United Passenger Who Did CPR on Man with COVID Gets $200 Thank You
TMZ.com
The United passengers who risked their own health to give aid to a man who had COVID-19 have been compensated for the “inconvenience” … with vouchers barely worth a round trip anywhere.
TMZ.com
Tony Aldapa — one of the passengers who performed CPR on the COVID-infected man for 45 minutes — tells TMZ, he got a call from a United rep Thursday thanking him for his assistance during the crisis, and letting him know a $200 electronic travel certificate would be emailed to him.
Tony says the rep didn’t mention anything about the man who died having the coronavirus, and the email from United simply says … “We apologize for the inconvenience you experienced on your recent trip.”
Steven Chang also assisted the ill passenger, and likewise … got a thank you call and a $200 voucher. We’re told Chang’s wife, who was also on the December 14 flight, did not get a voucher. Neither did a couple other passengers who were on the flight — Megan Hubbard and Cameron Roberts. So, it seems United is only dishing out travel cash to those directly involved in trying to save the COVID positive passenger.
You’ll recall, United said the man claimed he had not been diagnosed with COVID and had no symptoms, but his wife commented during the emergency that he had recently lost his sense of taste and smell and had trouble breathing.
He died at a hospital shortly after an emergency landing in New Orleans, and it was later confirmed he had COVID.
Despite all that, United told us it wasn’t their job to notify passengers they may have been exposed to the virus, and instead passed the buck to the CDC.
Aldapa told us it took a full 10 days before he was contacted by the L.A. County Dept. of Public Health … telling him what he already knew.
After all that, it might be a long time before he wants to hop on a flight again … but whenever he does, he’ll have a $200 credit. Yay?