Doctor: Delta flight attendant doubted my credentials

BOSTON - When a woman started shaking and hyperventilating on board a Delta flight this week a Massachusetts doctor was ready to jump in and help.

But she couldn't, at least not right away.

Dr. Fatima Stanford says flight attendants didn't trust her credentials.

Stanford says after seeing news stories about other doctors who'd had the same trouble on flights, she made sure to travel with her medical license.

But even after she presented the license to a flight attendant, the woman had doubts.

"I just talked with the first flight attendant and she said, 'You're not really a doctor, you're just a head doctor,'" Fatima said. "I said 'Excuse me, what do you mean by that?' 'Oh, so you're not really an M.D., are you?'"

Delta has changed its policy about doctors onboard flights and no longer requires flight attendants to ask for medical credentials for offers of medical assistance.

In a statement to the New York Post, the airline thanked Dr. Stanford for her assistance and apologized for the misunderstanding.