When I first
read about the Gaisano family incident where a 10-year old daughter suffered
from second degree burns on a Philippine Airlines flight from Bangkok to
Manila, I remembered my own coffee spill experience that happened more than 10
years ago on a Northwest Airlines flight to Los Angeles, California.
In my case,
some people casually suggested that I sue the airline (in America, there were
other incidents of coffee spills that won court cases) but I told them that as
long as the airline managed the incident well, I was okay with that.
I was then traveling with my husband and baby. We even had to request for a bassinet that
was temporarily attached to the wall, as we sat right in front of it. After we ate our meal, I requested for
coffee. The Filipina flight attendant
brought the very hot beverage and handed it to me. As I was mixing the creamer and sugar, the
beverage spilled on my lap. I was locked
to my seat table and could not immediately get out of my seat so I sustained
second degree burns. Instead of helping
me out of my difficult position, the attendant left to get a dry rag.
I later discussed this incident with the Northwest Airlines manager
who met me at the Los Angeles airport.
He agreed with me that there is a correct way in serving a hot
beverage. It should be served on a
tray. This wasn’t done in my situation. Although the ultimate question on who or what
caused the spill appears moot at this point, it is the airline’s emergency response that
deserves notice.
More than the flight attendant who served the coffee, it was the
purser who managed the situation better.
She even lent me her dress while we were drying my clothes. Of course, I cannot forget what the airline
did to ensure that I was taken care of, all the way to America.
Upon reaching the Narita International Airport in Japan, I was
whisked to an airport clinic where the Japanese doctor applied a thick bandage
on my wound. He even suggested that I
should convalesce for around a week in Japan.
Since the airline was rushing to get me to my connecting flight, the
suggestion was not followed.
When we reached the tarmac of the Los Angeles International Airport,
I was surprised to find paramedics at the scene in order to check on my
wound. When they saw that it was well
bandaged and that I was functioning normally, they said that they wouldn’t care
to touch it. Instead the airline sent me
to a clinic.
At the clinic, the doctor inspected the wound and gave lots of white
cream that I was supposed to apply every day in order to heal the burn. They provided all the medicines that I
needed. I followed the doctor’s advice
and in a few weeks, my burns healed completely without any scars.
In this day and age when airline travel seems filled with nightmare
scenarios, it is good to look back at a time when extraordinary situations were
handled efficiently. Hopefully, it will give
ideas on how future incidents can also be addressed.
