A California couple whose daughter died in a plane crash have shared their upset after Delta Air Lines refused to extend their unused upgrade certificates, a decision they called “unkind” and “upsetting” as they continue to grieve.
The family’s story drew widespread attention this week after Allison Huke shared the exchange in a viral social-media post.
“My husband has upgrade certificates with Delta that we were looking forward to using this year,” Huke wrote on Threads. “Our daughter died in a plane crash in May so all plans changed. Our upgrades expire at the end of this year and we asked Delta if they can extend them as a one-time exception, thinking they might understand why we aren’t ready to hop on a plane since our daughter died in a plane crash. Well, we thought wrong—‘sorry no exceptions but we hope when you are ready to travel again, you’ll choose Delta.’”
The couple’s daughter, Emma Huke, 25, was one of six people killed in a plane crash near San Diego on May 22. The tragedy upended the family’s life, and in the months since, Tim and Allison Huke say they have barely been able to return to crowded public spaces—let alone, board another flight.
“It’s only been five months, but we’re really…we’re doing our best to try,” Tim said in an interview with Newsweek. His wife Allison added: “When you’re so deep in the grief that we are in, just being in public is triggering.”
A Loyal Delta Flyer for 28 Years
Tim Huke said that he has been a frequent Delta customer for more than 20 years.
“I have been a frequent flyer with Delta since 1997, so 28 years of loyalty. I have flown over 1.2 million miles…they call you a million-miler when you do over a million miles,” Tim said. “I will tell you that I’ve always felt that Delta had the best customer service. They always, by and large, had treated me really, really well.”
Because of his status, Huke annually receives “choice benefits,” including upgrade certificates for domestic or international travel. Earlier this year, before the crash, the couple selected four global upgrade certificates in hopes of taking a family trip to Spain and Portugal.
But, following Emma’s death, all their travel plans collapsed. “Our lives turned upside down and shattered,” Tim said. “We weren’t able to use our choice benefits.”
When the couple realized the certificates were due to expire—some as soon as November 14 and others on February 1—Tim emailed Delta’s WeCare customer-service address.
“I said that, after Emma passed on May 22, our lives turned upside down and shattered, and our plans to travel were put on hold,” Tim said. He embedded links to news coverage and an NBC Los Angeles interview he and Allison had previously done.
“I fully expected they would say, ‘Oh, Mr. Huke, absolutely, no problem,’” he said.
Instead, Delta declined the request.
Delta’s Response
According to Huke, Delta replied: after “careful review,” the airline was “unable to extend your travel benefits as our program guidelines don’t allow for any exceptions beyond those terms.”
“I literally was floored,” Tim said. “I wasn’t gonna do anything with it, but Allison said: ‘I’m going to put something on Threads.’”
Allison said the refusal “definitely felt unkind.”
“It just seems like human decency,” she added. “Our story is rare and unique and tragic, and we’re not asking for some crazy accommodation.”
A Delta spokesperson told Newsweek: “We have acknowledged this customer’s request and are reaching out to address. We sincerely appreciate their trust in choosing Delta for their travel needs.”
The family also said the grief itself—not just the crash—makes travel nearly impossible. Allison described the only time they attempted to fly, for a memorial service in New Jersey for Dave Shapiro, Emma’s boss, who also died in the crash: “I got through security in the airport and I literally had a panic attack because it’s just people and noises and your nerve endings are so raw.”
Tim added: “We’re just not ready to do that…There’s no joy that we feel at all right now. I hope at a certain point [to] get to peace where I might be able to travel and actually try to enjoy something, but we’re just not there yet.”
The latest decision from Delta to reopen the case has further upset the couple.
“They did send me an email last Friday stating that they have reopened the case. But still no decision,” Tim said. “Frankly, it’s upsetting to hear from them that they reopened the request but still no decision. What do they need to contemplate? Seriously? It’s annoying. The decision should take one second.”
Tim added that the airline’s handling of the case has changed how he views a company he long supported. “I will change my frequent-flyer company…I can’t believe that, in my time of need, after 27 years of loyalty, that they weren’t here for me.”
Honoring Emma With Kindness
In the months since the crash, the family has launched the Bee Kind Project, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting kindness—an attribute they say defined Emma.
“If you did a word cloud, the number one word that people said to describe her was how kind she was,” Tim said. Allison added that Emma had a “treat people with kindness” sticker on her car, inspired by singer Harry Styles.
For what would have been Emma’s 26th birthday, the family organized “Bee Kind Day,” inviting people to complete acts of kindness in her honor.
Tim said if any good can come from the Delta situation, he hopes it brings more attention to the project: “So a bad experience for us can turn into more awareness about our project to spread kindness and generosity on her behalf.”
