Ida Gomez Llanos was a faithful employee of Delta airlines for almost six decades before she was fired after being accused of stealing a carton of milk. After working for the airline for 57 years as a flight attendant, she had earned a strong salary and many perks thanks to her seniority. It was because of this that the former flight attendant believes that she was the victim of a smear campaign aimed at removing her from the company so that she could be replaced by someone cheaper and younger. At 79 years old, she was earning a salary of around $250, a considerably higher amount than the %50,000 average that flight attendants receive according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Her suspicions have led her to file suit against Delta Airlines for the events that took place that consisted of bullying and harassment by her former colleagues before she was ultimately fired after being written up for the alleged theft of a milk carton.

The lawsuit that was filed by Ida Gomez Llanos is being tried in Los Angeles and she hopes to get justice for what she has been through. She recently stated that she was fired for taking a milk carton from the plane’s supply but also mentions that she first got permission from her manager before she did it. While she mentions that she tries not to take things personally when being accused of things, she began having a problem when her former co-workers started lying about her and being mean. In addition to the milk carton, they also claimed that she was not doing a good job, sleeping while on duty, and stealing chocolates. Another claim that was levied against the flight attendant veteran was that she was unable to operate different safety features of the plane, but her recent completion of annual training disproves that.

She has also collected several letters from former passengers that were praising her for how she performed her job. She feels that she and other older flight attendants are being discriminated against and their actions are watched much more meticulously than their younger counterparts who are receiving smaller salaries. With the money that they were paying the 70-year-old flight attendant, Delta could afford to hire four younger ones with less experience.

Ida Gomez Llanos had not been written up in her position with Delta for five and a half decades and the circumstances appear to be suspicious when she was first written up in February 2018. She was put on probation during the following January and then fired a few months later in April. The situation has left her very depressed and she feels like the life that she knew and enjoyed had been taken away and she just doesn’t understand why. In a statement, a spokesperson for the airline said that the decision was not taken lightly by Delta and a thorough investigation had taken place before the former flight attendant was ultimately removed from her position at the company. They mentioned that there were many factors that were included in this review such as overall performance and length of time with the company.