An American Airlines business class passenger from Los Angeles to London Heathrow on Saturday was not happy about her seat. Flight 134 is on a four-cabin aircraft with first class, and she was “complaining she’s in [business class] instead of first class” according to nearby passenger Margalit Francus, and was “demanding the person who booked her be fired.”
Credit: Margalit Francus
Her entitled behavior got much worse as the flight went on. “Throughout the flight” she was “throwing her trash onto the next seat.” In order to stop her, a flight attendant duct taped her into her seat to demarcate where her space ends. But that wasn’t enough her keep her trash from encroaching on the rest of the cbin.
It got so bad the flight attendant got into an argument with her and literally blocked the seat with duct tape. Of course all that noise woke me up ♀️
Then she proceeded to just stack her trash in the aisle so folks can trip on it.
Credit: Margalit Francus
Credit: Margalit Francus
Everyone couldn’t wait for this 10 hour 40 minute flight to end. The woman couldn’t wait, apparently. While she didn’t like business class, she did love the business class bedding that American Airlines offered – “she decided [to take] the bedding with her” and our correspondent “got a pic of that pillow sneaked in her luggage.”
Credit: Margalit Francus
While American’s first class seats are larger than those in business class, they aren’t that much bigger. The bedding is nicer, but the meals and beverages are very similar (in fact, American’s first class meals are basically the same as in business class plus the addition of a soup course, and the first and business class amenity kit contents are nearly identical to premium economy).
First class versus business, in this case, is largely a status moniker. American Airlines is even planning to remove first class from these Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and replace them with better business class seats with doors. Although, for status-seekers, the bulkhead row in business class will be more spacious, offer better amenities, and be branded differently as ‘Flagship Suite Preferred’.
Sitting there won’t require class or decorum on the part of passengers, however, and they may continue to toss their trash into the aisle – even once they’ve been duct-taped into their suite.
the service probably wasn’t great if she managed to stack 3 empty soda cans and a coffee cup in the time it took somebody to pick up the trash
She should be banned
She needed the restraints put on her & arrested.
She needed the restraints put on her & arrested.
Flight attendant should be fired. Clearly bad service if so much trash can accumulate without getting picked up.
Americans have become so entitled. We retired to Mexico 15 years ago where people are nice.
I worked for AA for 30+ years
AA first class is barely an upgrade over J class. I flew it last year on a 16+ hr flight, and they forgot to serve me breakfast (only 8 passengers). Wine list is crummy too.
Whether a pain in the arse or not he obviously has no consideration of the passenger’s (and other passengers and crew) safety in an emergency evacuation situation. He should be fired due to his inability to de-escalate the situation.
Please tell me AA cancelled her return flight (if there was one) and banned her from flying AA again.
@joni – Making stupid, ignorant overstatements like that is the epitome of the entitled class found everywhere in the world including Mexico. I for one am very happy to have had you leave. I’m sure that AA got better when you left.
You’re absolutely right @Jon F. I was on the plane last month. You only knew you were in First, not J because you were told you were in First. The difference is laughable non-existent.
The passenger’s behavior was deplorable and made the flight uncomfortable for surrounding passengers and flight attendants. She should have been taken off the plane by authorities and been banned from American Airlines.
While I am not a fan and will not fly American and only do so as a last resort, people need to be more respectful of flight attendants in general. They are punching bags for disrespectful passengers and they do not get paid for a significant number of hours that they must be in uniform and interacting with customers. Many airlines only pay flight attendants from pushback at departure until arrival at gate at destination. They donate their time to inspect the cabins preflight and greet passengers, assisting with luggage and seat issues. Don’t be so harsh to criticize especially when there is a loudmouth, entitled customer in-board who is disrupting everything on a long flight.
Everyone who flies should be kinder all the way around. I have several million miles under my belt and I have learned that the flight attendants for the most part try their best to fix seat problems but there is a limited window. Yrs, there are flight attendants are not good. I have seen my share. Send in compliments about the great ones as well as provide feedback about the ones not making the grade.
BUT, If a passenger is that unhappy, get off the plane and go talk to the ticket agent but don’t make everyone else suffer.
Seems like some information is missing from the story. Not sure what an FA duct taping a passenger inside her seat in this way would really accomplish.
Where does it say that she was American or that she had a flight booked back to LAX from LHR?
Wow, after drinking all that soda and coffee, she must have quite a bladder to be stuck in a duct tape cage!
Hopefully she is now ban from flying AA after endangering other passengers with trash in the aisle? Spoken from a former AA Flignt Attendant. Absolutely unacceptable!
If you didn’t hate people before you went to work at an airline, you will after. Thankfully, entitled, self important individuals are the exception rather than the norm, but it only takes a few to make you embarrassed of your species.
A decade ago I was using one of AA’s dedicated Flagship Check In desk at LHR Terminal 3, and the only two other passengers standing next to me were Ringo Starr and his wife, Barbara Bach (on their way to LA on a then-brand-new 777-300ER).
How things have changed.
Euthanasia…on the spot..End of story..
Just retired from Delta Airlines, flight attendant , I would never had use duck tape.. I would tell her she’s interfering in my job, if u don’t stop authorities will meet u at the aircraft. If she continued I would move her to the back. Always inform Capt what’s going on. He might even come out and talk to her
The duct tape was childish and and silly.
Another entitled person. My only question is, where are the flight attendants to let that many drink cans accumulate. Or did she hold onto them when they came by, which I doubt as they are sitting on the floor.
The attendant was trying to protect her co workers and the passengers from that nut job making a mess everywhere