The passenger was accused of gloating after reporting Delta cabin crew in exchange for airpoints. Photo / Simon Ray, Unsplash; Facebook
A passenger has provoked outrage after gloating on social media that she was rewarded with loyalty points after reporting the actions of a crew member to her supervisors.
But travellers are divided over the actions of this “sky-high snitch”.
Recently Delta Airlines passenger Dr Angela B. Peery claimed she received 8500 SkyMiles from the airline’s customer service team after reporting a crew member for using their mobile phone.
Peery says that, despite being targeted online, she will continue to report airline crew for what she deems “safety violations” - claiming to have caught at least three in the past month. Although some have found her public naming and shaming of crew distasteful.
“Winning!” she bragged in a post to a Facebook group for Delta loyalty members, claiming she was given around US$85 of airpoints for dobbing in the trolley dolly.
“Wrote my complaint about Joshua, the FA who hid in the galley and was overall s***** SDF-ATL [Louisville to Atlanta] Wed. Got a personal call from a Delta customer service agent and 8500 [Skypoints]!”
However, this is hardly the only post snitching on plane crew from the woman some have dubbed the “skypoints Stasi”.
Peery works for the South Carolina Department of Education and is a regular contributor to Delta’s online flight forums reporting on crew conduct.
It’s a habit that has earned her the title “one of the most hated passengers among Delta flight crews”, according to industry blog The Bulkhead Seat.
In another post last month, Peery said she had sent three photos of staff using personal devices in a two-week period. The passenger defended her actions saying that crew had been visibly using their iPhones on three out of four flights she had taken with the airline.
In one image, shared to the Facebook Group, she showed one flight attendant hiding their personal phone behind a Delta crew device.
“For those who said I should mind my own business or stop being a Karen, BE AWARE - this is a safety violation and a FIREABLE OFFENCE,” she wrote.
While individual airline such as Delta have their own rule for crew conduct, it is also against US FAA and Ministry of Transport regulations for those operating passenger planes to be distracted by personal devices - as per InFO 14006, Prohibition on Personal Use of Electronic Devices on the Flight Deck.
However, many passengers and crew have found Peery’s personal crusade against crew on phones distasteful. Especially the recent post describing being rewarded in loyalty points.
Now, according to The Bulkhead, Delta crew are taking their revenge online as an act of solidarity against the snitch. And it is playing out in public internet forums.
After coming to light via the Reddit thread r/Delta, it appears that crew have begun writing what they think of the behaviour.
Amazon reviews on books published by Peery have begun appearing online, outing Peery.
“This book got me fired,” reads one 9 April review which now has 340 recommendations.
Another review for Peery’s book What To Look For In Literacy, claims “This book is written by a wretched s*** whose hobbies include harassing airline employees in exchange for frequent flyer miles.”
The passenger’s books have since been flooded with 1-star reviews from disgusted crew and other travellers.
“When you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us…” read a post in a cabin crew Facebook forum A Fly Guy’s Cabin Crew Lounge.
When you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us...
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮...
Jay Robert, a senior cabin crew member who runs the Facebook page, told the Daily Mail that the action of the passenger and the decision to reward her with airpoints “fosters an untrusting safety environment for staff” and would negatively impact the experience for crew and passengers.
“Many airlines have a policy about use of cellphones that is meant to encourage crew to focus their attention on passengers. I don’t know how Delta views the use. However, there are times when the crew will need to shift from the procedures for important matters,” he said.