PA - Diana Ramos, 66, Flight attendant found deceased in hotel room, Philadelphia, Sept 2023

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www.nydailynews.com

American Airlines flight attendant found dead in Philadelphia identified as 66-year-old Diana Ramos

The American Airlines flight attendant who was found dead in a Philadelphia hotel room on Monday has been identified as 66-year-old Diana Ramos.
www.nydailynews.com www.nydailynews.com

September 28, 2023 at 8:26 p.m.


[...] The 66-year-old woman was found with a sock stuffed in her mouth in the Philadelphia Marriott, directly adjacent to the Philadelphia International Airport. Police considered her death “suspicious” from the get-go, officials told NBC10 on Tuesday.

[...] Another flight attendant who works for American Airlines said in a statement to People that Ramos had been part of a Los Angeles-based crew.


[...] Before she was publicly identified, American Airlines released a statement regarding the death.

“We are devastated by this news,” the company said. “Our thoughts are with the family and colleagues, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure all affected have the support they need during this difficult time. We will continue to cooperate fully with local law enforcement in their investigation.”
 
As a former very frequent flyer for work before retiring recently, this made me suspicious from a hotel standpoint, as well as the murder itself. I’ve stayed at that Airport Marriott before, and the staff had always been very professional at this upscale business type property.

What bothers me specifically, and there may be reasons for not reporting it:
  • The hotel staff did not find the body until 2 days later at a very busy and transient airport hotel, where most people most likely stayed only overnight.
  • I have no doubt that the crew called the hotel to report their missing Lead Flight Attendant (twice) and asked the hotel to follow up with her. A simple verification of phone numbers is easily doneto confirm this.
  • i don’t believe the crew was involved in any way. As to,”why would the crew leave without her?”. Each Flight Attendant (FA) has specific duties and there is a minimum crew required. This was an LAX based crew as well. I would imagine after reporting this to their crew office, a substitute F A was found, and sad as it is “the show must go on”, hence no reflection on the other crew members, they couldn’t delay the flight, and at that point didn’t know what happened to her and got a FA replacement on standby.
  • it so makes me wonder why there was no follow-up from the hotel though. At minimum they should have done a room check at checkout time, not two days later. It could have been a simple front desk screw-up of assuming she checked out, and then checked her out, but still the room would have to be clean and inspected. I‘m wondering if someone came in late checking in, and the guest went to the supposedly unoccupied room, found it dirty at 10:30pm and then housekeeping went in and found the body.
  • Finally, I saw in the NY post and others today that the woman had kept to herself mostly after her husband died a couple years prior. Perhaps she was meeting someone (hence no forced entry) and it turned bad. I would hope there are cameras in the hallways there, especially since it’s an airport hotel. Really sad story, and wonder about the loose details and answers, and hope they lead to justice soon.
  • All MOO of course.
 
Orlguy said:
As a former very frequent flyer for work before retiring recently, this made me suspicious from a hotel standpoint, as well as the murder itself. I’ve stayed at that Airport Marriott before, and the staff had always been very professional at this upscale business type property.

What bothers me specifically, and there may be reasons for not reporting it:
  • The hotel staff did not find the body until 2 days later at a very busy and transient airport hotel, where most people most likely stayed only overnight.
  • I have no doubt that the crew called the hotel to report their missing Lead Flight Attendant (twice) and asked the hotel to follow up with her. A simple verification of phone numbers is easily doneto confirm this.
  • i don’t believe the crew was involved in any way. As to,”why would the crew leave without her?”. Each Flight Attendant (FA) has specific duties and there is a minimum crew required. This was an LAX based crew as well. I would imagine after reporting this to their crew office, a substitute F A was found, and sad as it is “the show must go on”, hence no reflection on the other crew members, they couldn’t delay the flight, and at that point didn’t know what happened to her and got a FA replacement on standby.
  • it so makes me wonder why there was no follow-up from the hotel though. At minimum they should have done a room check at checkout time, not two days later. It could have been a simple front desk screw-up of assuming she checked out, and then checked her out, but still the room would have to be clean and inspected. I‘m wondering if someone came in late checking in, and the guest went to the supposedly unoccupied room, found it dirty at 10:30pm and then housekeeping went in and found the body.
  • Finally, I saw in the NY post and others today that the woman had kept to herself mostly after her husband died a couple years prior. Perhaps she was meeting someone (hence no forced entry) and it turned bad. I would hope there are cameras in the hallways there, especially since it’s an airport hotel. Really sad story, and wonder about the loose details and answers, and hope they lead to justice soon.
  • All MOO of course.
Click to expand...
It's possible she extended her stay on her own to avoid being found until it was too late. Not saying that happened, but it would explain why the hotel staff didn't notice she was in the room past her stay. I very gently state the possibility of self-harm remains on the table for me. Just a theory, not stating fact. jmo
 
Orlguy said:
As a former very frequent flyer for work before retiring recently, this made me suspicious from a hotel standpoint, as well as the murder itself. I’ve stayed at that Airport Marriott before, and the staff had always been very professional at this upscale business type property.

What bothers me specifically, and there may be reasons for not reporting it:
  • The hotel staff did not find the body until 2 days later at a very busy and transient airport hotel, where most people most likely stayed only overnight.
  • I have no doubt that the crew called the hotel to report their missing Lead Flight Attendant (twice) and asked the hotel to follow up with her. A simple verification of phone numbers is easily doneto confirm this.
  • i don’t believe the crew was involved in any way. As to,”why would the crew leave without her?”. Each Flight Attendant (FA) has specific duties and there is a minimum crew required. This was an LAX based crew as well. I would imagine after reporting this to their crew office, a substitute F A was found, and sad as it is “the show must go on”, hence no reflection on the other crew members, they couldn’t delay the flight, and at that point didn’t know what happened to her and got a FA replacement on standby.
  • it so makes me wonder why there was no follow-up from the hotel though. At minimum they should have done a room check at checkout time, not two days later. It could have been a simple front desk screw-up of assuming she checked out, and then checked her out, but still the room would have to be clean and inspected. I‘m wondering if someone came in late checking in, and the guest went to the supposedly unoccupied room, found it dirty at 10:30pm and then housekeeping went in and found the body.
  • Finally, I saw in the NY post and others today that the woman had kept to herself mostly after her husband died a couple years prior. Perhaps she was meeting someone (hence no forced entry) and it turned bad. I would hope there are cameras in the hallways there, especially since it’s an airport hotel. Really sad story, and wonder about the loose details and answers, and hope they lead to justice soon.
  • All MOO of course.
Click to expand...
Why the cloth or sock in her mouth? That's very specific right?
 
Hansen said:
Why the cloth or sock in her mouth? That's very specific right?
Click to expand...

I don't know specifically, but a sock should cause a gag reflex, unless a person takes so many meds that is is suppressed. Still, odd. Meant to look as suicide: an airport (it probably was her life); was she planning to retire? Yet, something doesn't match, mainly, that she could not control how soon she'd be found. We don't even know when she died. One wonders if the front desk didn't check on purpose?
 
Charlot123 said:
I don't know specifically, but a sock should cause a gag reflex, unless a person takes so many meds that is is suppressed. Still, odd. Meant to look as suicide: an airport (it probably was her life); was she planning to retire? Yet, something doesn't match, mainly, that she could not control how soon she'd be found. We don't even know when she died. One wonders if the front desk didn't check on purpose?
Click to expand...
We definitely need more information. I wouldn't think she'd planned to stay at that Marriott 2-3 days. Why didn't the airlines or the hotel check on her sooner?
 
Inthedetails said:
It's possible she extended her stay on her own to avoid being found until it was too late. Not saying that happened, but it would explain why the hotel staff didn't notice she was in the room past her stay. I very gently state the possibility of self-harm remains on the table for me. Just a theory, not stating fact. jmo
Click to expand...
A FA (flight attendant) friend asked me to reply and clarify FAs can’t extend their own stays while working, the airline would have to do it.

ETA: My mother is a retired FA and will no doubt say the same thing when I mention it.
 
Charlot123 said:
I don't know specifically, but a sock should cause a gag reflex, unless a person takes so many meds that is is suppressed. Still, odd. Meant to look as suicide: an airport (it probably was her life); was she planning to retire? Yet, something doesn't match, mainly, that she could not control how soon she'd be found. We don't even know when she died. One wonders if the front desk didn't check on purpose?
Click to expand...
I worked for years in the hotel business, mostly Marriotts. I think very highly of that company. But, putting aside the airline crew, as I don't think they were involved, I just have to say that with people coming and going, IMHO, something happened to her by another person. She could have had a visitor (no forced entry), and we don't know if the potential visitor could have been another hotel guest or a guest employee. These are only my thoughts. I cannot even fathom why she was not found for two days. I had not thought of her extending her stay. But after so many years with the airline, would she?
 
www.phillyvoice.com

Flight attendants criticize American Airlines' response to colleague's 'suspicious' death in Philly hotel

The union representing the carrier's cabin crews accuses a senior executive of dismissing their concerns after the alarming incident
www.phillyvoice.com www.phillyvoice.com
Click to expand...
Last week, members of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants — the labor union that represents more than 26,000 American Airlines flight attendants — marched into the airline's headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas to deliver a letter criticizing the way a senior executive handled the tragic incident and the company's dismissive response to workers' safety concerns, according to a statement published by the APFA.

[...]

When Ramos failed to show up for a flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, the APFA said American Airlines did not follow the normal procedure of calling the hotel to ask to check Ramos' hotel room, Forbes reported.

After Ramos' death, American Airlines' cabin crews expressed safety concerns and asked senior management to relocate them to another hotel for layovers in Philly while police investigated Ramos' mysterious death. According to the union's letter to American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, senior leadership refused to grant that request.
 
This is so sad. I also feel for the poor hotel staff who had to find her, that must be traumatizing.

This makes me think of the phrase, ‘put a sock in it’, meaning keep quiet or stop making noise. Was someone trying to keep her quiet either literally or figuratively? JMO
 
BaffleMe said:
This is interesting. I don't know what to make of it. Thoughts? Link from news -

www.phillyvoice.com

Flight attendants criticize American Airlines' response to colleague's 'suspicious' death in Philly hotel

The union representing the carrier's cabin crews accuses a senior executive of dismissing their concerns after the alarming incident
www.phillyvoice.com www.phillyvoice.com
Click to expand...
I think they are right to raise issue. If flight attendants do not show up for work while out of town, the absence should be followed up for employee safety.

jmo
 
I listened to lordanarts podcast about this very sad case. I believe he is approved on WS. He explains the circumstances very well and leaves the listener still wanting to know what happened, but many questions are answered.
Here's the one thing I want to share. Many airline employees commented about how airlines book rooms for the flight crew. Apparently AA keeps rooms at the Philly airport 24/7. The flight crew does not check into the hotel (as we, regular travelers would.) They come to the front desk, ID themselves, get a room key and then sign into a log book. They sign in on arrival, and sign out on departure (the AA log book.) The rooms are booked for AA employees who work crazy hours. The staff is not allowed to go into the room to clean unless they know the person has departed (checking log book.) So obviously the ball was dropped by AA when she didn't show up and offered no explanation for her absence, and also the hotel. One check of that log book would have told them she never checked out. Hope this gives a bit more context to this tragedy. She was so close to retirement and from all accounts, a loyal AA employee and was loved her family, friends and co-workers.

Edited to add that this is my opinion only.
 
roguelady said:
I listened to lordanarts podcast about this very sad case. I believe he is approved on WS. He explains the circumstances very well and leaves the listener still wanting to know what happened, but many questions are answered.
Here's the one thing I want to share. Many airline employees commented about how airlines book rooms for the flight crew. Apparently AA keeps rooms at the Philly airport 24/7. The flight crew does not check into the hotel (as we, regular travelers would.) They come to the front desk, ID themselves, get a room key and then sign into a log book. They sign in on arrival, and sign out on departure (the AA log book.) The rooms are booked for AA employees who work crazy hours. The staff is not allowed to go into the room to clean unless they know the person has departed (checking log book.) So obviously the ball was dropped by AA when she didn't show up and offered no explanation for her absence, and also the hotel. One check of that log book would have told them she never checked out. Hope this gives a bit more context to this tragedy. She was so close to retirement and from all accounts, a loyal AA employee and was loved her family, friends and co-workers.

Edited to add that this is my opinion only.
Click to expand...
Useful information about check-in/check-out. Thanks.

jmo
 
Inthedetails said:
Useful information about check-in/check-out. Thanks.

jmo
Click to expand...
I wonder if the rooms that are ”permanently reserved” by AA for airline crew members are specific ones/on a specific floor or in a particular wing of the hotel, or if a certain number of rooms just sort of generically “held” by the airline (like, there are always 25 rooms ”blocked out” in the reservations system, but the specific room type and location is assigned based on whatever rooms are available at the time the flight crew member shows up at the front desk. The reason for my curiosity is whether there is the potential of hotel staff accidentally giving a regular guest a key to a room which had already been assigned to a flight attendant (who it sounds like would’ve just signed for the room key in the logbook, and whose occupancy of a particular room therefore might not be reflected on the electronic room allocation/reservations system hotel staff can see when a regular guest checks in).
 
ifindedout said:
Last week, members of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants — the labor union that represents more than 26,000 American Airlines flight attendants — marched into the airline's headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas to deliver a letter criticizing the way a senior executive handled the tragic incident and the company's dismissive response to workers' safety concerns, according to a statement published by the APFA.

[...]

When Ramos failed to show up for a flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, the APFA said American Airlines did not follow the normal procedure of calling the hotel to ask to check Ramos' hotel room, Forbes reported.

After Ramos' death, American Airlines' cabin crews expressed safety concerns and asked senior management to relocate them to another hotel for layovers in Philly while police investigated Ramos' mysterious death. According to the union's letter to American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, senior leadership refused to grant that request.
Click to expand...

If AA really called and asked to check, the fault lies squarely with Marriott. Airport Marriott exists and gets business precisely from the airlines. They should follow on the requests of the airlines. The way it looks, it is not a safe hotel, and I understand the concern of the airline crews. (I would compare if with the situation when an operating nurse didn’t show up for the planned surgical procedure in the morning. Much as it is a team, there is also a patient waiting. So chances are, they’d call another nurse and ask to step in, and probably call nurse manager or HR, but after that, it falls on HR to check on the absent nurse. The team is off to surgery.)

- the death of the flight attendant happened at the Marriott
- the Marriott failed to check, to clean, the body was found in two days in an upscale hotel??
- they have cameras everywhere, how come it was missed?
- they didn’t follow on the crew’s request to check
- the way it was handled, it it possible that the killer was working at the desk and answered the phone? That could explain the lack of response,
 
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