Cabin Crew Training Goes Beyond Flight Safety

Scott McCulloch survived a heart attack in mid-air aboard a Delta Air Lines flight, due to the rigorous training that had been instilled in Delta’s cabin crew.

“Assess the situation, you need to communicate with your crew, you need to let the pilots know what’s going on and you need to figure out how to help your passenger,” flight attendant Shayna Huertas said.

McCulloch alerted Huertas when he started feeling pain across his back and left arm, and she and the team reacted instinctively.

Huertas and her colleagues gave McCulloch aspirin and nitroglycerin, and the crew arranged for paramedics to meet McCulloch at the gate. He was whisked away for treatment of an artery blockage and spent 2.5 days in intensive care.

The Delta crew who cared for him never left his mind. McCulloch reached out to Delta’s CEO so that he could thank everyone involved in saving his life.

“If she was sitting right here I would just tell her I’m so proud of the way she reacted and I feel so confident that I’m here today because of what she did. I’d give her a big hug,” said McCulloch.

Delta made sure Huertas got that hug; they arranged a surprise reunion for the cabin crew and McCulloch.