Last weekend I noted former President Joe Biden flying United Airlines first class out of Houston. Qatar did not gift him a plane to use, so he flies commercial.
On Saturday he flew American Airlines from Minneapolis – where he was attending the funeral of slain Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman – to Philadelphia, near his home in Wilmington. He bumped a first class passenger out of the cabin to do so.
Flight AA 2717 to Philadelphia. I’d like to know who the government official is who bumped me out of my first class seat. Our tax dollars hard at work y’all
— Every day American (@ElaineLehman2) June 28, 2025
They were not happy – even assuming it was an official in the Trump administration. They appear to be Trump supporters from their feed, but they were thrilled that the passenger wound up being Biden.
Update: American Airlines is woke AF but Joe Biden signed my daughter’s birthday card so I guess it’s okay he bumped my husband out of first class. pic.twitter.com/sTqh1dSHR7
— Every day American (@ElaineLehman2) June 28, 2025
The former President came off the aircraft and down the stairs onto the ramp, rather than exiting via the jetbridge into the terminal.
More bad news for Biden haters…our Joe effortlessly walks down the stairs, carrying his own bag, from his plane in Philly. pic.twitter.com/N5XMmYoZVl
— SayMay (@saymaysmith) June 29, 2025
I’m going to express an unpopular view: the scheduling desires of a former President should not take precedence over confirmed passengers. That’s true, by the way, regardless of party.
The Royals have been known to fly economy within Europe for security. They are facing any potential threat coming at them, and they only need to monitor the rear galley (and lavatory) from behind. Taking up the back of the aircraft is also more private.
I’ve always viewed Biden as:
- an honorable man, even if given to oferring up tall tales (“Corn Pop was a ‘bad dude’ who ‘ran a bunch of bad boys'”)
- who did a poor job on Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary
- allowed his Presidential administration to be run as a fiefdom, delegating issue areas to affected groups within his party.
I thought he was the better candidate in 2020 and even 2024. However I don’t think he should be treated as more important than other passengers on a commercial flight. Here I think taking a cue from Jimmy Carter makes sense.
A former President’s financial prospects are significant, and can certainly buy their own travel as they wish, frequently including private jet travel. Bill Clinton, for instance, is estimated at a nine figure net worth and did not enter office wealthy.
Biden was worth an estimated $2.5 million upon leaving the Vice Presidency. He spent most of his life in public office. In the four years that followed, prior to becoming President, he earned millions each year (including $8 million for a book deal). His age and starting point in the low eight figures mean he’s unlikely to end up truly wealthy, but his public efforts are largely covered by donations at this point anyway.
Biden, like other former Presidents, does not need our charity. If he did, it shouldn’t come at the expense of one American (passenger) but the nation broadly. Presidents ought to take a cue from former Congressman Thaddeus McCotter who offered the best resignation in history from the U.S. House of Representatives (emphasis mine),
The recent event’s totality of calumnies, indignities and deceits have weighed most heavily upon my family. Thus, acutely aware one cannot rebuild their hearth of home amongst the ruins of their U.S. House office, for the sake of my loved ones I must “strike another match, go start anew” by embracing the promotion back from public servant to sovereign citizen.
(McCotter was the first sitting congressman in 70 years not to qualify for their own party’s primary. Staff submitted fake signatures on the required petition. He was not suspected of wrongdoing.)
One Mile at a Time is thrilled that the interaction “humanize[d]” Biden’s critic, saying that “[w]e have a lot more in common than we have differences.” I agree! Although I’d point out that the passenger’s displeasure came before realizing it was former President Biden that was the passenger.
Johnny Jet is happy to be bumped from first class “for someone who served our country so valiantly.” And indeed, that should be his choice to offer his seat to another passenger he deems worthy.
Better for an ex-President to take the lead of former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker who flew Southwest rather than bump a paying passenger.
His interaction with a Southwest flight attendant over race in the wake of George Floyd became a defining element of his post-American Airlines career. (That flight attendant even serves on the board of his foundation which is dedicated to “removing the financial hardships of aspiring pilots and providing supplemental support through mentorship”).
It’s fine to solicit volunteers to downgrade in order to accommodate the former President, but it shouldn’t be policy to do so involuntarily. If the first class cabin is sold out, and he’ll only fly up front, he can take a different flight. There are six peak daily flights on the route, and Delta operates one later in the evening. He can also connect. He’s no longer conducting the peoples’ business.
Tabloid Gary Strikes Again!
Thanks for nothing. Slow news day.
Highly likely it was the Secret Service that requested the bump for ‘security’ purposes, not only for him but also for at least one SS agent who likely sat in 1C beside him-same thing happened to me once when one of the Obama girls was flying out of ORD back to DC.
Biden is a corrupt puppet and your stated admiration for this traitor makes me sick
Agree, slow new days. Doubt he’s even aware where he sits in the cabin until he just about to board as an Ex-President. My guess hr and his USSSS agents needed to sit together. In an age of political violence and crazies on both sides, let’s make sure the man is safe. I’m okay being with that.
I would have gladly relinquesed a first class or a business class seat for Joe Biden. It would have been an honor to have the chance.
I really don’t see this as being any different from the way the airlines treat other VIP pax.
Watch the Senators and Congressmen/women departing DC. They can be very demanding and often the staffers are worse.
From the Airlines point of view, much better that they keep Biden and others with similar public recognition where they can minimize potential disruptions.
First she says she was bumped out of first class, but in the next post she says her husband was bumped. The story is inconsistent.
I wouldn’t be happy if I were bumped, but I would give it up for Joe if he signed a card for my daughter.
I’m pretty certain whoever gets bumped is at the airlines discretion, not the customer regardless of importance.
It’s not a good look to IDB a confirmed passenger. Maybe ask for volunteers? Or fly coach?
Many years ago while going through TSA at PHL my wife and I were behind then Senator Joe Biden. He set off the metal detector. While he was being frisked he proudly announced “even a US Senator gets searched”. He wasn’t complaining, just sincerely pointing out that he was not getting special treatment. He then apologized to us for holding us up.
You forget to mention that all B789o had to do to keep his campaign going was coherently get through a debate – which he couldn’t do.
He finally walked away and left the K lady and her giggles while the current pres only ended up getting more votes by taking a bullet. literally.
Its politics and never makes sense.
you are correct that no one should be in a position to bump any other confirmed passenger for any reason.
it’s not like the blue team is in any position to extract revenge
Does AA bump upgrades for Concierge Key passengers, maybe if they buy a full-fare F ticket?
Lots of airlines will bump people off a flight entirely if they can sell someone else an expensive enough ticket.
The “stable genius” that replaced him put Goya beans on his desk and cars in front of his house like some shill on a midnight infomercial. Now he’s selling “stablecoins” (the crypto scam) and pushing the “genius act”–they’re not even trying to hide their corruption. I’ll take an old man who devoted his life to his country over an angry 5 year old with a box of matches any day of the week.
Bumping happens. This was for a relatively last minute trip and not because the cabin was oversold. For a former president, I would expect this to happen. The only thing that the passenger assigned to that seat really deserves is sufficient compensation (maybe entire ticket refunded) and as comfortable of accommodations in another cabin as possible (no middle seating and an empty seat next to them along with any meals that they were to get).
I’m a fan of Biden but I don’t think anyone should get bumped for a current or former elected official. There are almost always open first class seats these days, usually going to complimentary upgrades… seems AA could have handled this differently or Biden could have flown DL from MSP to PHL.
Having said that, what a class act to make a trip to the Hortman funeral on behalf of the American people… since the current occupant couldn’t even be bothered to call the MN governor and see if there was anything the state needed.
He literally stole the 2020 election. What do you expect?
Biden does not deserve to fly in first class. He destroyed our nation and we are worse off financially because of his actions while president. I would gladly give my seat up for Trump but Biden deserves to sit in the smallest seat on this old aircraft. I’m sure everyone had to be seated until he deplaned. What a joke
Biden didn’t even know he was on the plane.
Wow, Gary – I used to like your blog. Your political bias and comments (regardless of which side of the aisle (or window) – doesn’t belong here IMHO. But it’s your blog, so you can choose. It’s up to us to decide not to follow it!
You usually get the point right. Here, you seem to think that Biden himself arranged for a particular passenger to get bumped. You know the airline did that – and it was likely coordinated through some travel arranger (not Biden himself), who may or may not have been informed of what the airline was doing (bumping a passenger). So why all the politics. SOOOO MESSY.
Same for the other blogs who tout the politcal aspect, regardless of whether they make positive comments (like those you quote). Are these travel blogs or blogs to show your political views???
You won’t see the dip from my (single) absence, but hopefully enough people will either comment or avoid – so you can feel the response of your writing. I could be wrong – you may receive more followers – those who follow your political beliefs. Hope that was your intent.
BTW, I’m independent – just prefer a travel blog to remain a travel blog.
I thought Joe liked to take Amtrak.
Disgusting confirmation (not really news) that, truthly, indeed, American Airlines is more corrupt than a Third World Airline:
As a frequent leisure traveler to CMB, I’ll never forget this disgusting treatment of Sri Lankan and its owner Emirates:
“Wed 19 Dec 2007
The British chief executive of Sri Lankan Airlines had his work permit cancelled Wednesday for refusing the country’s president and his 35-strong entourage seats on a flight from London to Colombo.
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/success-of-emirates-failure-of-srilankan/?tztc=1
I’m very confused. Corn Pop was real.
https://x.com/ddale8/status/1173342875691692032?s=46&t=fVSc4dIQbdr8EZaJ5ueeHA
“…for someone who served our country so valiantly.”
It’s very therapeutic to have a good laugh every day.
I have known other senior government officials lower ranking than a former Presidentwho fly commercial with up to 4 members of their security detail seated around them. Highly likely it’s the Secret Service that requested the involuntary downgrade, even if it was for passenger Biden. USSS and Diplomatic Security both often buy full fare F class tickets when traveling with a protectee, even if their proctectee purchased a lower class of service. That way, they can ask the airline to upgrade the procectee for security reasons, since the premium cabin is smaller so it’s easier to monitor the procectee and those around him or her.
I believe this is where I’m supposed to add a polarizing political comment designed to juice the algorithm.
Donchu mean the Auto-Pen took someone’s First Class seat? /s
The real question is can an inanimate object/software get a PDB? G&T!
My wife and I were bumped from DL First Class (Orlando-Cincinnati) for far less. Happens all the time.
Kicker was Delta agents lied three times why id happened.
“We were overbooked.”
Duh – DL does not overbook First
“That’s what happens when you book using a third party.”
Wrong – Delta.com baby
“Security reasons.”
Yep, ran out of answers.
If Biden was the only one that ever did it I would be upset – but it happens all the time and my wife and I fly Delta less than ever.
AA justifies it possibly by saying Biden is Super Duper Elite status or stAAtus.
Biden made a huge mistake to choose Kamala Harris. Even Mrs. Dr. Biden objected mainly because Kamala savagely and unfairly attacked Biden during the debates, falsely accusing him of being a racist. If Biden picked a normal VP, that VP could have become President because of the 2024 election. Dumb decisions have consequences. Abnormal VP have a hard time becoming president.
So, Joe thinks he has the ultimate upgrade. Buy coach and bump first class passengers at will. Pretty entitled. Hey Joe, WFBF!
Too bad he doesn’t have a Qatari 748 to ride around on that was ‘donated to his library’ ….
Let me know when the Cheeto flies commercial …. If he wants my lowly first class seat (sorry it’s not gold plated) …. I’d gladly give him mine …. As I’d be off that flight if the Cheeto is onboard in a NY second if he strolled onboard