A 79-year-old flight attendant is suing Delta for firing her under false pretenses. She argues jealous colleagues targeted her because of her high salary. But Delta is standing by its termination.
Veteran Flight Attendant Sacked By Delta
Ida Gomez Llanos has worked for Delta and its predecessor for 57 years. She was the “top” flight attendant based on seniority at LAX and the fifth most senior flight attendant in the Delta system. Over that long career, she built up her salary to $250,000/year, about four times the average flight attendant salary.
Llanos claims that colleagues were jealous of her and conspired, with managers, to find a way to get her booted. Her co-workers “ratted” her out for stealing:
- Nine cereal bowls
- Espresso
- Pizza
- Yogurt
- Bailey’s Irish Cream
- Chocolate bars
- Milk
She was also accused of paying $100 to a colleague to “to help reach the tall bins while working at the galley” and not working her assigned position on another flight.
She denies all this, saying she does not drink alcohol and weighs only 85 pounds, therefore has no need for extra food. Since diabetes runs in her family, she also does not eat chocolate. The lawsuit also claims the flight attendant recanted his story about being paid $100 to help in Llanos’ duties.
But the final straw, according to her lawsuit (.pdf), was taking a carton of milk from an airplane. Llanos claims a line manager authorized her to do this, but she never did – instead she was caught by U.S. customs with a carton of milk she had purchased in an Australian supermarket.
The lawsuit alleges:
“Defendants should not have concluded that Ms. Gomez stole Delta milk because customs would not have flagged Delta milk.”
That’s not true, because Delta does not double-cater its milk in the United States on Australia flights.
Her grand conspiracy theory is that co-workers staged photos of food and drink in her bag because they were jealous of her high annual salary. The lawsuit alleges one flight attendant told others, “I am trying to get her fired any way I can!” before making defamatory false statements about her.
This flight attendant allegedly “would follow Ms. Gomez with her phone camera out and ready to take pictures of Ms. Gomez in the hope of catching her in a seemingly compromising position.”
Wow…
Delta Stands By Lawsuit
A Delta spokesperson defended lawsuit, casting doubt on Llanos’s claim of discrimination.
“When a violation of company policy is identified or inappropriate conduct is reported, Delta conducts a thorough investigation to determine the appropriate course of action — considering many factors, including the employee’s overall performance record and length of service. Decisions like these are not made lightly or without a comprehensive review by many.”
But Llanos says that her 57-service was unblemished until her LAX-based colleagues began targeting her.
A jury trial has been requested.
CONCLUSION
I read all 29 pages of the complaint…it’s fascinating tabloid-style reading. This is a complex cases with many, many elements. It will be interesting to see if Delta fights this (six digit legal bills are a given, considering the scope of this case) or finds a way to settle with Llanos.
In the meantime, you won’t see Llanos on a longhaul Delta flight from LAX anytime soon.
(H/T: View from the Wing)
Does it seem strange that she is 79 years old and still working as a flight attendant? No offense, but shouldn’t she have retired by now?
Not in the USA. And who would give up a $250K/year salary for a few runs to Sydney each month? I’d keep working…
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Your post paints a very different picture than Gary’s.
$250k for a flight attendant? That is more than the Secretary of the Treasury or the Vice President of the United States. It is more than most airline pilots.
She’s been working for Delta for over 50 years and has high seniority. I bet she knows how to game the bid system to maximize her salary similar to how all of us in the miles/points hobby game the system. Imagine there are a few other Delta FA’s above her in seniority who most likely earn the same amount if not higher.
This is a job she loves and at age 79 making $250k, I don’t blame her for keeping on working. I know a few baby boomers who don’t want to retire at age 65 since they’re making comfortable salaries doing a job they love and think retirement would be very boring.
I haven’t read the complaint but I’d think Delta would have had a thorough review of her performance before giving her the pink slip.
Question: when someone such as her with seniority and who is retirement eligible is fired, do they lose their lifetime flight benefits and other retirement benefits?
If fired, yes. She was given the option to retire and save face, but declined it, insisting that the charges against her were false. Thus, she forfeited her retirement and lifetime flight benefits.
UNIONIZE !
That is what a company can and will do.
Checks and Balances !
Workers need to unite and stop thinking the company is so great to us , look at our wages our profit sharing . It’s a gift that will not keep giving unless it benefits the company . Doesn’t your family deserves security ? Or do you want to remain at the mercy and the kindness of others when it suits them ? You have a right to fair work rules , job security and representation if a situation arises in your work environment .
UNIONIZE !
That is what a company can and will do.
Checks and Balances !
Workers need to unite and stop thinking the company is so great to us , look at our wages our profit sharing . It’s a gift that will not keep giving unless it benefits the company . Doesn’t your family deserve security ? Or do you want to remain at the mercy and the kindness of others when it suits them ? You have a right to fair work rules , job security and representation if a situation arises in your work environment .
There should be an age limit for flight attendants to retire, just like pilots who are required to retire at age 65. I sincerely doubt that she would be any help during an emergency situation. If her job duties were just serving food, soft drinks, alcohol and hanging out pillows, that’s would be fine, but that’s not the case. She a greedy senior mama , proven by her taking items off the airplane that don’t belong to her. As a frequent flyer with Delta , I agree with their decision to terminate her. Delta needs to revisit their mandatory retire age for flight attendant, especially since their job entails more then serving meals and pillows .
So… Most american believe that flight attendant existed for safety of passenger, not to provide service for them. What is 79 year old woman can do for safety? Or in emergency? Don’t you guys have any retirement age? Crazy…..
Age is just a number. My grandmother was still teaching at age 108…
Airlines don’t just take a FA’s word that they are able to perform safety functions including lifting emergency exits or quickly evacuating the plane. FAs must demonstrate it each year. If this FA was physically unfit to do the job, she would have been forced into retirement and had no case. That is not what is at issue here.
And while there are advantage to young FAs, some of the best service I have received has been from those who are most veteran. Like this one:
https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2019/03/25/superb-united-flight-attendant/
All the things she is being accused of seem pretty fabricated to me. Also, they have 57 years worth of evaluations to look back at that would tell them if she had “run ins” with them before on stealing or getting others to perform her duties. These things don’t just start happening all of a sudden. She’s right about envy. It’s an ugly thing and will cause those envious people to make up anything to ruin what she has just because they don’t also have it. They forget she worked many more years than them to get these perks and salary. She didn’t just step into this job at the same time they did, but gets a bigger salary. She worked 57 years to get there.
I’ve red that article amd several similar of yours. And being a safety officer in a steel tube flying several kms above ground is in no way comparable of being teacher. Certain physical fitness is mandatory. Including but not limited to reaction time on emergency situation. Real emergency offcourse different from simulated training observed by instructors.
Is she able to assist another elderly passenger, or disabled ones or any other need assistance? Will they ask her or afraid to trouble her because of her age?
Notwithstanding all of the above, doesn’t she deserve retirement?
I got news for all you youngins’…booting out folks with gray hair is a routine cost-savings practice at many (probably most) large US corporations. Older folks who have been there a long time tend to cost more. High seniority, higher salaries. Higher medical costs. Also harder to push around, as they often know their legal rights and know how to work the system. Kids straight outta college are so much more pliable and cheaper to have on staff. Until they get old and experienced, too. Then they get the bums rush. Gonna happen to most of you some day, too, so don’t be too shocked when all your “valuable experience” is shitcanned by the bean-counters and you get shown the door. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
What a stinking corporation over a carton of milk. The US has become a callous place in every way. I hope DL is made to pay and pay.
Stewardesses were for service. Todays matrons are for “safety ” and enforcement.
I prefer to believe her rather than Delta; she could have resigned/retired, with benefits, but declined. Her story has a ring of truth; likely she’s been set up by the disaffected and jealous co-workers. Good luck to her….
Your point is key to me as well as a trier of facts – she could have retired but declined.
Ms. Llanos’ flying career exemplifies the many mergers and acquisitions that have taken place in the U.S. airline industry over the past half-century. She began flying for Bonanza Airlines in 1962. In 1968 Bonanza merged with Pacific Airlines and West Coast Airlines to form Air West. In 1970 Howard Hughes acquired the company and changed the name to Hughes Air West. Ten years later, in 1980, Republic Airlines purchased Hughes Air West. Then in 1986 Republic was merged into Northwest Airlines. And in 2010 Northwest was acquired by Delta.
I was a flight attendant for 30 years; saw and experienced a lot, and find the story of this woman’s termination very, very strange. I’ve reached-out to a close friend in Delta management, asking “What the hell?”
Not surprised by Delta. I worked for them for 3 years with a 120 (r/t) commute and never once late or called in while my coworkers 15 from the airport called in frequently. Never had a review, had lots of compliments but never a word of praise from management. I was assaulted by a passenger and management refused to do anything. I complained to H.R. twice and wrote to the CEO, Ed Bastain. They did NOTHING!!! It’s a very hostile, cut-throat environment from the top of the company to the local management. I also heard several long-time employees say, more than one, that wants you start making a certain amount of money they will look for reasons to get rid of you. I finally quit as I got tired of working so hard at being diligent and being treated so badly by everyone including the unresponsive multi-millionaire at the top of the ladder. There are several employees that are feeling the need to unionize and I agree that a lot of their problems would not exist if they were Union.
*eyeroll* Here are the predictable Union people. The instant something happens they scream “Union” and act like this would save them. Sorry, it won’t. I’ve worked under the AFA and they don’t care. Complaints unanswered and favoritism for selective cases. Most often they caved anyways to the company saying “{Airline} doesn’t want to deal with this, sorry. Can’t do anything else.” What the hell did I pay my dues for then if you won’t fight?
You are so right, Richard! During my three decades-long flying career I was represented by Teamsters and by AFA. Both unions were a disappointment.
Once I was deadheaded back to my L.A. base from Frankfurt and fired, because a new-hire flight attendant had complained to a supervisor that she’d seen me pour myself a Bloody Mary in the galley. The Teamster rep I telephoned declined to represent me, claiming that to do so would essentially be calling the other flight attendant a liar. (!) I requested and was granted a hearing at company headquarters and I got my job back when it suddenly became clear to management that my accuser thought the little cans of Mr & Mrs. T’s Bloody Mary Mix contained vodka! Since pouring and consuming a glass of spicy tomato juice was in no way an offense, I was instantly reinstated – with back pay. Only then did Teamsters admit that yes, well, maybe they *should* have represented me…
This story needs to be fleshed out more. There is a real scary story here. Lets start with explaining how her compensation is $250,000 or any where near it. I know who this lady is and she flies high time international trips back to back and her salary is the top pay at over $63 an hour plus she gets international pay, possibly purser pay and she gets per diem. But what is perhaps more important is this. These are the tactics that Delta uses. They are known to put crew members on your flight to be able to accuse you of various things. And they will embellish the facts. Think about this, if they were to fire everybody that took something off an aircraft water, milk etc. Delta would not have a staff. She was being watched and therefore targeted. When they want you gone they will use unsavory tactics to do it. There are many, many stories and there are many lawsuits that are under the radar. There are a lot of flight attendants that cannot pursue their cases because it is a lengthy process, it is expensive and then you have people who believes all of the accolades that this company has received. This company has deep pockets and is highly regarded, a lot of flight attendants choose not to tell their stories out of FEAR. There is a lot of validity to her story. It should not be but it is going to take more people to come out and tell their stories.
Gary’s original post on this earlier in the week generated a lot of heated discussion. From me included! It’s interesting to see all the different perspectives and takeaways.
1.. Some call her a hero in standing up to corporate. Or the bullying by co-workers
2. Some focus on the money she makes – both positive and negative. Positive being of course from current flight attendants, who commented there that it is very justifiable she makes that kind of money…that all F/A’s should make much more given the “dangerous ” job they have to do. *eyeroll*
3. Other’s commented about how they felt a woman of that age should not be flying in that capacity.
4. Still more commented that “good for her” and she deserves to fly in that 80 is the new 60.
5. Finally, some focused on the idea of whether a carton of milk should constitute a firing.
This is one of the more fascinating cases to arise in years as it exposes a number of culture issues at airines (both corporate and by employees) and certainly opened the kimono to me in seeing how flight attendants think of themselves today. That is that they appear to believe that they are some sort of police and rescue force rather than a service industry employee. I would argue that a mall security cop sees more drama in a day than a flight attendant sees in a year….and does it for $16 an hour. And, while I could care less how old any flight attendant is I find it ridiculous that any of them should make over $100K a year at the very top level of seniority given what the job entails. And while it is “just” a carton of milk, if true (which I doubt), Delta overreacted. Discipline for sure as you need to have established rules no matter what. Firing? Way over the top.
I have flown with Ida in the Pacific. She was very professional and my guess is she must have stepped on somebody in managements toes. Without any kind of union protection at Delta, it’s always important to toe the party line and drink the koolade. If your outspoken, watch out!