An American Airlines passenger shares how her flight crew saved her from a sexually predatory seatmate.
She boarded her flight in Dallas and took her assigned aisle seat. A man in his 60s sat in the middle seat next to her. At first he made self-deprecating jokes about his size, apologized, and said he was uncomfortable flying. They chatted about family, hometown, and travel. She revealed she was married with no kids. He said he was married with three daughters. But then the conversation turned inappropriate:
- He remarked that he could tell she hadn’t had children because of her figure, commenting that if his wife had her figure, they’d have had “12 kids.”
- He said that if turbulence occurred, she’d “have to hold him,” placing his hand on her knee. She froze, feeling trapped.
- The man kept steering the conversation to sexual topics, to her appearance, and he repeatedly grabbed her leg (and would then let go, so she had nothing to fight off).
He’d always bring it back to something sexual, or my appearance, and kept grabbing my leg.
This was a man in his 60s that literally asked, ‘if the plane is going down will we have time for a quick smash?
American AIrlines Cabin Interior
The flight had a mechanical delay. Everyone had to deplane due to a hydraulic fluid leak. She went to a restroom near the gate. When she walked out, he was waiting outside. She excused herself, and went to speak to a gate agent – and asked to be reseated. And American just handled this so well.
- A pilot volunteered to switch seats and take her original seat. It’s not clear whether he was nonreving or headheading to his next assignment.
- The gate agent told her that she’d notify the flight crew and advised her to check in with flight attendants upon boarding.
- The man approached her, inviting her for drinks. She declined, (truthfully) explaining her sobriety (untrue) and left to call her husband. She avoided him until boarding.
- When everyone was boarding the flight again, he started looking her up and down, and pretending to take photos. Once onboard, flight attendants told her the man had made inappropriate remarks to them as well.
- He discovered they were no longer seated together, and audibly expressed his displeasure (“WTF?!”), but sat down next to the pilot.
American Airlines Gate At Dallas – Fort Worth Airport
A customer service agent approached the woman, apologized on behalf of American Airlines, and informed her the man had been removed from the flight. They requested a statement from her for police. Throughout the flight, flight attendants checked on her repeatedly, offering additional drinks and snacks, and making sure she was comfortable.
So what got him kicked off? The pilot who was reseated next to the man reported that he kept making remarks about her – even though they were no longer seated beside each other.
American Airlines Planes At Dallas – Fort Worth Aircraft
It’s hard to understand that sort of passenger behavior, but with nearly 900 million passengers per year on U.S. airlines and departing the U.S. on international carriers, there are going to be some odd, offensive, and boorish ones. Here, American Airlines responded exactly the way you’d hope they would – swiftly, supportively, and seriously. The risk in allowing the man to fly was clearly greater than the risk of misjudging the situation and removing him. Based on the available evidence, they first separated him from the woman he was harassing – and followed up, removing him from the aircraft when that alone didn’t end the threat.
Yuck.
By “removed from the flight.” one hopes the miscreant in question was chucked straight out of the aircraft door onto the ramp sans stairs.
@Denver Refugee — Bah!
Now that’s some efficient ‘due process.’ (We got another! Alright. Disarm. Cross-check. Chuck ‘em. Next!)
Glad the crew here did what they could to protect the other passenger.
Good for American. I hope they see your article and appreciate the positive feedback on a bad situation well handled.
@1990 – Who knew that apparently needing “bouncers” on flights was going to be a thing?
American handled this perfectly, with a few caveats:
First, I don’t believe in people apologizing for something that isn’t their fault. American’s apologies implied lability for something out of their control.
Secondly, the guy is a creep for so many reasons: He’s married with 3 daughters but also, he’s unattractive. Don’t get me wrong: We should be aware of our appearance and act accordingly. It’s ok and even a good thing that handsome and pretty people get a “privilege” to do things that otherwise are “creepy” for the rest of us normies.
That being said, from what I read, I disagree with him being removed from the flight unless he was warned that the woman had rejected his advances and to stop being so “creepy”. She attempted to be “polite” and make white lies such as not drinking alcohol, but the appropriate thing to do would simply CLEARLY say she’s not interested and she’d like to be left alone.
Unless she expressed a clear verbal warning to him to not touch her in the course of a friendly conversation, he didn’t commit assault or battery.
Women are complaining all over in the media that “men aren’t men” anymore and don’t approach women or “lead” them, but at the same time anyone short of Brad Pitt is on notice that we risk being penalized for doing so. Brad Pitt’s don’t approach women because they don’t have to.
This is why you’re paying for your own dinners, ladies.
@PolishKnight. I was going to post a longish reply, instead: Ugh, just ugh!
@PolishKnight is just as creepy as the passenger in question.
@Denver Refugee — If Emirates can pay a designated non-crew ‘shower attendant’ for each of its a380s, US airlines could employ a ‘bouncer’ for each flight, and they’d lose revenue, but they’d hopefully prevent some lawsuits. Who knows, maybe it’s worth it in the end!
@This comes to mind — It takes real discipline to ignore the ‘bait,’ doesn’t it? Bah! You know, come to think of it @PolishKnight reminds me of some of the sad incel-like commentary from @Un (a.k.a. @Unintimidated, @E. Jack Youlater, @Jack Mehoff, and other names by the same ‘fellow.’ At least that guy is somewhat ‘creative.’)
Shall we shag now or shag later?
Take your hand off my knee, stop the noises from your face. At that point he was eligible to bounce from the flight. The only thing he needed was a stout caning. Quick smash? Pathetic incel dirt bags like this can’t “smash”, they’re not quick, and are voted least likely to be selected in event of desperate end of the world sexual release needs.
@Armadillo of the Air — Caning? They weren’t on Singapore Airlines; and if they were, something like this probably would never have happened… you know, because of the caning. Bah!
@1990: I’m less hurt being compared to an incel than being told I’m not “somewhat” creative.
That said, was a “bouncer” needed in this instance, much less calling the police? Simply reseat her and instruct the “offender” that she doesn’t wish to be bothered and that’s that.
Yes, I know it sounds like “bait” because it challenges a social narrative (I’d expect the same pushback if I posted on a Taliban comment section: “Should women be allowed to vote?”)
The guy isn’t an “incel”, (well, unless he’s lying about being married with kids) (OK, not all married people are having sex). My objection is over a guy whose socially clueless being thrown off of a flight without even being warned and even physically attacked because his actions made a woman feel uncomfortable.
Note: Lots of people can make you feel uncomfortable on a place such as a parent not trying to soothe their crying baby or talking in a loud manner, and so on. Instead of just speaking up and telling them to stop, the white knights suggest throwing people onto the tarmac and paying for “bouncers.”
Note that she didn’t communicate clearly with him so she also has social shortcomings.
@PolishKnight, It’s incels like you ruining it for all the nice guys. A woman (or any person) is not responsible for “express[ing] a clear verbal warning to him to not touch her”. No one should touch anyone they do not know. Period.
Yeah, I donno know about anyone else, but when I’m traveling, I’m trying to get where I’m going safely, efficiently, and ideally comfortably, not trying ‘pick up chicks/dudes’ or whatever anyone else is suggesting. We’re really forgetting the golden rule here; at least try to treat others as they wish to be treated.
How about putting Pete the Perv on a No Fly List and a couple months in the local pokey. That crap would stop immediately. No young lady has an interest in your old saggy butt.
@Sally Cooper When you use the term “incel” you convey that a person’s primary value is their ability to get sex. Consider the consequences of such a mindset.
That said, I’m married with a daughter (so yes, I’m truly not an “incel”) and even before then, I could always purchase professionals and leave women on planes alone although I had many wonderful conversations with women on planes over the years.
So you will never, “period”, touch a person you just met and having a good conversation with? You won’t touch their arm to reassure them that they’re going to be ok or a crying child that you’ll help find their parent? What defines “knowing” someone?
I proposed above that many who complain we’ve become a disconnected society where people refrain from relating to each other and heck, this is a great example why when people become so hostile when we’re safely behind our keyboards.
Thankfully I don’t talk to nobody and nobody talks to me. It is nobody’s business to know anything about me. (nobody, get it?)
@George Romey – It used to be that boorish behavior typically resulted in a broken nose or similar courtesy of the offended party.
To leverage a meme: Make Actions Have Consequences Again.
@PolishKnight: Remember the good old days when you could grab an ass without consequence because the strange woman never warned you not to touch her? Good times.
Yes, people are becoming more disconnected. But I’m not interested in your ideas about society since you’ve failed miserably. Obvious troll, trolling obviously.
PolishKnight actually said “This is why you’re paying for your own dinners, ladies.”
Planes force us to be physically close to people. How would you handle it if the same man did the same thing to you?
@Sean: While I prefer to make provocative observations rather than merely agreeing with the crowd, I also make two sided observations and willingly address the points people raise. You fail to distinguish that from “trolling” which says something about the discourse of modern society.
Part of the disconnection is a lack of empathy and intolerance. Being around people is difficult and awkward at times, but also rewarding in others. It means striving to not overreact to “creeps” and “boors” while at the same time being the best we can. It can feel unrewarding at times hence why people prefer to check out and isolate particularly as the rest of society does the same. Behind keyboards, we can become especially cruel and even violent. I’ve heard numerous calls to severely harm a man for touching a woman’s knee during a mutual conversation. Repeat: Her KNEE. Is this Saudi Arabia?
Does that sound like something a “troll” would say?
The first thing I said is the man in question is a “creep” so I’m looking at this from BOTH sides. What he did appears foolish and surprising to me but look at a CEO of Astronomer in recent news. It’s astonishing how many otherwise late-middle-aged men who got through life can behave in ways we consider outrageously boorish. That said, however, I think there’s an overreaction here and this is a problem with society.
I’m calling to tone the vitriol DOWN, not up. That’s the opposite of trolling to me.
Harassment on an airline should be a charge. It is improper behavior. I wouldn’t just let him walk away. Charge him with creating a disturbance on an airliner.
@PolishKnight just say it bro, you want to be able to touch and grab women wherever and whenever. _You are_ the 60 year old man that got removed from the flight, and you’re out here desperately trying to persuade people that you were wronged by the exchange. Just admit it bro, you’ll feel way better about it. Bet we meet your “wife” to find she was Stockholm’d all the way to the altar. Most learn to get over themselves by high school, I think you may need to go back bruh.
@WearyWatchdog: Granted, I partly regret making this statement because it took this discussion on a an emotional tangent but at the same time, it did lead to a useful insight.
Consider @Sally Cooper writing: “It’s incels like you ruining it for all the nice guys.”
So “nice guys” have to walk on eggshells to avoid being labeled “creeps” and then harshly punished, even their lives destroyed, so many are checking out. Note: I didn’t defend this guy above. I called him a “creep” for several reasons. Sally then projects onto all men punishment for the actions of a few.
In a society where men, collectively, get no break from @Sally Cooper, the good, the bad, and well, the ugly, I’m saying this is a sign why men are not rising up to masculine roles where women want to “lead”. Let women do the asking out and paying for dinners then if they don’t want men bothering them.
Seriously. If women are so bugged by this, why aren’t they happily accepting that role to then disenfranchise the jerks?
This ties into flying in, as you said, you are “forced” to be physically close to people. Indeed, our society evolved away from trains and busses to cars to avoid the unwashed masses. We spend more time at home than communal activities such as Rotary Clubs or daily Happy Hours. Many of us travel, ironically, to find connection with people from other cultures who still retain a public community. Interesting, isn’t it? These cultures tend to have strong social norms that many of us in the west would object to imposing in our own society.
I wish I had been born in the 1950s where a man could act like a man and society didn’t collectively freak out.
@ Tony N
Yet you ‘talked’ to all of us here just with the act of posting !
Or did you mean only ‘talk’ in the strictest literal sense, while continue to visually engage ?
…lol
@PolishKnight @Clancy — What in ‘Andrew Tate’ is wrong with y’all…
Are you sure none of you are the guy behind our regular troll, @Un, etc.?
(Here’s the test, what’s your stance on the CCP? I’ll start… Taiwan is a free, independent country from the mainland, which is a dictatorship.)
If he was named Donald Trump, he would be voted into the White House by dimwits
@1990 I’m beginning to change my views for the worse seeing your replies… tone it down. Guy made stupid remarks on the internet, he didn’t screw your cat.
@1990 @Clancy I regard Andrew Tate as a grifter who cheated men as well as exploited women. That doesn’t mean he, nor other grifters, don’t say interesting things at times. PT Barnum has numerous quotes attributed to him.
For the record, I have a dear Taiwanese-American friend and think they ought to “Nuke up” which should be trivial for them since they already built one before and dismantled it at the USA’s request. They could probably build one in parts from their wonderful technology bazaars.
@BillGates’Mother: People on the internet tend to be especially volatile. I can see why in that it’s anonymous and we’re frustrated “IRL” with the social conventions that are not only highly restrictive at times, but also seemingly arbitrary.
I like airline travel blogs because it’s interesting how people who are otherwise resistant to public travel are, as observed above, “forced” to sit in close proximity to others and yet, and here’s the hilarious part: Want “elite” experiences of food, drink, and comfort.
The Airlines should be allowed to share no fly between themselves. Flying on an commercial Airlines is not a constitutional right. I also belive that anyone charged with disrupting a flight should be changed under our terrorism laws.
It’s is 100% true that people that are attractive get to engage with others in ways that are not acceptable if you are not attractive. I don’t care what anybody says otherwise. It is prevalent in our society. If you don’t understand this, then you simply don’t live in reality. This is exactly why I no longer engage with women, ever. I do not make eye contact, I do not try to chat, even when they start the chat, which is super rare, because if you aren’t attractive women automatically assume you are a perverted creep.
Get over yourselves…
was he a trump buddy? not flying Epstein airways anymore?
@PolishKnight — I don’t know who hurt you but apparently they were really good at it.