Narrative:

Returning to dfw from mmsd about over mrf I was notified of an ill passenger on board. She was traveling with her family. Her mother is an emergency room nurse and she told the flight attendants that she thought her daughter was having an appendicitis attack. She had suspected it for a day or so and wanted to get her daughter to the states for care. She did not tell any person of her daughter's condition before boarding the plane. She requested that we have emt's meet the plane and she wanted her daughter transported to the hospital upon arriving at dfw. I contacted dispatch; relayed all the information and requests. I emphasized to dispatch that ramp and operations should be notified and to have the emt's standing by and to be prepared for transport. I then informed ATC. I did not declare an emergency as we were headed directly to dfw anyway. I asked what the traffic situation was and inquired as to any delays. None were expected. I asked them to forward to dfw that I would appreciate runway 36R so as to ensure no delays in crossing the runway to get to the gate. ATC wanted to know what gate we were parking at and we told them X. I have experienced ramp snafus before in a situation like this so I had the first officer send a text message reiterating our request for no gate changes and our expectation of being met by emt's. When in radio range I had the first officer call dfw operations and ramp control again requesting our gate and again informing them of what we needed. Upon switching to approach we were cleared for the runway 36R approach. Switching to tower we were cleared to land and they told us they would be holding all ground traffic and after landing to just taxi to the gate without calling ground. Outstanding service by the traffic control people. Unfortunately; we then had to deal with our own people. Upon landing we started to taxi to gate X. Wrong. Gate changed to Y! We were told to taxi to spot and hold! Why! Well; remember that ground was hold all traffic until we parked at gate X; well they certainly did. The taxiway to gate Y was occupied by 2 B777's and an MD80 all being told to hold their position by ground. After several mins we managed to get the B777's moving and held the MD80 so we could taxi to Y. What next? Of course; no parking crew. No problem after 11000 hours I know where to stop the airplane. When I was about 25 ft from the chocks the ground crew showed obviously angry because I had the temerity to taxi in without them. Now what? You guessed it -- no gate agent or emt's. The emt's were probably at X. After an insufferable amount of time and me melting the airways on ramp control; both an agent and the emt's arrived. We went to extraordinary lengths to communicate with our people -- not just once but several times to prevent what happened from happening. We need to fix this problem. If I have an ill passenger we need to dedicate an open gate to my aircraft; not bet on the come that some plane will depart on time. I was absolutely embarrassed by the company performance. As I said before; this is almost an exact repeat of what happened to me several yrs ago.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE CREW OF AN MD80 RPTS THE MISHANDLING OF A MEDICAL EMER UPON ARR AT A LARGE HUB ARPT.

Narrative: RETURNING TO DFW FROM MMSD ABOUT OVER MRF I WAS NOTIFIED OF AN ILL PAX ON BOARD. SHE WAS TRAVELING WITH HER FAMILY. HER MOTHER IS AN EMER ROOM NURSE AND SHE TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT SHE THOUGHT HER DAUGHTER WAS HAVING AN APPENDICITIS ATTACK. SHE HAD SUSPECTED IT FOR A DAY OR SO AND WANTED TO GET HER DAUGHTER TO THE STATES FOR CARE. SHE DID NOT TELL ANY PERSON OF HER DAUGHTER'S CONDITION BEFORE BOARDING THE PLANE. SHE REQUESTED THAT WE HAVE EMT'S MEET THE PLANE AND SHE WANTED HER DAUGHTER TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL UPON ARRIVING AT DFW. I CONTACTED DISPATCH; RELAYED ALL THE INFO AND REQUESTS. I EMPHASIZED TO DISPATCH THAT RAMP AND OPS SHOULD BE NOTIFIED AND TO HAVE THE EMT'S STANDING BY AND TO BE PREPARED FOR TRANSPORT. I THEN INFORMED ATC. I DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER AS WE WERE HEADED DIRECTLY TO DFW ANYWAY. I ASKED WHAT THE TFC SITUATION WAS AND INQUIRED AS TO ANY DELAYS. NONE WERE EXPECTED. I ASKED THEM TO FORWARD TO DFW THAT I WOULD APPRECIATE RWY 36R SO AS TO ENSURE NO DELAYS IN XING THE RWY TO GET TO THE GATE. ATC WANTED TO KNOW WHAT GATE WE WERE PARKING AT AND WE TOLD THEM X. I HAVE EXPERIENCED RAMP SNAFUS BEFORE IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS SO I HAD THE FO SEND A TEXT MESSAGE REITERATING OUR REQUEST FOR NO GATE CHANGES AND OUR EXPECTATION OF BEING MET BY EMT'S. WHEN IN RADIO RANGE I HAD THE FO CALL DFW OPS AND RAMP CTL AGAIN REQUESTING OUR GATE AND AGAIN INFORMING THEM OF WHAT WE NEEDED. UPON SWITCHING TO APCH WE WERE CLRED FOR THE RWY 36R APCH. SWITCHING TO TWR WE WERE CLRED TO LAND AND THEY TOLD US THEY WOULD BE HOLDING ALL GND TFC AND AFTER LNDG TO JUST TAXI TO THE GATE WITHOUT CALLING GND. OUTSTANDING SVC BY THE TFC CTL PEOPLE. UNFORTUNATELY; WE THEN HAD TO DEAL WITH OUR OWN PEOPLE. UPON LNDG WE STARTED TO TAXI TO GATE X. WRONG. GATE CHANGED TO Y! WE WERE TOLD TO TAXI TO SPOT AND HOLD! WHY! WELL; REMEMBER THAT GND WAS HOLD ALL TFC UNTIL WE PARKED AT GATE X; WELL THEY CERTAINLY DID. THE TXWY TO GATE Y WAS OCCUPIED BY 2 B777'S AND AN MD80 ALL BEING TOLD TO HOLD THEIR POS BY GND. AFTER SEVERAL MINS WE MANAGED TO GET THE B777'S MOVING AND HELD THE MD80 SO WE COULD TAXI TO Y. WHAT NEXT? OF COURSE; NO PARKING CREW. NO PROB AFTER 11000 HRS I KNOW WHERE TO STOP THE AIRPLANE. WHEN I WAS ABOUT 25 FT FROM THE CHOCKS THE GND CREW SHOWED OBVIOUSLY ANGRY BECAUSE I HAD THE TEMERITY TO TAXI IN WITHOUT THEM. NOW WHAT? YOU GUESSED IT -- NO GATE AGENT OR EMT'S. THE EMT'S WERE PROBABLY AT X. AFTER AN INSUFFERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME AND ME MELTING THE AIRWAYS ON RAMP CTL; BOTH AN AGENT AND THE EMT'S ARRIVED. WE WENT TO EXTRAORDINARY LENGTHS TO COMMUNICATE WITH OUR PEOPLE -- NOT JUST ONCE BUT SEVERAL TIMES TO PREVENT WHAT HAPPENED FROM HAPPENING. WE NEED TO FIX THIS PROB. IF I HAVE AN ILL PAX WE NEED TO DEDICATE AN OPEN GATE TO MY ACFT; NOT BET ON THE COME THAT SOME PLANE WILL DEPART ON TIME. I WAS ABSOLUTELY EMBARRASSED BY THE COMPANY PERFORMANCE. AS I SAID BEFORE; THIS IS ALMOST AN EXACT REPEAT OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME SEVERAL YRS AGO.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.