The fact is, medical doctors don’t necessarily carry their hospital badge or have a medical license on hand, particularly if they’re flying home from a wedding or going on vacation. Delta’s policy was being implemented inconsistently; Cross had heard from diverse groups of people, who had sometimes been asked for credentials and sometimes not when trying to help sick passengers on flights.
Delta invited her to meet with executives at its headquarters, and asked Wayne Riley, a mentor and past president of the American College of Physicians to come with her. He told Delta executives that he had assisted with passengers in distress on several Delta flights over the years and never been asked to prove he was a doctor.
“Delta found that there is no legal or regulatory requirement upon the airline to view medical professional credentials. And, as it becomes more and more common for medical licenses to be verified online, physicians and nurses often do not carry a license with them and some states no longer issue wallet versions,” the airline said in a statement.
The company will also next year expand its diversity and inclusion training to “frontline employees,” including flight attendants, the statement said.