Delta Airlines Removes Passenger with Shellfish Allergy from Flight, Sparking Online Outrage
Frequent traveler Ellie Brelis, who suffers from a life-threatening shellfish allergy, was removed from a Delta Airlines flight after informing the crew about her condition. Brelis, who was flying from Los Angeles to Boston, followed her usual procedure of alerting the flight crew about her allergy and her multiple EpiPens. However, the situation quickly escalated when the crew expressed concern due to shellfish being served in first class.
Despite Brelis not flying in first class, a Delta medical representative boarded the plane and removed her from the flight, citing safety concerns. She was rebooked on a later flight, but it too was serving shellfish, and no buffer zone could be guaranteed. Frustrated and worried, Brelis turned to TikTok, where her video documenting the incident quickly gained traction with 100,000 views and similar stories from other passengers.
Unable to fly safely with Delta, Brelis purchased a ticket on JetBlue to get home in time to see her doctor. She claims Delta has not refunded her original ticket and is left wondering what she could have done differently to avoid the ordeal.
Delta advises passengers with allergies to fill out a form and contact the accessibility services team before flying, steps Brelis says she followed. The airline has yet to comment on the incident.