Airline 'Racially Profiled' Black Doctor Who Tried To Help Sick Co-Passenger

A black doctor onboard a flight with Republic Airlines, a Delta Connection carrier, accused the flight's crew of racially profiling her while she tried to help a sick fellow passenger Tuesday. Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford was traveling from Indianapolis to Boston when another passenger experienced a medical episode.

Stanford, a doctor and educator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, tried to help the woman passenger sitting next to her on the flight after she began to convulse and hyperventilate. Stanford said she then showed her medical license to a flight attendant.

"She looked at it, walked down to the back of the plane," Stanford told TV station Boston 25, "and then the second flight attendant approached me and said, 'Well, can I see your license again?' I was like, 'Absolutely.' "

Stanford said she was met with resistance from the crew.

"I just talked with the first flight attendant; she said you're not really a doctor, you're just a head doctor,' " Stanford said she was told. "I said, 'Excuse me, what do you mean by that?' "

Stanford added the attendant then replied: "Oh, so you're not really an MD, are you?"

The doctor said she felt their repeated questioning about her medical background was “100 percent racially biased.” She told the Boston station: "It's quite disconcerting that, here I was trying to help a fellow passenger … and my value and worth in that situation (were) questioned."

Stanford took to her Twitter account to accuse Delta of in-flight "racism.

Delta responded to Stanford on Twitter, apologizing for the incident — a response the doctor called “underwhelming.”

Stanford tweeted Wednesday afternoon she spoke with Delta but was not entirely satisfied.

"So I spoke with @Delta and I left the conversation quite uncertain that any changes will be made," she posted. "Summary: flight attendants thought I was a #therapist despite #MDlicense. They will make sure this is addressed. Thanks for being a #skymiles member. Really?!$ #iamadoctor"

In a statement to Fox News, Delta said they were thankful for Stanford's actions.

“We thank Dr. Stanford for her medical assistance onboard Republic flight 5935 IND-BOS, and are sorry for any misunderstanding that may have occurred during her exchange with the in-flight crew … Regardless of aircraft, all customers are Delta customers and we are committed to ensuring they enjoy a similar experience on every flight."

According to the Boston Globe, the airline followed up with a reply to Stanford to apologize again for the actions of the flight attendant.

“Please accept our apology for the events you described. We are grateful to our customers who extend kindness and care to one another and who offer to assist customers in need. The experiences you’ve described are not reflective of Delta’s culture or of the values our employees live out every day.”