American Airlines First Class Passenger Kicked Off Flight After Demanding Predeparture Beverage

A first class American Airlines passenger was kicked off of a flight after requesting a predeparture beverage. He refused to leave after being told to do so a flight attendant and a pilot, so police were called.

He wants to know what he’s done. It doesn’t matter, he’s been told to leave and in the moment there’s nothing he can do about it. The request does not have to be reasonable. He’s going to have to comply.

About four minutes into video of the incident, the passenger’s phone was taken because he was recording the incident. Ironically video of the whole incident was shared online and it was clearly taken by an employee. Eventually he’s pulled from his seat, led out of the aircraft, and handcuffed on the jet bridge.

Since we don’t have video of what was said before the passenger was told to leave the aircraft, let’s assume he was rude when his request for a drink was denied:

Man forcibly removed from flight after refusing multiple requests to leave from attendants, pilot, and police. All started over being denied a pre-takeoff gin and tonic.
by u/losfathead in PublicFreakout

The passenger is largely being roasted in the comments on social media because he’s in first class and the altercation is over a drink. And it’s pointless to argue – escalating the situation only ends badly. But surely the airline ought to be calling the crew in here. Even if they weren’t going to offer predeparture beverages, they shouldn’t have escalated this either.

One of the key service elements of American Airlines domestic first class is the predeparture beverage. Passengers are supposed to be offered something to drink during boarding. The airline has emphasized how valuable this is for customer perception and handed out fortune cookies trying to convince them to do it.

Many flight attendants just don’t bother to do it, and the airline doesn’t actually do anything about it. The most important thing for the airline is an on-time departure, and sometimes there just isn’t time. If a flight boards late, and passengers are pouring down the aisle into the plane, flight attendants aren’t supposed to slow things down. And if ever questioned, all they ever have to do is suggest that they didn’t want to risk delaying pushback.

Since there are no consequences when they don’t do this part of the job, many crewmembers just don’t do it. Others are openly hostile to the idea.

  • Their pay is calculated on flight time after the boarding door closes, so they don’t want to work before then.
  • They don’t receive enough profit sharing, so don’t care if customers are happy and the airline profitable.

This is a comment about predeparture beverages an American Airlines flight attendant once left on this website,

You bought the seat in 1st. The service is optional. FAs are on board to save your ass not kiss it. …Are there no drinking fountains or restrooms in the terminal? …[Y]ou are so self absorbed , you whine about everything. Walk a day in someone else’s shoes for a change. Tip your flight attendant. They make less than minimum wage working double the hours they get paid for. You tip the waitress that brings your food why is this job any different?

It’s absolutely reasonable for a first class passenger to request a predeparture beverage. In fact it should be proactively offered. However if you’re a frequent traveler on American Airlines you know not to expect this. And arguing with your crew is never going to end up the way you want it to.

(HT: @bags)

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. The tyranny of the flight attendant, who can call in more armed muscle than any mafia boss when he or she doesn’t like the way they’ve been spoken to. Horrible and totally unacceptable . . . but it will be accepted because “safety,” etc.

  2. The guy breaks down and weeps like a little girl as he’s dragged into the jetway. He must have wanted that PDB something awful.

  3. AA FA insults the passengers who keep her employed and then she asks for a tip. Talk about being “self absorbed”.

  4. I don’t ask if they don’t offer. I just file a ‘services not as described’ chargeback for even the smallest service failures. AA and BA don’t even fight them anymore. They don’t have the staff. And AMEX always gets my back. Have now charged back about $15K in airfare in the last year successfully. Hit them where it hurts. They’ll learn eventually.

  5. @ Gary — The guy seemed drunk when removed. Idiot. OTOH, I’m sure the FA completey overacted to whatever happened and treated the passenger like garbage. That’s the AA way.

  6. Entitled brats are taking over this country. Man-babies who cry when they don’t get their sippy cup, then verbally abuse flight attendants for a PRIVATE COMPANY.

    A plan is not a public place, you MUST leave when asked to. Otherwise you ARE COMMITTING A CRIME.
    All these babies in the comments calling American Airlines “terrorists” are the same babies that get physically ejected from planes for being whiny little bitches. FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT

    This entitled little cuck thought he was better than everyone else and could do as he pleased and treat people like shit because he didn’t get what he wanted.

    I GUARANTEE THIS WAS A REPUBLICAN. The whiniest of cucks there are, always abusing people to make themselves feel better.

    This fully grown man was CRYING because he had to face the repercussions of his actions. Why are republicans committed to being such losers?

  7. @Hugh Edmunds – seriously dude? You request the entire fare to be charged back because you didn’t get a damn drink? That is way over the top. Look I appreciate the drink before departure but am not going to act like it is my God given right. There are other considerations.

    Also, I suspect, as Gene noted, the guy was already drunk and he likely either got loud and threatening or cursed at the FA. No way of knowing without hearing the entire exchange but no one is getting kicked off for simply requesting a drink and then accepting the fact they won’t get one for whatever reason is given.

  8. Thanks, Pat; I’d like to buy a proofreader to make this article readable.

  9. I wasn’t there, but I’ve found AA FAs to often be rude and lazy, esp in the front cabin. Maybe the passenger was already drunk who knows. ” We’re here primarily for your safety” , which is AA speak for we hate pax and will do as little as possible service wise.

  10. @Gene – if he was inebriated then this is at least in part at the feet of American management for single agent boarding. By cutting staff at the gate there’s no longer time to pull aside passengers who might not be fit to fly.

  11. Never endanger a plane full of people by letting an incident like this slip.
    Yes snowflakes, standards for behavior on a plane need to be high for the safety of everyone.
    Take Greyhound. It’s where you belong.

  12. There is something clearly wrong with this passenger. While I agree that flight attendants should offer the pre-departure beverage, it is wrong to use this incident to make any point about that. It is EXTREMELY unlikely he was thrown off the plane for asking for a drink. There’s way more going on here.

  13. Two thoughts… 1) AS puts little boxes of water at each seat in F prior to boarding. 2) PDB’s are nice, but not a guaranteed benefit of being seated in F — and if you don’t get one, it’s not he end of the world (though, apparently, it can be the end of your flight)..

  14. I am a current AA FA and I’m appalled at how most of you have responded. While I can agree that some of my coworkers can be rude or lazy when it comes to service the vast majority, and I’ve worked with thousands, are not. I’ve read the official report on this incident. The passenger got up and cornered the flight attendant while she was doing a briefing with the flight deck. Not only is this aggressive behavior, but that is physical and verbal assault. Also the passenger keeps asking for what law he broke. Both the captain and the flight attendant asked him to leave the aircraft. He refused. Failure to follow flight crew instructions is a violation of federal law. You all need to figure out the entire story before being so quick to judge a flight crew that I know personally and are one do the best and most professional.

  15. @MD Really?A flight attendant (most self-aggrandizing people on earth, whose only job is to pour drinks and fellate the pilot but have spent 20 years convincing themselve that they are “safety” personnel and law enforcement) went on a power trip and had someone arrested for suggesting she do her job. Why does there need to be more to it than that? It happens every day and will continue to happen as long as we put up with the nonsense about FAs being “safety” and deserving of constant wage increases and unlimited power to imprison anyone they don’t feel like waiting on. We need a purge of people who took this job since 9/11 because they’re attracted to the idea of being cruel and capricious to those in their power and a replacement of them with people interested in the actual work.

  16. @gary leff — your comment to @gene seems like someone who wants to keep digging. We weren’t there so we don’t know the whole story, but from what we do know, it seems highly probable that the person responsible for this incident is the passenger, and there’s scant evidence that anyone at the airline did anything wrong, and most likely they did things that were right.

  17. I travel quite frequently. I NEVER travel on AA. I’ve said before and I’ll say again…it’s the entire corporate culture at American. Management doesn’t give a s*** about the employees and the employees and their union don’t give a s*** about the company. The passengers get what it the results of that total breakdown. I guess that sometimes a passenger is forced to take American. I’d go for a 1 stop on any other airline than a nonstop on American. As for taking the man’s cell phone…that is theft by taking. They can ASK him to quit photography/video but they can’t take the cellphone.

  18. I’m not going to defend this dude… No one here knows the full story…. and I think anyone who is rude to ANY airline staff should be BANED from future flying… period…
    (side note, I don’t fly AA… but fly United)

    HOWEVER… Things have gotten to the point where you are only paying for your seat.. period… and that’s sad, but true.

    as I’m typing this, I’m on a flight from SAT->SFO in first on a United Express ERJ-175 in first using 8$ wifi…

    I remember pre-covid, every week, 530am or 630am or 730am flights from SAT to IAH…. a 35-45 minute flight, getting a pre-departure drink, a HOT breakfast pastry (muffin or scone) and an in-flight drink…. Today? prices are 2 or 3 times what they were…. and you might get water… MIGHT… even during covid we got a pre-packaged goodie bag; but not today… Maybe Water.

    Now, again, pay for what you want.. and that’s the seat for me…. but i can see how he’s frustrated with the lack of service we get these days. But, pay only for what you know you’ll receive…

    The article does point mostly to the FA’s, but at the same time the airlines aren’t putting the food on to serve… telling the FA’s to do X and Y… It’s just as much the airlines cost cutting measures to blame here as the FA’s.

    I no longer expect anything but my seat… so I’m a happy camper… anything on top of my seat is bonus points.. including water… I don’t recommend buying outside of economy if you have high expectations on domestic flights.

  19. @Alan_Michael_Miller can you share what is informing your certainty around the passenger’s political affiliation? Your overall response suggests you might have some things you need to work through that, if present in the very people you are attacking, you would find unacceptable. Then again, your response may just be just another attempt to pivot a conversation to politics.

    [reference to deleted comment redacted -gl]

  20. @chopsticks – @Gene was speculating, and I offered some additional context. Even the employee commenting on the incident report above doesn’t suggest the passenger was drunk.

    I literally write in the piece that we do not have video of what transpired leading up to this situation and I stipulate, in essence, that the guy was probably being a jerk. And that arguing is never a productive strategy, you’re getting off that plane.

    “and most likely they did things that were right” now you’re the one purely in the realm of speculation.

  21. @Andy “The passenger got up and cornered the flight attendant while she was doing a briefing with the flight deck.”

    Interrupting the flight attendant, rather than waiting, was inadvisable. The passenger and flight attendant could easily have viewed the situation very differently, and there’s no way to know if an objective observer would have viewed it as “cornering” (indeed, if they were “doing a briefing with the flight deck” it’s hard to imagine how the flight attendant was ‘cornered’.

    “Not only is this aggressive behavior, but that is physical and verbal assault.”

    No, that is not assault.

    “Also the passenger keeps asking for what law he broke. Both the captain and the flight attendant asked him to leave the aircraft. He refused.”

    He’s asking what he did to precipitate being asked to leave the aircraft.

    “Failure to follow flight crew instructions is a violation of federal law.”

    You’re either referring to 14 CFR 121.317(k) – which refers to seatbelts and smoking – or to 14 CFR 121.580, “No person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember’s duties aboard an aircraft being operated under this part.”

    It is not a violation of federal law to ‘fail to follow crewmember instructions’ (common misconception). It is a violation of federal to to “interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember’s duties” and that’s what is at issue here.

    The flight attendant should have offered a predeparture beverage. The passenger shouldn’t have gotten up and interrupted the flight attendant to ask for one. But once they did, the flight attendant should have de-escalated.

  22. [reference to deleted comment redacted -gl]

    These articles are shared with us so we get a range of information, and our comments/interaction should be appreciative and not abusive or bullying in any way.

    We have the choice:
    To unsubscribe from email alerts
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    To leave Constructive comments and mutually support each other, whatever our religion or political views etc

    I rarely comment on here… and I first want to thank Gary for all the views from the wing articles… And I hope you do make some income from affiliates etc for all your hard work bringing us some interesting articles.

    I also want to thank all air crews, I know jobs can be demanding… AND i do wish they have the same attitude as i do that customer care and customer service is so important in any customer facing job: i work as a tour manager/Cruise director and I try and give 100% to everyone regardless of how i am feeling, or my real self employed income being below minimum wage compared to all the hours of preparation and work … If I accept an assignment I smile and get on with it knowing I am lucky to have a job!

    Wishing everyone happy journey through Passover, Easter, Ramadan and any other celebrations at this time

  23. The key issue I see here is that a passenger getting filmed and that video being dragged all over social media and the Internet creates a significant risk that their job/livelihood will be irreparably harmed. People in public need to think about consequences when they do something. We live in a day and age where people are just looking for ways to get folks fired. I don’t fly American anymore because I had two consecutive really bad flight cancellation issues, one of which forced me to take a bus from Boston to New York with my daughter and I’m not doing that again

    . If the passenger cornered the flight attendant, I can understand why this went down the way it did. I was physically threatened in my own office by a coworker, and was astounded at the lack of response from our firm’s leadership. Caused me to completely rethink whether I should stay at that company (I didn’t).

  24. Most likely: The customer was already intoxicated, and the FA realized it when he asked for a PDB. If he asked for a PDB and didn’t take no for an answer, he’s pretty much assuring that the FA will remove him from the aircraft.

    Once the FA asks you to go you need to go. Certainly once law enforcement asks you to go you NEED to go, and refusing law enforcement is another indicator the passenger was intoxicated.

    I suppose there’s a lesser chance PDB service wasn’t happening and the passenger angered the FA with his response to the lack of PDB service. We don’t know if that was merely rude or actually threatening.

  25. The passengers was drunk and was probably obnoxious about requesting alcohol on the ground , and probably became more disturbing after being denied an alcoholic drink.
    I am sure all other passengers were thankful to the crew for removing him . He was deemed intoxicated, and not fit to fly .
    Because of idiots like this , new restrictions for alcohol consumption onboard may surge .
    But that will also be the flight attendants fault , like always . Thank you Gary .

  26. The PDB issue is a black eye on AA as it has been ongoing for years and exclusively impacts their best customers. Every forum is full of disgruntled loyalty members who are growing tired of these antics. Make serving a PDB mandatory and solve the problem. FAs are there for my safety? Give me a break. The same type of FA who is too lazy to offer a PDB is the same type of FA who would be first out the inflatable slide.

  27. @gary. If the flight attendant is doing a briefing with the pilots and a passenger interrupts that briefing by yelling at the flight attendant, that is interfering. He continued to yell at the flight attendant. He blocked her from leaving the flight deck if that’s not interfering then I don’t know what is.

  28. Everytime you post it’s always something bad about American Airlines LOL weren’t you just crying in a public forum earlier this week because they didn’t invite you back to be a concierge key??? i wonder why……..

  29. @LRon “The same type of FA who is too lazy to offer a PDB is the same type of FA who would be first out the inflatable slide.”

    This really is the key insight. The PDB is an excellent barometer of how seriously an FA takes their job duties – which is exactly why this topic is often such a sore point for FAs.

  30. So much more to this “story” but Gary will still post the manufactured version of it to get clicks, views etc and I admit even I fell for it. Those of us who fly frequently get it though

  31. The flight attendant should have offered a predeparture beverage. The passenger shouldn’t have gotten up and interrupted the flight attendant to ask for one. But once they did, the flight attendant should have de-escalated.

    I agree with Gary’s take that “the flight attendant should have de-escalated”. One of flight attendants job descriptions is poise and professionalism at all times, precisely because they cannot control ahead of time who or what kind of nutcase will board an airplane, but they must ensure that things run smoothly, from boarding to seating to on board service. Everyone is, therefore, better served if flight attendants “deescalate” rather than light the fuse that explodes a volatile situation brought about by a ‘misbehaving” or “difficult” passenger…

  32. @Gary I appreciate you circling this around to the single-agent boarding debacle that AA has shifted to with lesser capacity planes. But aside from the fact that we don’t know what’s now become the “Minus 5” or the “Minus 10” – the 5 or 10 minutes leading up to the video commencing, there is an even bigger picture than that.

    You brought upthread that no matter whether the request is logical or not, the orders being barked at him must be complied with. You and I both know that’s the case, but – inexperienced flyers can not so easily embrace that concept. Whether it comes down to reading the CoCs, or Sony researching flight decorum, encountering someone you perceive to be trying to either take custody of you or just extract remove you from your current circumstances can have an automatic negative reaction. In society, even if intoxicated m, those types of situations usually end badly when presented. On a plane, where there is clearly a different level of compliance, it’s got to be even more exacerbated.

    I also will echo the chorus upthread that while some of the best encounters I’ve ever had with random stranger have been some of AA’s FAs, so have some of the worst. And we’ve both witnesses FAs toxic behavior toward passengers they deem are less than worthy.

    But, alas, without the Minus 5, we won’t know just how circumstances deteriorated to that level.

  33. By all means, hold up boarding of the flight and take off so first class get their pre-departure beverage. It’s a stupid practice to begin with. I am frequently asked by a flight attendant to wait up front so they can go hand out drinks?! Seriously? This is why I usually try to fly Southwest. I’d rather deal with their problems then be treated like a second class citizen.

  34. Wow! What a bunch of over privileged whining people. All of you! …oh I will never fly AA again because flight attendants didn’t bow to my needs ! Or not realizing only about 2-5% of the world population has ever flown on an airplane. It’s a ride. Period. You take a 3 day bus trip see if you get a pre departure drink. I hope this country elects Donald Trump again. He truly is the the leader the country needs.

  35. @Andy, don’t be appalled. 90% of the people with their comments about ‘F/As are there only to sling you a drink’ have actually never even stepped foot on an airplane. They sit at home and write these comments because it makes them feel better about themselves. It’s actually very sad. They love to push down on others, especially in these comment sections on F/As. It makes them feel like ‘Big Man on Campus’ for a few minutes. My family and friends just laugh at all the nuts who comment. You know who you are and what you do and these yayhoos wouldn’t last 1 hour in our job before they’d be on the bridge bawling just like the guy in video.

  36. So recognizing an intoxicated passenger and removing him
    prior to door closure is taught in training. We are actually taught to not serve drinks to intoxicated passengers or to those who appear drunk as it can escalate things. I’m surprised this isn’t mentioned by the author, but he sounds like an alcoholic so there is that.

  37. It’s the whole “September 11th” mentality stronger than ever adopted by U.S. airline flight attendants and flight officers. I may be an American but the last thing I will ever do is fly a U.S. carrier including American because of the :attitude”.

  38. When I saw the headline, I assumed this post was going to be autobiographical. I’m glad it wasn’t.

  39. First he’s an idiot to demand and refuse. He should have been kicked off. However. It’s probably a violation to take a passengers phone simply because they are recording. The plane is accessed by the public, you are in public and you serve the public. You have no expectation of privacy in public.

  40. I fly a decent amount, a lot of it internationally (so Flyer1 can take a hike).

    FAs can be good or bad. But when they are bad, they are power tripping babies who have to run to security got every perceived slight. And some have a hair trigger with their superiority complex.

    I find very little of this on international airlines. It’s the AA and Deltas who are the worst about it.

  41. It would be nice to know how this escalated to the moment the filming begins. What really happened here? What behavior would have justified this level of response? Is being a dick over not getting a drink just cause for kicking him off? The man does not seem drunk or belligerent at any point until they pull him from the seat. I don’t blame the guy for crying once they are taking him away – hell, I’d be pretty overwhelmed if I were in his shoes, if I felt I was being tossed off a plane and no one would listen to me anymore.

    When I’m feeling heated up, I hate the idea of bowing before arbitrary authority, as if allowing myself to be hauled away is conceding they were in the right to do so. That being said, in a calm state of mind, I tell myself, unless this is truly “a hill worth dying on,” it’s probably best to do what you’re told by an authority with capacity to impose force of violence. Once you’re off the plane, you can begin the process of making your case through a lawyer or whatever. Ending up being hauled off will almost never help that case. But damn if that doesn’t feel hard to swallow.

    I find myself reflecting on such a situation and thinking: At what point did this guy realize this was not something he could talk them out of doing to him? You can kind of see that for a long long time, he still thinks, if I can just get my point across, maybe they will listen. Maybe they will change their minds. But that’s not going to happen. The people who are there to take him off aren’t there to listen. That moment has passed.

    It sounds like quite a few of the other passengers were telling him to comply and get off the plane. Was that because they thought he had deserved it or because they just no longer cared at a certain point because his presence was going to hold up the flight? Who can say? People talk about sticking up for justice all the time, but they be can be pretty coldblooded when it’s not them in the hot seat.

  42. Quick….PR dept….offer75K AA miles for credit cards before this becomes viral….That should shut people up from talking about it.

  43. Gotta say, some days I wish I, too, could justify shirking my job duties by simply insulting the sobriety of my customers:

    “Oh you want that project wrapped up by the deadline, do ya, you drooling tippler?” “Report in your inbox by morning – more like you’ll find it at the bottom of a bottle, innit?”

  44. For all the experts out there , just to clear your tiny thinking cap.
    Airlines have to have flight attendant on board. Even if they didn’t want to have them and even if you birdbrains wanted them off because of low or no service, that will not happen because it’s is required!!!!!!
    14 CFR § 91.533 – Flight attendant requirements.
    § 91.533 Flight attendant requirements.
    (a) No person may operate an airplane unless at least the following number of flight attendants are on board the airplane:

    (1) For airplanes having more than 19 but less than 51 passengers on board, one flight attendant.

    (2) For airplanes having more than 50 but less than 101 passengers on board, two flight attendants.

    (3) For airplanes having more than 100 passengers on board, two flight attendants plus one additional flight attendant for each unit (or part of a unit) of 50 passengers above 100.

    (b) No person may serve as a flight attendant on an airplane when required by paragraph (a) of this section unless that person has demonstrated to the pilot in command familiarity with the necessary functions to be performed in an emergency or a situation requiring emergency evacuation and is capable of using the emergency equipment installed on that airplane.
    So there it is in a nutshell, I mean if a drink is that important get one before hand!!
    Omg I didn’t see nothing about service !!!!

  45. Poor service is precisely why I now fly shared charter whenever possible. It’s usually not much more than 1st class and saves significant time.

    Airlines will continue to mistreat customers as long as customers allow it. Crazy that airlines have been given the power to make criminals out of any passenger by capriciously demanding passengers exit the plane.

  46. This whole “we’re not getting paid until doors are closed” is such an abusive, misleading and infuriating statement. It’s been repeated over and over again to the point that even FAs now believe it. You ARE getting paid and the component is called a “per diem.” You are on duty and you must serve pre-departure drinks in First. If you don’t do that – you’re breaking your company policies. The self-entitlement of those FAs is demoralizing and appalling. It’s really, really disgusting. Imagine: in order to get to work you have to commute, you have to pay for gas, drive or take public transportation. Using this “logic” of “not getting paid until the doors are closed” you all would have to stay at home and never even get to work, because you’re not getting paid for getting to work. FA job is a unique one and it’s not all about the damn money. There are quirks and unusual aspects to it and you all ARE getting paid for doing a job that many people truly passionate about customer service can’t get, because you are all blocking their spots while all you do is complain, threaten pax and be miserable. This attitude is so gross, it’s beyond. Management should terminate those FAs but they can’t, because they’ve allowed unions to literally sabotage the whole industry, especially in the US. This is so, so sad and infuriating.

  47. This whole “we’re not getting paid until doors are closed” is such an abusive, misleading and infuriating statement. It’s been repeated over and over again to the point that even FAs now believe it. You ARE getting paid and the component is called a “per diem.” You are on duty and you must serve pre-departure drinks in First. If you don’t do that – you’re breaking your company policies. The self-entitlement of those FAs is demoralizing and appalling. It’s really, really disgusting. Imagine: in order to get to work you have to commute, you have to pay for gas, drive or take public transportation. Using this “logic” of “not getting paid until the doors are closed” you all would have to stay home and never even get to work, because you’re not getting paid for getting to work. FA job is a unique one and it’s not all about the money. There are quirks and unusual aspects to it and you all ARE getting paid for doing a job that many people truly passionate about customer service can’t get, because you are all blocking their spots and all you do is complain, threaten pax and be miserable. This attitude is so gross, it’s beyond. Management should terminate those FAs but they can’t, because they’ve allowed unions to literally sabotage the whole industry, especially in the US. This is so, so sad and infuriating.

  48. Mac On a flight some passengers in coach was obsessively demanding service. We were sitting across from the galley and could see the flight attendant attempting to compose herself. My husband got up and went to the offending passengers and told them to lay off. And they did. I guess it would be dangerous to try this in the “me first, me only ” sort of jack*sses we have in all parts of our country. He told her what he did and she said “you didn’t” My husband told her his call button didn’t work. She responded I turned yours off!

  49. Interesting. Don’t think I will challenge them on it tho.
    “ It is not a violation of federal law to ‘fail to follow crewmember instructions’ (common misconception). It is a violation of federal to to “interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember’s duties” .

  50. @Crandall J – those are the minimum legal requirements to satisfy the government to operate the aircraft. Those are not the extent of the job duties. The government requires flight attendants, airlines hire people to satisfy that requirement and perform other activities.

    And while you say “Omg I didn’t see nothing about service !!!!” the government doesn’t require service, or an airline to sell a first class product (some do not). American Airlines first class isn’t ‘supposed to be’ Frontier (where they… also offer a drink service)

  51. I earned 200,000 points last year in order to get to the Executive Platinum level on American Airlines. Last week I flew coach from New Orleans to Chicago. No upgrade but that’s OK. I asked the flight attendant for the snack box that A.A. promises to Exec Plat passengers in coach. This was a complete surprise to her. Then she said there were no snack boxes. Then she said the snack you receive is actually the same pretzels that everyone else receives. Then she used the word Covid. A universal excuse for everything. I asked when are snack boxes going to be re-instituted and she has no idea. Can I get the $200,000 I spent on credit cards and flights back? I’m not asking for anything for free, in fact, the snack box is a very small token in exchange for the money I’ve given them.

  52. AA doesnt pay flight pay until btakes are released although they have the technology to do so..
    Other airlines start flight pay at door closure

  53. Hard to draw conclusions since there’s no video from before the arrival of police. But I hold these truths to be self-evident:
    1. There is never any justification for a flight attendant to demand that a passenger stop recording an incident, or to demand or confiscate a passenger’s cellphone while recording an incident.
    2. If a passenger is asked to leave, he should be told the reason why.

    If the order to leave was not justified, and if wasted time was not a concern for the passenger, it could have been strategic for him waiting for law enforcement to arrive if only because it would totally screw up the departure time, which is the only reason for refusing predeparture in First. But once law enforcement arrive and asked him to leave, the game was up and he should have gotten the first time law enforcement asked him to for his own benefit.

  54. @Gary
    If so then tell me Mr Gary what do you think is taught at flight attendants training school across America.
    Do you actually think its food service or beverage service or even customer service. That part of their training is minimum to none.(maybe in the 60s , 70s and early 80s.)
    The main focus is SAFETY.
    The airlines are in the business of moving people from point A to point B. And making a profit doing it.
    Anything else is second. The days of fine dining in the sky and having your favorite cocktail is far gone.
    The airlines have to hire and comply with the minimum government requirements if not they could not run a major airline. So they have to pay these flight attendants to be there (because of government requirement). so instead of just standing around as safety professional , lets give them something to do !!! That’s the reality of it !!! Think about it !!!
    When I travel I eat before I get on the plane ( airline food really) Have a drink at one of the many bars / restaurants/ Clubs (if your a member)..Grab a bottle of water and a good book.
    And kick back till I reach my destination. Simple !!!!

  55. Me: Objection. No foundation. Inadmissible hearsay. Not material to the issue at hand.
    Judge: Sustained. Jury will disregard.

    I am appalled at the gratuitous insults and hate being spewed by some of the posters:

    “Must be a Republican” — clearly out of bounds. The politics of the person being responded to are not apparent.

    “Jewish professor” — clearly anti-semitic. Doesn’t matter who the professor is, if true they should be reprimanded. But the only reference is something unspecified (and likely hate speech in and of itself) the poster read.

    What do we know? That the person removed from the plane confronted the FA. There is some evidence that the FA was performing other duties. Whether the FA felt threatened or trapped in the galley, or felt otherwise intimidated is unknown. I woud hope that the FA had previously asked the pax to return to his seat before having him removed, but we don’t know that either or what was said. In short, there is no evidence either way about what really happened.

    BTW, @Gary — you missed the statute governing this: 49 U.S.C. 46504: “An individual on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States who, by assaulting or intimidating a flight crew member or flight attendant of the aircraft, interferes with the performance of the duties of the member or attendant or lessens the ability of the member or attendant to perform those duties, or attempts or conspires to do such an act, shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both. However, if a dangerous weapon is used in assaulting or intimidating the member or attendant, the individual shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life. (Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1244; Pub. L. 107–56, title VIII, § 811(i), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 382.)”

    How much must the ability of a crewmember be lessened? Probably not much. Any appreciable amount would be sufficient to get prison time or a hefty fine.

  56. @ronald damsel : This exactly the main problem with passengers . The flight attendants have no say in what elements , service levels , snacks are loaded on the plane , yet fas get blamed for everything .
    No snacks are loaded on flights under 1300 miles or less, and last time I checked , Msy to Ord is way under that bracket . It has nothing to see with COVID . The only fault on the fa is not knowing the reason why that flight did not have any snack other than pretzels or cookies .

  57. it might have something to do with the ‘helicopter parenting’ trend that emerged in the 1990s and early 2000s that emphasized the importance of constantly praising and rewarding children, regardless of their behavior or accomplishments. 20+ years later, it probably leads to a flood of adults who believe they are above everyone else.

  58. @Crandell J “The airlines are in the business of moving people from point A to point B. And making a profit doing it.”

    American Airlines, the subject of this video, can’t make money moving people from point A to point B at low fares. Their costs, including labor costs, are too high for that. In order to make money American Airlines needs to do two things:

    (1) sell frequent flyer miles to credit card issuers (passengers have to prefer their miles, so the brand matters)
    (2) sell travel at a revenue premium – get people to spend more than the bare minimum for travel. They do this by offering a premium experience.

    No, a carrier with the cost structure of American Airlines cannot survive by providing mere basic transportation. Now, American doesn’t emphasize service properly in its flight attendant training. But the did run folks through ‘Elevate’ training (“Elevate The Everyday Experience”), right?

  59. Chris says:
    April 7, 2023 at 12:08 pm

    This whole “we’re not getting paid until doors are closed” is such an abusive, misleading and infuriating statement. It’s been repeated over and over again to the point that even FAs now believe it. You ARE getting paid and the component is called a “per diem.”
    WELL PAID PER DIEM IS ABOUT $1.75 AND HOUR AND NO OTHER PAY UNTIL THE BRAKES ARE RELEASED. YOU ARE SO WELL INFORMED. hahahaha WALK IN THEIR SHOES JUST ONCE AND YOUR ENTIRE ATTITUDE WOULD BE A LITTLE MORE CIVIL.

  60. It’s time to have cameras on the planes that records video and audio. There is a saying tape don’t lie in sports. Watch how fast FA actually do their job correctly out of fear the videos is watched by supervisors. People will behave cause airlines can boot them with video audio evidence of being a bad person. Solves 99 percent of the problems.

  61. @Gary” But they did run folks through ‘Elevate’ training (“Elevate The Everyday Experience”)”
    Most likely so , Results poor at best !!!
    Out of the 3 major airlines Delta does focus a bit more and its inflight service.( A bit).
    This is the realty we live in now. The hay day of bring out all the Champagne for the flight and cozy up to your premium passenger is long gone. A lot of those passenger want to be left alone including myself.
    If you are seating first class or business class and most well travel passenger agree , you are paying for the comfort and tranquility !!! Nothing to do with whats being served!!!
    Grow men and women crying over a pre departure drink is shameful.

  62. I was on a southwest flight, short flight, but we sat on the runway forever. I was thirsty, no beverage service, no water. I finally landed and had to run for my connecting flight and due to the chance of turbulence, no beverage service, on that flight. Finally eight hours after my first flight, super delayed, I am incredibly thirsty and the small airport we landed in had no beverages to purchase.
    Yikes, however, at no time was I disruptive. I just wish for better service.

  63. AA is the worst. They’re staff seems annoyed to just be there. They are never helpful. I spent 3 hours changing a flight (because my son had Covid) on the phone with their customer service agent who was working at home and had a baby at home she was also trying to stop crying. She was rude and slow and complained about her baby and her supervisor. Last flight I had with them they took my bag and checked it because “there was no room left in the over heads”. I get on board and ask why there are 8 empty overhead bins and a half full flight. They yelled at me about it. I asked the attendants name and she wouldn’t give it to me! I asked nicely, never raised my voice. I took a picture of all the empty bins and was told I was breaking the law. Whatever, I can not fly AA – JetBlue is so much better – I always have a good experience with them! They changed my last flight in 5 minutes on the phone not 3 hours.

  64. Yet flight attendent had become greedy with jealousy towards pilot and demanding salary close to pilot while they can be accepted just as a high school graduate without cost and flying hours etc. Go figure

  65. The Captain briefs the entire crew before boarding. The fare for a FC ticket includes premium service including pre departure drinks. The only reason for not providing this would be late boarding and/or catering. The number of seats in a plane determine the minimum number of FA required for a flight.

    A FA talking with a pilot during boarding is not a briefing or required. The focus should be on the customer. Crandell j sounds like a lazy FA who wants to rewrite the definition of premium service and have you drink the koolaid.

    The level of professionalism for American FA new hires is in the toilet.

  66. @Mike, my man. Google some of the current planes. You’ll figure it out. It’s not a bad idea though but be prepared to up that credit card limit as you’ll be paying a hefty price for your next trip.

  67. Funny thing is the guy has been doxxed and it turns out he’s a major lefty. What a shock.

  68. OK, to be serious for a moment, does anyone actually know the route of this aircraft? If it was solely within the US, domestic first class — while better than sitting in the back — isn’t that huge of an upgrade and the AA website says NOTHING about a pre-departure beverage as being part of the service.

    “A First ticket gets you our highest level of service on flights between the U.S. 50 states.* On the ground: Priority privileges — Speed through check-in, security and boarding at the airport and get your checked bags first when you land”.

    Neither is a PDB mentioned on aa.com for First Class Transcontinental or for First Class International.

    Conclusion: a PDB on American in F is an option, not a requirement, and nothing is guaranteed. (That said, there is *always* a carton of water waiting at my seat in F on AS.)

  69. Jason,

    1. Route is not applicable to inflight service other than domestic/intl.
    2. The highest level of service items mention are not part of inflight service..they are other items offered.
    3. PDB has always been offered and never stated online.

    Conclusion-Lazy AA FA’s are not doing their job and find excuses why not to. It should ALWAYS BE OFFERED. IF CATERING HAS NOT COME, THERE ARE ENOUGH SUPPLES FROM THE PREVIOUS FLIGHT. DO YOUR JOB OR QUIT.

  70. @Izzy
    No koolaid here.
    To many miles under my belt not to be able to see how the airlines have changed from what it used to be and to what it is today !!!!!
    But sounds like you are one of those whiny entitled passenger.
    Like the one from this article, that was booted off the plane. Besides that you are the expert of hiring at American Airlines. And I quote “The level of professionalism for American FA new hires is in the toilet”.
    We thank you for you professional insight.
    By the way if you are really hungry and want some kind of airline service check out the Admirals Club. I find it to be pretty good !!!

  71. @Izzy
    Now we know who is really drinking the Kool aid..
    Hope you were out there supporting your fellow flight attendants while they were doing their informational picketing!!!!!
    Probably not !!!!

  72. The FAA should require mental evaluations of FA’s and increase unexpected check rides. Many would fail and the airlines fined. Supporting evidence-Crandall J.

  73. Lots of opinion and less factual information being shared. I wrote to AA regarding pre-flight beverage service inconsistencies and received the following reply:

    ‘“ Thank you for contacting Customer Relations. I am happy to respond to your concern regarding the offering of pre-flight beverages to our First/Business Class customers.

    While we offer pre-departure beverages for our First and Business class customers, there are circumstances that may prevent our Flight Attendants from doing so. They use their discretion to determine if there is sufficient time – operational challenges may limit their ability to serve beverages before departure.

    We take your feedback seriously as it gives us the opportunity to improve. We appreciate the time you’ve taken to share your perspective with us.”

    So, it is up to the FA. Sufficient time covers all the bases, as the FA determines it. I have been on numerous flights with low passenger count and 2 (or more) FA’s in the galley area “greeting” passengers (sometimes) and there’s no rush, but they still self-determine not to offer any pre-flight beverage service.

    It’s the inconsistency in the FA services levels that needs to be addressed. Some FA’s are cheerful, with pleasant and positive mannerisms while others reflect the characteristics of an aged, bossy schoolmarm.

    As for salary…I am sure even junior-level FA’s receive fair compensation in todo, else they would find work elsewhere. There are valuable perks working in the airline industry. What seems to be more common is a rise of a “Do less but ask for more pay” attitude.

    Thus I have to agree with those comments regarding FA’s not enhancing the customer experience. My current experience has been similar: During and post pandemic there have been more examples of negative enhancement than previously experienced. I now have the sense that what I am expected to do is to “sit down and shut up!” and be grateful I’m permitted to fly at all.

  74. Passangers LOVEEE to blame the flight attendants for everything, delay in the ground and they didn’t get a drink? Shame! Turbulence? Shame! Flight cancellation? Shame! No space in the overhead bins? Shame! No wifi? No fresh food for sale? Tv not working? Bathroom smelling bad? Baby crying? “Big” passenger next to them? Window open? Just Blame the first face you see, the flight attendant, that’s getting paid $2 or less an hour to deal with all these problems they simply have no control over (before takeoff) If a flight gets delayed because they’re not doing safety duties they get on probation, you’re saying hello to people while 2B is asking for his jacket to be hung up, 17A is asking if there’s pillows, 22b asking for headphones, pilot is asking if he has meals, and coffee, trash bag and large water bottle, gate agent is asking if you need to check bags, a mom is trying to see if they can bring their stroller on board, another one is handing you trash, all on a loop with about 150 passangers (if it’s a max) coming in. All while trying to hold on to a little tray with water or champagne and people are making individual requests. Flights need more staffing, passengers need to realize that we WANT them to have it all, happy customers =decent treatment to us, but if we don’t have the tools it’s very hard. And their treatment of us only makes it harder.

  75. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many comments from people upset that they’re asked to do their job lol

  76. Crandall J@Does it not state in your electronic AA flight manual that a pre departure beverage service is required unless boarding is delayed or catering is late?? It sounds like you are not following company policy.

    Is it not AA HR policy to not make disparaging remarks about its customers on public web sites? That is grounds for termination.

  77. No one should treat FAs poorly. We are all people who should be treated with dignity.

    That said, I am fortunate to own my own business and be able to set my own travel policy. As I am often paying for first class, I have a strong preference for Delta. The FAs on Delta are usually much more friendly and try to go the “extra mile” for passengers. This makes for a more pleasant travel experience.

    I will pay slightly more to fly Delta, because I know it will be a pleasant flight. For all those FAs on here who seem to think passengers are a burden they could do without or service is optional , just know that consumers notice these things. Those of us with the ability to do so vote with our wallets.

    Delta FAs are pleasant and service oriented. That is not a governmental requirement, it is a culture. It is a culture that I choose to spend my dollars to enjoy when I travel.

  78. Bobin@Alaska FA’s are friendly and offer great service. American was very strict with flight crews under Bob Crandall. Thru the mergers, the cabin service has migrated back to the America West mentality.

    Why by an expensive product that does not exist? When you do not have a consistent product, customer friendly attitude, the customers will leave.

  79. 1. If I paid for a first class seat, I’d probably be frustrated if they refused to provide a service that is part of the package.
    2. There is really no value in refusing to get off the plane once you have been told to leave. Time to get off and follow the company complaint process.
    3. They probably didn’t need to drag him off. He [finally] agreed to get off the plane, and all their response does is convince the next person that doesn’t listen to #2 that they might as well not give an inch because if you do agree to leave they are going to drag you off anyway.

  80. @Izzy
    Wouldn’t know about all those items you are referring too.
    But I’m sure you know all about it.
    Again you are the expert!!! I’m not !!!
    And the way you bash your fellow co workers pretty sure your HR wouldn’t be happy with you !!!!
    Your comments on the professionalism
    Of new hire flight attendants your comments on lazy flight attendants..
    Seems to me you have and inside 1st hand scoop.
    I just happened to fly a lot and have seen the decline in the Arline industry..
    All 3 major Airlines are going through these growing pains.

  81. I routinely fly first class on all of the 3 big airlines, unfortunately mostly Delta because of its dominance at my home airport. I refuse to acknowledge the surly flight attendant crones. They’re uniformly idiotic and never, ever can offer anything I want, either because they’re too stupid, too lazy, or a combination thereof. I can’t wait for robotic attendants. These walking examples of human excrement should have been replaced long ago. I will continue to fly first class DESPITE them because the seats are more comfortable and I can exit faster. The sooner on and off these filthy flying buses, the better. First class is meaningless to Delta, American, and United. Nothing about first class sections on any US airline is remotely first class compared to Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, or Singapore.

  82. Let FAs bolt themselves to the wall in a jump seat and play with their phones, or yak in the galley and ignore the passengers for the entire flight. It’s what they want anyway. Put in a drink dispenser, make the dispenser serve a max of a certain amount of beverages depending on your fare class via a QR code on the airline app,. and be done with all this crap.

  83. American Airlines stinks. They treat both their customers and employees poorly. I will pay twice as much to fly just about any other airline.

  84. I have experinced this (being threatened ejection due to requesting a beverage during a delayed departure), and have documented it with AA and shared it with @Gary.
    Sadly, AA First service is up to the flight attendants. While “there’s not enough time for beverage service”, it seems that there is still a lot of time to liisen to their conversations of schedualing, bidding, their preferred international routes due to longer layovers, how ther last layover went, etc.
    Sad.

  85. Thanks for the dose of daily entertainment. They would not serve a drink, but were happy to video this nonsense. Doesn’t this illustrate the point that frequent flyer programs is where money is made, but flying planes is unprofitable. American Airlines probably should stop flying, and just focus on selling status and miles and keep fooling people about the great benefits that come with status, such as upgrades, and priority de-planing with the help of police.

  86. Also AA FAs: “The captain has asked the flight attendants to remain seated for the duration of the flight due to turbulence so there will no service. We “apologize”…..” And as you’d expect….not a bump. The second and third time that I’ve been on a magical turbulence flight with no turbulence (and no service) I caught on to the bs. AA sucks. They deserve to file for bankruptcy, downsize and can 20% of flight attendants. Maybe only then they will return to the AA of the 80s and 90s.

  87. Unfortunately this is a case of “it is what it is”. Best thing to do is avoid flying with an airline that has poor standards,be it safety or service. To expect high standards at any class level on flights is the airlines employees responsibility and not the passengers delusional expectations. If you are asked to leave you should comply and after that call an attorney and sue them.

  88. I always fly in First on AA because I pay for the difference between first and economy while traveling for work and my employer has their contract with AA. I’m not forced to but I am quite loyal, sometimes illogically. I am also Exec P. My home hub is LAX so I uniquely can choose from DL, UA, AA or even AS in theory.

    These are my observations:

    1) inexperienced FAs skip the beverage because most people want to get liquored up. Boozed up **First** passengers are easier to deal with. Pros do the service.

    2) AA sells a “premium” service in excess of the minimum safety and transportation. I pay for it and its usually less than a thousand but more than $500. I expect to not fall out of the sky but you get for basic Economy fares.

    3) I always bring a bottle of water with me because you can’t rely on the service. The worst flights are the ones without my own water bottle.

    4) The AA union has failed the FAs. DL pays during boarding.

    5) If you are running late, just make an announcement that you will do the bev service once you are in the air. It’s not hard.

    6) Everyone is at fault here, but if you are a passenger you must comply.

    7) Insert generic complaint about Doug!, America West!, or Gary!

  89. This guy is typical Democrat entitled trash. No decorum ever. Saw a clip today of their leader AOC talking about ignoring court rulings. Look it up! Trash all of them.

  90. FORMER FA says:
    April 7, 2023 at 2:02 pm
    Chris says:
    April 7, 2023 at 12:08 pm

    This whole “we’re not getting paid until doors are closed” is such an abusive, misleading and infuriating statement. It’s been repeated over and over again to the point that even FAs now believe it. You ARE getting paid and the component is called a “per diem.”
    WELL PAID PER DIEM IS ABOUT $1.75 AND HOUR AND NO OTHER PAY UNTIL THE BRAKES ARE RELEASED. YOU ARE SO WELL INFORMED. hahahaha WALK IN THEIR SHOES JUST ONCE AND YOUR ENTIRE ATTITUDE WOULD BE A LITTLE MORE CIVIL.

    Well FORMER FA, you just confirmed my point: FAs are getting paid $1.75/hr for per diems and no one forced them to sign the contracts in the first place. You don’t have the right to agree to something and then immediately start complaining about the quality of pay and terms of conditions. It’s rotten to the core. This sense of entitlement and threats to pax are just obscene. And re: “walking in their shoes” – these are my shoes as well that I’ve been waking in for 6 years, thankyouverymuch. My pax are my priority and their comfort has the same importance as their safety. I know my role in the system and I don’t question the rules I had agreed upon. I love my job and I do my best to deescalate every inflammatory situation, because I have no clue what baggage or drama my pax board with. Regardless of their behavior, they’re still human beings and deserve respect, no matter the circumstances. I have offloaded one pax in 6 years due to severe alcohol intoxication, but I did it gently and assertively, without causing drama or getting law enforcement involved. It’s doable, but only if you care…

  91. No one puts a gun to a flight attendant’s head and says they have to be one. I know flight attendants put up with a lot while trapped in a metal tube with 200 sets of eyes scrutinizing their every move, but this is what they signed up to do. Customer service is not for everyone because many who fly up front are jerks. I’d say those who are this unhappy and burned out from the airline industry should switch jobs instead of polluting everyone’s karma. This attitude of “we’re not getting paid until the door closes” is not why the airline hired them- they knew about that way before their very first flight and it’s no excuse not to serve their revenue customers who paid thousands of dollars to sit in the front when their company specifically advertises pre-departure drinks. I’ve flown enough times with American to know these drinks occur at best at 50%, but I would be mortified to ever make a scene over a beverage.

    It’s funny to observe these flight attendants with an attitude yet when they read their inflight announcement their company makes them say “you are why we fly” through gritted teeth. Actually, even the most ornery flight attendants know how to crack a smile. You see them do so while peddling their “special offer” airline credit card towards the end of every flight because they get paid for every application filled out.

    It’s really sad to fly American (and I’ve been executive platinum with them for years) when you fly international with an Asian or middle Eastern airline and it immediately hits you that US airlines are terrible! There is no spirit of customer service at American Airlines. On the rare occasion that a flight attendant acknowledges me and thanks me for my business I go, “Wow you are amazing!” only to remember they are all supposed to say that, but most don’t. Isn’t it sad? I spend $30-40k flying each year as my job requires travel yet most of the time their flight crew don’t even say hello when I board because oh yes they’re not getting paid when the door’s open.

    With all that said, it is absolutely gratifying to see a privileged self-centered man sob like a little dog against the wall then on the floor. That was epic.

  92. AA worst airli ne.
    Bad crew, with bad attitude.
    Tip you? What are you a group of beggars with your hands out all the time?
    And tgrow out a passander just because he expets ypu to do what you should?
    Wear your shoes? Passamgers are paying for those shoes, in case uou didnt know. Your jobs are because of passangers, not the other way around

  93. I woke up this morning and WOW!!!! My family and I have enjoyed reading the newest comments on this article. Hilarious!!! We take bets on who is lying, who has barely graduated high school, who has never even been on a plane before. Our favorite is the power tripping F/A comments. We love those. Why? Because we know how uneducated you are are and how little you know about my industry. I would love 99% of you to wake up on Monday, go to the office and let someone come into your cubicle, proceed stand there and tell you what an idiot you are and then tell you to get the (blank) of out their face. I’m sure you’d love that for about 3-12 hours. HAAAA!!! NOT!!! Security would be called in 2 seconds. We are the security and eyes and ears of our pilots and company at 35,000 feet. We are going to nip it in the bud if we see it before we even get to that altitude. We are not required to get into the air with someone who has already shown a propensity to verbally be abusive to us and our employer stands behind it. I would hope your employer doesn’t allow you to be verbally abused in your place of work. If they do, I’d find another company.

    People just don’t think. No way would you allow this to happen at your office and it’s not going to happen in ours either. In 40+ years of flying I’ve had only 3 incidents that required intervention. Two were in the air and one was before we left the gate. Needless to say, the one at the gate resulted in the passenger finding another flight. The two in the air were grown men traveling with their wives and they decided to take out their frustration with their bad business deals and trouble at security on me, THE FACE. They surely couldn’t take it out on their wives because I couldn’t divorce them. Their wives were so embarrassed and I felt for them. I’d have a divorce lawyer lined up upon landing if my husband acted like that.

    Carry on. Waiting for the next F/A bashing article, but in the mean time heading on a great Europe trip with a Fabulous crew! See you all soon. I’ll be THE FACE with the big smile. Introduce yourself as VFTW reader.

  94. Stewardess/steward (doesn’t deserve the title Flight Attendant) on a power trip. Dude just paid your weeks salary for a cushy ride and you turn it into a farce because you’re lazy and think you’re more important than the airline and the customer.

    AA, we’re it actually a major carrier would terminate any of the cabin crew involved. But of course we know AA gonna AA.

  95. Oh, boy. That comment posted towards the end of the article was cringy. It’s flight attendants like that who give the rest of us a bad name.

    I’m a 37 year flight attendant (not at AA) I always try my best to do a good job for all my passengers. Sometimes, we don’t have the time, supplies or staffing to meet company service standards or passenger expectations. And boarding is certainly a stressful and hectic time for both passengers and cabin crew.
    Patience, courtesy and understanding goes a long way for both passengers and crew.

  96. Let’s face it, a drink before takeoff is a nice touch but not something to go ballistic over. Whenever other passengers side with the crew, you know the customer was as obnoxious as this guy seemed.

  97. I have traveled several times in different air lines and I haven’t have no problems. Travelers were very patient, attentive and pleasant. The crew very friendly and ready to assist in any situation.
    I don’t understand why some people are rude and careless, specially in an airplane.

  98. This just shows how first class service is a concept long gone. Actually any kind of good service idea is already getting lost. The communist idea of “do you think you are better than me?” And “I dont earn enough money to do a decent job” will slowly destroy every aspect of human service. If you dont tip nowadays they think you dont deserve service. I feel like society is coming into a point where pple are acting like prostit… And any concept of moral responsibility and kindness is being flush down the toilet. Funny think is that for sure this FA would complaint if she would get in a restaurant the kind of service she provides for 1st class passengers. So sad

  99. I tried every way I can to avoid any US or Western based airlines, maybe with the exception of Delta when taking international flights. I always try to pick those based in Japan, Taiwan, etc. US domestic, I have no choice and so I also have zero expectation for service. Any service is just extra bonus.

  100. You have to comply with a flight crew member – it’s a federal crime to not comply. AA FA’s do as little as possible – we barely got two drink services on a 6+ hr flight. No snack/food for sale offering. Don’t know if it’s contractual or complacency or a shortage OF FAs, but they get away with a lot compared to every other airline I fly from. BOS.

  101. It’s very simple. If a flight crew tells you to get off the plane, act like an adult. Get out of your seat and exit the aircraft. If you refuse to comply with the flight crew you will be arrested.
    If you have been wronged, there are countless lawful options available to you to address the matter after you have peacefully left the plane.

  102. I love how nowhere in this article does it mention the fact that the passenger sitting behind the one removed told the police that he had been “acting aggressively” towards the flight attendant, as all of the other articles written about this incident mention. But sure, let’s assume he did nothing wrong anyway…..

  103. Look, people should be used to sh-tty service from airlines and yet people keep pi’s-ing money away with them. One of the worst industries in the world

  104. Shame on American airlines, the pilot, the fight attendants for such an appalling decision. There’s no reason to kick a first class pax off the plane just because they rudely asked for a drink. As an EXP of AA I feel really sad for this pax and really shame on you AA. The FAs these days are getting easily offended for every small little thing and don’t realize they are there to serve customers.

  105. I don’t bother with 1st class on domestic airlines anymore. The price isn’t worth any extra the airlines provide you…. Very little. When traveling international, I try and get an Asian carrier as they understand the premium of paying 10x the cost of economy…

  106. AA is an airline anyone should avoid……if you continue to utilize their service, then you re just asking for crappy service. Guy may have been a jerk about it, but if as an airline you say your first class passengers get a pre-departure drink, then that’s what you should make sure your attendants do. He called them out on it and in turn they kicked him off. FAs have always been kind of on a power trip but this seems to go beyond that. I’ve heard other stories about their FAs being beyond rude so this really isn’t all that surprising. I haven’t flown them in over 20 years after they stole 20K in airline miles that should have never expired. And when I called them out on it, their response was essentially ‘too bad so sad’. Sometimes I’m just really surprised that they are still in business

  107. The fact is this: when you are given a request or an order from ANY crew member it is incumbent upon you to obey. Your whiny “feelings” mean nothing, the safety of the passengers and crew are paramount. Screw this fool, he got exactly what he deserved.

  108. The flight crews job is to get you safely from point A to point B. He could have politely waited for his drink but decided to get mouthy.

    In the end we see a man child facing the consequences of his actions.

  109. @Talent Hacker
    You don’t know what he said to the FA. Would you like your wife, daughter, sister, mother to be subjected to some sexual verbiage or other harassment? Ps…I didn’t think so.

  110. The fact that a flight attendant is not paid until the door closes is not an excuse for taking it out on the passengers by passive aggressively not offering the pre-flight beverage. The union should take start time up with management. If you sign up for the job, do the job and take some personal pride in what you do. That pre-flight beverage is an example of how little goes a long way to create a positive experience for those who pay the ridiculously high price for their seat and the company should back it up.

  111. Since 9-11 the pendulum has swung and FA have been drunk with power. Before 9-11 FA had to put up with a lot of crap from passengers and the airlines rarely supported them or had their backs. Which was wrong on the airlines part, but now with the new air regulations and emphasis on security the FA have become very thin skinned and in a lot of cases create and escalate problems to feed their starved sense of self-importance. Prior to 9-11 I loved flying and since my job required I fly about 25 round-trips a year i looked forward to it. Thank GOD I now only fly about 3 or 4 trips a year because I hate the whole process. Especially American’s, Delta’s and United’s FA nazis. Nowadays when I fly I expect a sh*tty and rude experience from the moment I walk through the airport doors until I walk out of them by all the people that work in the American domestic airline industry. And rarely am I disappointed. In the old days rude service was sn outlier now it is the norm. So my best advice to domestic travelers is keep your mouth shut, do as your told and don’t have any expectations of a happy experience. And hopefully you’ll get to your destination with the lowest level of stress possible in any situation that arises along the process.

  112. Before COVID, the F/A’s in First Class almost ALWAYS served a beverage, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic being offered. Immediately with COVID, all of that changed as well as the discontinuation of all meals and snacks. Those are SLOWLY coming back but the F/A’s be ame accustomed to NOT providing service. The guy was not the asd#+&*. He paid for First and was expecting actual First Class Service. I’m an Exec Plat and no what I’m talking about..

  113. I think all back airline personnel all of a sudden think they are so so superior. All you have to do is fly frontier and you will see how you are treated. So unfortunate for that gentlemen he did nothing wrong and said it himself he did not want any trouble.

  114. I was on that flight, he was drunk, screaming and cursing when the polite Steward told him it would takena second.

  115. @Larry Ciummo – it’s a federal rule not to interfere with crew’s duties, which is different than “not to comply” even if the two are often conflated.

  116. @Joseph
    You hit the nail right on the head!!!
    Izzy/ Gary you should read Joseph reply!!!!!
    Makes so much sense.
    Thank you Joseph!!!!

  117. entitled first class maggots wouldn’t know how to work for a living, probably a useless turd who thinks that their place in life is due to something other than pure luck.

  118. Flew AA Cabo to Phoenix this past January (coach) on a Friday afternoon. It’s only a 2 hour flight but NO ONE received any beverage or snack service. And while deplaning, all the FA’s were either busy in the galley or seated looking at their phones. Back to Southwest I go.

  119. Flight Attendant definition – someone who serves passengers on an aircraft. That is their JOB. If you’re not going to serve customers (specially someone that payed first class) then get another job. But, of course, If the customer is loud and obnoxious then kick his a** out for disturbing the peace.

  120. The worse part of the story is the FA comment at the end. I now live I. Asia and tipping is a no no. Such a difference than Americans who expect to be tipped because they chose a profession that has little base pay. Or pick a profession that doesn’t pay as well and then also want people to tip. As someone who has worked in the hospitality industry, it’s out of control.
    Of course when we fly first class we like certain perks, but we also know they may not always happen. America needs a good dose of patience:

  121. I just flew on Korean Air. The flight attendants were great. They helped people stow their luggage and moved some of it around after asking permission, so more people could get their luggage stowed. When it came to meals, the flight attendants served them efficiently and the food was tasty, especially the bibimbap. The flight attendants were also pleasant to talk to. A transpacific flight can be long but a good cabin crew experience makes it better.

  122. The guy should of left the aircraft and addressed the issue with AA mgmt. If you buy a first class seat, you expect the premium service which includes free drinks. The American Airlines FA manual states a pre departure drink should be served to FC unless there is a catering delay. Its not their choice to not do their job and make a bs story.

    It looks the the captain in the video was wearing American West epaulets. If the FA’s are there for safety, they should be fit for duty and be required to have a FAA medical check similar to the pilots.

    Delta use to have a in house psychological exam as part of the pilot interview process. There was a rocking chair and had to decide to rock or not. There are so many FA’s on power trips who think the public needs to “obey” and not comply. Regulations should require all FA’s to submit to mental and physical tests every 6 months.

  123. The American Airlines Flight Attendants are in contract negotiations and want to be paid for pre departure duties (like Delta’s pay). They are purposely not providing pre departure drinks as a job action. The FA was an instigator and should never of let the drink issue get to that level. The man was not drunk, the flight was not delayed , and catering was not an issue.

    American should fire the FA dereliction off duty.

  124. Wow. I would usually never even think to comment on a story like this but actually watching it and seeing it is beyond something else. Disgusting “customer service” from American Air. That guy was what you’d term “belligerent”? I don’t even think he raised his voice. Then you send 3 animals in to rip him off while an employee records it? Disgusting disgusting behavior. The FA should be fired and the captain should be ashamed of himself.

  125. Best two comments:
    Dan says:
    April 8, 2023 at 11:03 am
    I don’t bother with 1st class on domestic airlines anymore. The price isn’t worth any extra the airlines provide you…. Very little. When traveling international, I try and get an Asian carrier as they understand the premium of paying 10x the cost of economy…
    Mark Urbis says:
    April 8, 2023 at 12:59 pm
    Before COVID, the F/A’s in First Class almost ALWAYS served a beverage, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic being offered. Immediately with COVID, all of that changed as well as the discontinuation of all meals and snacks. Those are SLOWLY coming back but the F/A’s be ame accustomed to NOT providing service. The guy was not the asd#+&*. He paid for First and was expecting actual First Class Service. I’m an Exec Plat and no what I’m talking about..
    Why I agree:
    As seat pitch has shrunk, I have purposely booked 1st class or premium economy on domestic flights. Now, I know not to expect 1st class service, only a good (not 100%) chance of sufficient legroom and overhead bin space. Pre-2020 chance of 1st class service on 1st class domestic, 90%; post-2022, 30%. I don’t know why. That’s how it is, now.

  126. @Art Goldman…1) an employee did not film it. One of the first class passengers did. 2) why would the F/A be fired? The Captain is the buck stops here guy and made the final decision. I guess maybe he should have been fired if you think someone should be fired?

  127. This guy was quite obviously drunk. his behavior at the end proves it when he went from the “bellicose” stage to the “lachrymose” stage.

    FAA regs do say that FAs are not to serve alcohol to intoxicated pax.

  128. I think it’s funny that people are sticking up for this whiny ass idiot all over a frick’n drink.Wow. I don’t know what first class is like but all this over a drink. Guys got a problem

  129. “I wasn’t there to see it. But I hear Byron Hadley started sobbing like a little girl when they took him away.” – Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding. 1966.

  130. Seems like they need to stop advertising and selling services they do not provide especially because employees are not willing or able to do it as well

  131. I was on this flight, it was already leaving late so they were trying to get everyone seated and get the plane to Chicago so people wouldn’t miss their connections. This guy asked for a drink as he boarded and was told there wouldn’t be pre-departure beverages. After everyone was seated he got up and approached the FA again and asked for a drink and was told no again. They asked that he sit down so the plane could leave and he wouldn’t until the pilot told him he was off the flight. His antics made the plane an additional 20 minutes late and I’m sure some passengers missed connections because he refused to leave the plane when asked by FA’s, gate agents, the pilot and eventually the police. This was completely under his control to avoid and he clearly thought his concierge key status was also a “get out of jail free card”, which it was not.

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