Family: In-flight meal killed flier (American Airlines)

[alp227]

Source: CNN

As it deals with fallout from its bankruptcy announcement, American Airlines is also facing the wrath of a family who claim their loved one died after eating a meal served by the carrier.

The wife and daughter of the late Othon Cortes of Miami are suing the airline and Sky Chefs for more than $1 million, alleging he ate food contaminated with bacteria during a flight from Barcelona, Spain, to New York.

The incident happened on May 18 after Cortes consumed an in-flight meal that allegedly contained chicken, according to a lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. District Court in Miami.

As is typical for active lawsuits, American Airlines declined to comment about the complaint or its allegations, said Tim Smith, a spokesman for the carrier.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/01/travel/american-airlines-meal-lawsuit/index.html

[Ian David]

1. I was gonna express surprise that they serve meals, but then I saw it was an international flight.

[msongs]

2. so, how many other people got sick from the same food? nt

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. Airline meals are generally individually packaged and prepared for reheating

so in that sense it wasn't "the same food", necessarily.

[Gormy Cuss]

5. It's possible that no other passengers were sickened to the point of noticing it.

C. perf is so common that many of us have built up some resistance to it. It would certainly help the family's case if others on the flight were symptomatic after eating the same meal however.

[madokie]

11. We have a real popular eating establishment

or I should say that we used to have a real popular eating establishment that served hundreds of meals a day then one day a hand full of people got sick with one dying. Many people had eaten there that day but only a few had become ill and only one of them died. The person who died was a 26 year old father of two that for all indications was as healthy as a horse but yet his meal killed him where it made others sick and still others who ate off the same buffet had no problems at all.

[Maine-i-acs]

4. "an in-flight meal that allegedly contained chicken..."

I've been on that flight.

[Old and In the Way]

7. You've got a wicked sense of humor!

;-)
Actually, I was thinking it was misleading and better wording would have been "the in-flight meal allegedly contained food"...I've been served meals where the only edible thing was the stale bread.

[pansypoo53219]

9. jeez, my flight from sweden ON NORTHWEST,

the chicken was so good. had peppers in it, trying to replicate it most likely impossible. : (
flight over from US not so good. british airlines smelled good, but jeez they make horrid sausage. HORRID. best tea on a little jumper flight off danish mainland to coenhagen. good cookie too.

[No Elephants]

14. True, I've only had it in the U.S., but I really like British sausage and mashed potatoes, aka

bangers and mash.

Then again, I am a pushover for mashed potatoes made from scratch.

[GoneOffShore]

6. We always pack our own food. Because airline food sucks.

Not as much as Brownback, but it still sucks.

[Nye Bevan]

8. Hmmmm. I always thought the chicken was the safest choice.

I always stay away from the seafood etc.

[No Elephants]

15. Chicken is really prone to spoilage and contaminating other food.

Partly because of the way it "lives" in factory farms.

(Don't even google. It's that disgusting.)

[SoapBox]

10. Bullshit...

Autopsy! We need results!!

The guy had some other condition going on...Why didn't others die as well?

And you just gotta love that they are suing a caterer, that didn't even service the flight!!!

They are trying to get money and are grasping at straws. Looks like the family got themselves
a lawyer in MIA that works out of the back of this car.

I hope AA counter sues.

[Javaman]

12. My very first question: was anyone else sick on the flight?

One meal out of hundreds being contaminated is extraordinarily unlikely.

[LiberalEsto]

13. Maybe there was a tiny hole in the packaging

or something like that.

[Blue_Tires]

16. I'm surprised the suit is only for one million

which leads me to believe there isn't much substance behind it

i've seen one person sue another for 20 million for just a fender bender