoiding an intoxicated man from boarding a plane).
Â
I don't see how you can think Alaska Airlines deserved the bad press.