Two women flying Delta from Los Angeles to San Francisco had a meltdown on Monday after missing their plane. They arrived at the LAX gate, only to find a gate agent closing the door.
One yells, “He just slammed the door on my sister’s arm. This is racism!” And her sister joins in, “this is racism!”
“You can’t deny me from boarding the plane, that’s racist!”
byu/upstandingelf indelta
Three things seem relevant here.
- The woman in the white sweatshirt is carrying a Starbucks. She clearly miscalculated with her Grande Double Ristretto Venti Half-Soy Nonfat Decaf Organic Chocolate Brownie Iced Vanilla Double-Shot Gingerbread Frappuccino Extra Hot with Foam Whipped Cream Upside Down Double Blended with Extra Ice Caramel Drizzle and Cinnamon on Top.
- It appears that the boarding doors closed 18 minutes prior to departure. This is Delta 2267 scheduled at 12:09 p.m. The time is shown in the video at 11:51 a.m. which is 18 minutes prior to departure. Unless everyone confirmed on the flight is already on board, that shouldn’t happen until 15 minutes to departure. So the women may have a point – the doors appear to have closed early if there were confirmed passengers not yet on board.
The flight actually departed at 12:06 p.m. (3 minutes early) and arrived in San Francisco 7 minutes early at 1:22 p.m.
- There’s nothing whatsoever that suggests the reason for this is racism. It’s certainly an odd take, and the Delta employees handled that well by not engaging.
With four more Delta LA – San Francisco flights today after the one they missed, hopefully they managed to get to their destination. Calling the person who can help you a racist may not be the best strategy for getting that done, however.
But play that race card if you have it right? so sad – SMH
@ Gary — OMG, the tabloid stories are getting old.
Once I banged on the jetway door seconds after it closed and they let me in! Other times, I ran towards to gate arms waving and they waved back while saying it was ok, that I’ll make the flight.
it would be more effective if they claimed ANTI-SEMITISM at the same time.
@Gene: OMG, your constant complaining to the author of a FREE TRAVEL BLOG is getting old.
Gary, your second point completely invalidates the first one. Whether they stopped at a Starbucks, restroom or Sbarro, it doesn’t matter if they showed up at the gates more than 15 minutes out. Perhaps you’re trying to be funny but instead you’re coming across as snarky and petty.
@Zakon – No I am making both points precisely BECAUSE they cut against each other…. that as is so often the case, things aren’t completely clear cut. I didn’t just choose to make one point or the other, trying to reveal all sides!
If I am not mistaken, closing the door to the jetway never “closes” the flight. A flight is closed when the manifest is given to the airplane crew, the captain acknowledges they have everything needed for the flight, and the cabin door is closed and armed.
At this point, the gate agent walks back up the jetway and closes the door to the terminal behind them.
These are completely separate things. So when the jetway door is closed — they can ALWAYS re-open it as long as the flight isn’t closed in the first paragraph above. That’s not done from the terminal, ever.
So much drama for lukewarm syrupy milk product
Some people have no sense of urgency. I remember going past a family shopping (but not buying) in the terminal after TSA at LAX. I get to the gate and the flight before my flight is finishing boarding. The agents do last call for several minutes then close the gate. A minute later the family arrives. They try to have the gate opened for them but no go. At least they weren’t abusive. One thing to point out for the video, the gate clocks are usually on time but I have seen them off before. Beyond that, flight times can change and those changes are not always reflected correctly at the gate.
Is the cost of a Starbucks coffee Grande Double Ristretto Venti Half-Soy Nonfat Decaf Organic Chocolate Brownie Iced Vanilla Double-Shot Gingerbread Frappuccino Extra Hot with Foam Whipped Cream Upside Down Double Blended with Extra Ice Caramel Drizzle and Cinnamon on Top more than a Delta Air Lines first cabin ticket from Los Angeles to San Francisco?
I hope her arm didn’t need surgery.
It’s like a knee jerk reaction nowadays.
Those 2 idiots must be arrogant, entitled demoncrats.
@Mike
The flight is “closed” when the agent closes it in the computer. Only then can the agent go onboard and give the crew a final count. If the flight isn’t closed yet, the count isn’t final.
Of course, it is possible to reopen a closed flight, as happens if the flight returns to the gate for maintenance, for example… But it is closed before the agent goes down to jetbridge.
Guess those gals should have ordered on the Starbucks app. Don’t wait in line, order online. Rookies.
@TEX, I’m with Gene, the tabloid sh#t is getting redonkulous. Travel blog, not OMG what horrific, outrageous, tik tocy, BS is good for the POST.
@ TexasTJ — That’s odd because I rarely copllain about the author. IIRC, you are the one usually complaining about political comments.
I thought if you’ve never missed a flight, you are spending too much time in airports, right? So they should be glad they aren’t spending too much time in the airport.
I don’t get closing the door 18 minutes early. But I learned that lesson myself during a weather delay years ago in Nashville (was at the bar with my associate!)
Gary I remember full well in the old Bobby Mueller making the short run to a cluster of American gates … the agent spots me running for the flight and bolts from behind the counter to close the door before I get there.
That was the old days and it was 4 minutes to flight time. I had several choice words with the agent but racism was not one of them.
What are the odds that these ladies were at the gate earlier and asked the agent if they had time to make a Starbucks run, and were told no, that boarding was about to begin? And then they went anyway?
If the gate was closed and they arrived with 18 minutes left, shame on DL (absent any unknown unusual issues). Using the race card in cases like this is flat-out wrong (again, subject to unknowns).
Another Delta Premium Experience.
Oh lord. Not everything is racism. I’m used to xenophobia since I was 7 – sometimes you’re just being an a-hole.
When everything is *racism*, nothing is.
So you say “The women may have a point” (the doors closed too early) but we’ll make fun of them anyway. Pathetic.
A lot of misinformation from all of these airport experts. These days of 1 agent working a flight, when the agent goes down to close the aircraft door, the door from the concourse is closed behind him. The last thing you want is some crazed passenger running down the jet bridge and either banging on the aircraft door or ending up on the ramp below, if it has been pulled.
Gate agents are under tremendous pressure to get planes out on time or even early, especially to San Francisco. Sounds like this may’ve been agent error, both because not all of the passengers had boarded and it was an early departure.
Asta la bye bye!
My take is the Delta gate agent was clearly in the wrong by 3 minutes. Also racism played no part.
I can understand Delta wanting to get planes out on time/early, but if they have rules covering this, why would they not follow them?
Racism? GTFOOH. They appear to be Caucasian. How pathetic they are to even claim that. Next time get your Starbucks before you go to the boarding gate.
The sisters’ race card was trumped by United’s boarding procedures. If they’re going to play the flight game, they need to know and abide by the rules.
McDonald’s has the best coffee. End of story.
I hope Delta puts them both on the no fly list. Then they can focus on getting reparations instead of flying.
A couple of Karen’s who simply couldn’t wait until they got to SF to get their coffee. Pathetic!
My bet is her backpack will not fit in the carry-on sizing box. Appears she packed a hay bale.
The sign clearly says”now boarding”. I don’t inderstand.
I wonder what happened before the video was rolling. Did they walk up and have an attitude or were they super sweet and nice?
The gate agents looks black to me. Is it racism if it’s black on black or white on white or whatever? Maybe, but the racism claim seems ridiculous considering how the gate agents look
Be at your gate when it’s boarding time. Anyone of any race can understand that.