Delta moved Ann Coulter out of the seat she selected and paid for on a Delta flight from New York to Florida. Coulter went on a tweetstorm.
"Why are you taking me out of the extra room seat I specifically booked, @Delta?' Flight attendant: "I don't know.” pic.twitter.com/a0M1faZXMu
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) July 15, 2017
Being moved from an extra legroom aisle to window while flying through the air at nearly the speed of sound is a first world problem. But she was moved to an inferior seat, at least one that many consider inferior.
- Delta says of course that seat assignments aren’t guaranteed but at the point they sell specific seats for more money they sure ought to.
- Delta offered to return her $30 seat selection fee, but is Delta’s obligation when charging for something only to refund what they don’t deliver? That allows them to charge what they wish and suffer no consequences if they decide to charge someone else more to re-sell it for instance. That can’t be right.
- And then appear not to have offered an explanation for why they made the change other than ‘we made a mistake’ in which case they admit fault.
This is not a huge deal, Delta and other airlines treat passengers badly every day. So it’s not surprising to see the Daily Show take on Ann Coulter’s screed.
I’ve never been a fan of Ann Coulter. She was disserviced. She was less than charitable in suffering that. Still relative outrage belongs focused on Delta, and it would be if Ann Coulter wasn’t otherwise such a polarizing figure offensive to many.
(HT: @airlinewriter)
But the daily show would have “skewed” Ann Coulter if you save puppies from being killed…no news here!
She comes off as a cry baby. Poor girl, let’s all feel bad for her down here in our normal world lives.
@gary you do understand that coulter took a photo of an innocent person and blasted it out on the internet? You do understand she called this innocent person a dashund legged woman right? You do understand she is attacking this innocent woman as an immigrant (even though there is no proof the woman is not American) right? You do know she refered to all delta flight attendants and gaye agents as nurse ratchetts right? If you didn’t know these things then maybe you need to spend more time getting the full story before trying to shift all thevoutrage from poor ann coulter to delta. Seriously her attacks on delta are happening non stop and a lot ofvit is really vile now she is claiming delta hates republicans. She should be banned from the airline and trying to suggest delta is more wrong than coulter is pathetic. Not saying delta is right by to hell with ann coulter.
Not a fan of Ann, but if an airline takes away the seat that she paid for and selected, I am behind her for all the bitching. Throwing $30 back at her and asking her to shut up is baaaaaaad for all of us. Delta is getting away with an unpleasant act without an apology or admission of screwing it up on purpose to accommodate someone else. I for one, was glad to see her use her celebrity status to bring this issue to the fore and not be charitable to Delta and shut up. That is what a helpless person like me would do.
She is the ultimate Snowflake…
@ram the way she conducted herself and attacked totally innocent people was despicable. Delta was wrong but she forfeited all sympathy as far as I am concerned. Make no mistake about it she is not using her celebrity to bring this issue to the public, she is using this issue to promote her celebrity. This is all about her and I can guarantee she doesn’t give a crap what a airline does to you or anyone else.
Funny. Just because some of you didn’t like ann coulter, you are having fun in her misfortune. I wonder what would you do if same things happened to you?
Would you accept your miserable life or fight for your rights?
Or perhaps you guys simply can’t swallow the fact some woman you deemed inferior and bad behaving have the guts to stand up against an airline, which you guys flew more often and just accept without repercussion if anything went wrong?
“Totally innocent people”?
Not really. If you need the assistance of a gate agent to move other passengers around so you can sit with your party, you’re selfishly putting your own needs above others. I’m not talking about valid reasons for switching seats, such as accessibility issues or letting parents sit with their kids, but simply wanting someone else’s seat because, well, you just wanted it. That is not innocent behavior by any stretch. And what Coulter tweeted to voice her displeasure, though objectionable to many people, still does not make anyone in this situation come out smelling like roses.
If this story were about Lena Dunham or Rachel Maddow the libs would be tripping all over themselves lining up to defend her.
Delta was wrong. Period. Coulter’s reaction after the fact is a separate issue.
What does being a fan or not have to do with this story? Was that relevant/necessary?
I’m surprised Coulter flew Delta in the first place. Was her broom out of service?
Rachel Maddow the Rhodes Scholar doesnt call people names. She deals only with facts as do all MSNBC hosts who must comply with strict NBC journalistic standards dating back to Huntley-Brinkley. These standards are taught in all reputable J schools as is the fact Faux News is a disinformation operation set up by a Nixon trickster to dupe ignorant fat rednecks, aling with talk radio distorting U.S. politics to the point the U.S. is no longer governable with 1/3 only wanting to blow up modernity.
Delta was in the wrong. Very few people will attempt to disagree on this basic premise. Unfortunately, Coulter was even more wrong. It’s not just the jaw dropping hypocrisy that the video clip illustrates of her behavior. It’s the horrible way that she treated all other parties in this matter. She showed what a truly wretched human being she is. It’ll be interesting to see if her fans will dessert her now that she has become the crybaby that they so obviously despise.
@chancer so if you make a request to sit with your family (I don’t know if this is what happened but for the sake of argument I will take your word) you should then have your image blasted to over a million people on the internet and be insulted? Sorry I do not agree with you at all. Making a request of a cabin crew to sit with a loved one does not somehow make a person bad (its not like the person went and sat in the seat on their own). The flight staff could simply say no.
This is not about Coulter’s reaction- it IS over-the-top. But let’s just say you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and you choose an aisle seat so you can get up and go to the bathroom more easily. Then Delta with no explanation moves you to a window seat. Would that upset you?
@ Pete – Delta was wrong. Agreed. Coulter’s reaction after the fact is exactly the issue everyone is criticizing.
Side question: Why is 15A inferior to 15D, except for window vs aisle? Still plenty of legroom.
Bill, actually it does make the passenger a bad person. If she was a good person, then she would have given her seat back to Ann once she realized that she was the reason Ann lost her preassigned seat. Common courtesy.
Anne Coulter is a shock jock. She come out with the most politically incorrect (and often loopy (like 5 years ago when she was arguing that Romneycare was conservative)) statements to gain publicity to help sell her books (1 every 5 minutes is seems like), earn appearances on TV, and generally gain attention for herself. It seems to work. She complains about her seat on Delta. Now, I have seen 4 Anne Coulter posts on this site and over 200 related comments. In fact, I have wasted my time reading the posts, comments, and then commenting on them.
On Delta, I have flown them recently. In my observation, they are just as bad as United and American, despite their bragging about how good they are. Their planes are old. There are massive number of people that have to be assigned seats at the gate. Their boarding time is a long time before boarding, so I cannot enjoy my lounge. Food in domestic first just as bad and they only serve snacks on some flights. To show how bad it is, I have a first class morning flight coming up and I am thinking that I want to eat McDonald’s before the flight to avoid their awful scrambled eggs. Ugh.
Just imagine choosing a date with three sisters fat, aging, ugly, and slovenly, side by side, named Delta, American, United. Can you body shame an airline? Ok, then for you women, imagine you have to date one of three unwashed middle aged, beer-belly sticking out of the dirty food stained t-shirt, named Delta, American, or United. Disgusting in either case.
@ Bill – Nowhere did I say that I approve of Coulter’s tweetstorm.
You obviously have too much invested in hating this one person or you wouldn’t resort to putting words into people’s mouths.
It’s also rather obvious that gate agents, not the cabin crew, made the seat changes or there would be little doubt as to why Coulter had to move. BTW do you fly on a regular basis? If so, you’d know that gate crew are loathe to turn down anyone standing in front of them wanting seat changes. It’s so much easier to just make the switch, not bothering to inform the other passenger (as apparently what happened to Coulter) and give them the new boarding pass at the last possible minute when they board.
@Rob — my point is that you don’t have to be a fan of Coulter’s to believe she’s got a point. So much of the commentary has seemed to break down along political lines. And I’m saying, step away from that. You can’t accuse me of just being a Coulter fan. Look at the incident and she is not wrong..
“Being moved from an extra legroom aisle to window while flying through the air at nearly the speed of sound is a first world problem”.
No it isn’t. A company giving you what you paid for, whether it’s a gallon or milk or the most advanced piece of technology ever made, is not a first world problem — it’s called fulfilling a contract, and it’s a problem only in corrupt societies.
Not having power (which you did not have to pay extra for) to recharge your gizmos while flying through the air at nearly the speed of sound — that is a first world problem
Four days since this incident, Delta seems incapable of offering an apology and continues to be unprofessional. Coulter has every right to be outraged as Delta failed to explain its actions and then chose to criticize a customer as their position of self-defense.
I recently had a much worse seat change foisted on me. Choices – make the best of it, or whine and rant and ruin my flight and my evening? How stupid do you have to be to pick choice #2???
Oh Internet. You’ve presented me with yet another time where, after reading the article I think, “I really shouldn’t read the comment section.” But just like rubber-neckers driving past an accident on the road, or walking past a dumpster fire in New York, you can’t help but look!
Here’s what I would like to share:
Yes, Delta was wrong.
As for Ann Coulter, this is a situation where even when you’re right, you can still be wrong. She was wronged as a customer but her responses tipped the scales far past what was reasonable. 36+ tweets blasting out to millions of followers across the internets with rude comments slung at undeserving passengers and Delta staff is utterly uncalled for.
For context, let’s talk about the flip side of this. Right after the Dr. Dao incident with United I remember hearing about a California family that was removed from an “oversold” flight because they refused to give up their 2-yr-old’s seat to another passenger. (Here’s coverage from this blog back on May 4th:
http://viewfromthewing.com/2017/05/04/family-kicked-off-delta-flight-refused-give-2-year-olds-seat-another-passenger/)
Given the facts and circumstances I feel like Delta was technically right, but here they handled it all wrong as well.
I mention these two incidences because in both situations the party who was technically “right” used their power or influence to try to enforce something that could have been resolved in a much more reasonable way. In these two examples (and many more in the news) there’s a rotten core. Of all people, Meryl Streep helped me find the words to describe what what I feel is so wrong about these situations. Here are excerpts from Streep’s speech at this year’s Golden Globes. “When the powerful use their position to bully others we all lose.” “Disrespect invites disrespect.” In the examples I’ve highlighted there’s a person/entity that “outranks [the other] in privilege, power, and the capacity to fight back.” Despite all of this, I will echo Streep’s closing remarks, “We all have the privilege and responsibility of the act of empathy.”
Many years ago I worked in a call center where, among many things, my job was to help customers and employees find reasonable outcomes for difficult situations. I exercised my empathy muscle and successfully found reasonable outcomes for countless people over the years. I wish everyone had to work in customer service at some point so they too could exercise and develop empathy for all people. This life is hard enough as it is. Can’t we try being kind for a change?
More love and empathy. Less hate and disrespect.
That horse is well out of the barn and galloping recklessly toward it’s demise. What many missed because they do not listen is the entire AM radio dial was turned into a hate machine for 30 years which dredged up every racist, bigot, homophobe, xenophobe and gun nut into a political force that has now elected two Presidents considered worldwide to be the worst any country ever elected. Even Germany is appalled at a level of civic hatred and utter ruin in the U.S. that they tell me surpasses anything that preceded the Nazi rise and ruin. They are the ones who first started teaching in their schools during Bush’s ruin/reign that the US was no longer governable due to a level of forced ignorance that cannot possibly sustain a great democracy. Now ever school kid in most modern nations learns the example of what ruined the mighty US as a object lesson in how ignorance and spite can utterly ruin a country. Trump is a symptom of his trumpanzees who at 1/3 will finish their ruin if not smacked down with a counter voice and vote. They are ruin itself, the only seriously contending destroyers of civilization.
Ok,I watched the video. Noah and Wood hilarious. Coulter, I threw up a little in my mouth
Just says to me that if delta will do this to someone like Ann coulter who has lots of platforms to air her grievance, then delta is willing to do that to little ole me who is an absolute nobody. Everybody yells that the celebrity shouldn’t be treated any differently than the average joe . . .
Do we know the exact reason that the seats were changed at the gate?
eg. sit near small child, wanted an aisle seat, wanted to be near spouse??
I think Coulter took it a few steps too far but I have to admit if I paid for a particular seat I would want that seat and not another one. I agree families w/ small children should be allowed to fly together and other passengers should do their best to make sure that happens. However, from the looks of the passenger moved to Coulter’s seat she doesn’t fall into the “small children” category. She’s a little too old to be having to sit with mommy and daddy.
I think it’s Gary’s need to pound the airlines that makes him so willing to continue defending Coulter’s behavior and dismiss those who think her behavior was atrocious by implying that those who disagree with him are reacting to her politics and polarizing behavior.
She paid $30 for a seat with additional leg room and Delta in fact provided her with exactly that. There is no difference in leg room between the aisle and the window seat. Yes, true, some people prefer aisles and some windows but, really, for a flight lasting only a couple of hours, this is hardly worth worrying about. You guys making excuses for irritable bowl syndrome or weak bladders are trying to assign motive. However, if Coulter suffered from that, a quiet word with the gate agent would probably have had an impact. I realize some people will rant and say they shouldn’t have to reveal such things but communication generally helps ease situations and helps people achieve what they want to achieve. This would be a reasonable person’s goal.
Those who say Delta was wrong but Coulter was more wrong have a strong case. Her attitude, both to the other passenger and to Delta, was and is atrocious. I realize there has been a decline in civility but what kind of person acts like this? If it was Rachel Maddow who acted this way, many liberals would still be appalled, at least the ones who were raised with some degree of social skills. However, this is a hypothetical and is not the situation at hand.
Frankly, I don’t see that Delta is that wrong. She got her seat with extra leg room. They refunded her $30. They moved her approximately 30 inches away to a seat that was in every way equivalent.They certainly do not owe her an apology, given the way she has behaved.
I once was on a flight and my wife and I could not select seats together. We were not wimps and beg the boarding agent to throw someone out of their seat to accommodate us. We asked a gentleman in an aisle seat if he would change with me and he refused, so we just sat apart. Why did Delta not just refuse the change seat request? An ” emergency”?
And here is the problem with trying to Monday morning quarterback this. Although the person given the aisle seat looked healthy, we really cannot speculate on the reason it occurred. Just because you and your wife wanted to sit together and tried to do so once on a flight does not directly translate to this situation. In any case, it’s not the issue. Coulter’s deplorable behavior is the issue. She got a seat with identical legroom just 30 inches away from the seat she selected and she had her $30 refunded. If anybody really believes that translates to abuse by an airline, I’d suggest they have either a rather privileged life or a very skewed set of priorities.
SURPRISE! BITTER DELTA EMPLOYEE PURPOSEFULLY MOVED HER CUZ THEY DIDNT AGREE WITH HER POLITICS
@steve Well now, if that was the case, why move her to a good seat with identical leg room only 30 inches away? I mean, let’s face it, if the employee was that bitter and enraged by Coulter’s politics, wouldn’t the employee move her to a middle seat at the very back of the plane? Why not bump her entirely? (Although, now that I think of it, why didn’t Delta do that? Coulter’s raging, temper tantrum could hardly be worse than it has been and some unlucky soul wouldn’t have had to sit next to someone with such an uncivil and ill bred behavior pattern).
Wrong, Dianne. How hard is it to understand that the alleged “deplorable” (dontchajustluvHillary?) behavior was a reaction to, and not the cause of, the DL FA singling AC out for inappropriate treatment.
Can you even imagine the MSM faux outrage if the shoe were on the other foot?
BTW, there are plenty of legitimate reasons why a pax might want/need an aisle seat, and not be able to tolerate a window seat. Like many other aspects of life, it isn’t a call that some lib should feel entitled to make for another person.
@Pete Look, you’re making it clear in your post that you’re defending Coulter because of your politics and that’s OK if you feel it’s necessary. But I was not coming from a liberal viewpoint in my comments. It’s hard for you to make the case a gate agent (not an FA) was “singling AC out” when she received a seat with identical legroom just 30 inches away from the other seat. Plus she received a refund of the $30. Inappropriate treatment would have been giving her a middle seat in the back of the plane or booting her off. And when you go to “there are plenty of legitimate reasons why a PAC might want….an aisle seat”, you’re trying to assign motive, something not appropriate to do (that is, as an outsider you can judge a person’s actions but not assign motive). Coulter made it clear in her tweet tantrum that there was no issue except she felt she was entitled.
Wrong again, Dianne. Coutler did not “feel” she was entitled – – she WAS entitled, contractually. Granted, that’s a difficult concept for libs to grasp.
As to “motive”, I was suggesting only that there were legitimate reasons for wanting/needing an aisle seat. She wanted it, she paid for it, end of story. To blame her after the fact for not getting what she contracted, simply because YOU don’t FEEL that it was important, again is wholly irrelevant (“assigning motive”, if you will).
@Pete,
Maybe someone who is more knowledgeable than I am can comment, but its my understanding that there is no contractual right to a specific seat??
Plus, I don’t understand why anyone needs to bring politics into this discussion.
@pete, Your take on this is clearly partisan so there is no way to reason with you, especially when you try to use “alternative facts” such as contractual obligations.
Nothing partisan at all about contractual obligations. Nothing “alternative” about the facts. She did not get the seat that she paid for. Breach of contract. Period. End of story.
The rest is all opinion – she should/should not have acted like XYZ. That’s where the liberal elitist nonsense comes in.
@ David, as far as bringing politics into it, it seems hat was the very reason for the DL employee targeting Coulter.. So, yes, it may be relevant (theoretically as an additional measure of damages).
@pete No, no such thing as a contractual obligation for a specific seat. She did pay for a seat with extra legroom and got that. Youre so sure this was politically based that you are making gross generalizations and trying to assign motive.
So typical of the right wing redneck baboon to create out of thin air a political motive. These are the world infamous ignoramuses who bought the con of a shady sideshow grifter who Politifact rated as an objective liar 70% of the entire campaign. These fat slobs live in a,world of nothing but lies, obrr a million believed Hillary ran a child prostitution ring out of a DC pizza parlor where one of their 500 pound inbred rednecks shot it up while full of families.
The rest of yhe world puzzles over who could be so low as to demonize generous kind people while posing as good Christians whose vile bigotry ruined its good name in one generation. They teach in the schools of our former Allies that no stupider people exist on the planet, destroyers of civilization and ruiners of the great USA.
@pete and greg,
I really think both sides should keep politics out of the discussion. It does not add anything.
What I still have not seen is the reason for the seat re-assignment. To sit near a small child, needs an aisle seat because of a disability, wants to sit near a spouse or ____, or just prefers the aisle??
Some are appropriate reasons and others are not. That’s the only issue.
It most certainly IS a contract. Delta offers to sell specific seat for a specific price. PAX accepts offer and pays consideration. Period. Contractually bound.
As for the political slant, go re-read the thread (and related threads) and you can determine where that was brought in – – initially by the lefty moonbats. And then again when it was reported that Coulter was intentionally targeted by a DL FA due to her political beliefs.
AFAIK, no “legitimate” reason has been given or offered by DL for the seat reassignment.
@Greg, you should see a professional about getting something prescribed for that TDS.
@pete, look I know you believe what you’re writing about contracts but it’s not true. Go read Delta’s Contract of Carriage (https://www.delta.com/content/dam/delta-www/pdfs/legal/contract_of_carriage_dom.pdf). Specifically, “”Delta may substitute alternate carriers or aircraft, delay or cancel flights, change seat assignments, and alter or omit stopping places shown on the ticket at any time. Schedules are subject to change without notice,.”
It may seem unfair to you or to many but the reality is that no airline sells a specific seat. Operating an airline is far too complex for them to commit to that.
Further, your actions such as name calling (lefty moon bats) and insults (telling someone they need a prescription) are inappropriate for civil discourse.
Freak, lets see the legit mainstream news source link which reported a Delta FA targeted the Tranny Hag for her political views. Dont bring your fake news Trumpanzee freak show to a mainstream site wiyhout expecting to get your lying lies called out.
@Dianne – – that applies to general seat assignments, not specific seats offered for sale. Contract. And nice selective outrage, BTW.
@GregTDS – – You mean MSM like the media that guaranteed a big Hillary win? That MSM? So many ad hominems and so intolerant for a prog. Tsk, tsk. But keep foaming at the mouth about your perceived superiority – – it will help assure at least 7.5 more years of MAGA!
@pete, youre hilarious with trying to posit legal opinions with no knowledge of the law.