Michael Winn is the president of a private university, a US Airways frequent flier, and according to at least one flight attendant, an imminent threat to security. Why else would he have kicked Winn off a recent flight from Charlotte to Phoenix?
As I read Winn’s complaint and the response from US Airways — I’ll get to those in a sec — I had two thoughts: This is either a case study in what not to do if you’re seated in an exit row. Or it’s yet another example of flight attendants abusing their post-9/11 powers. Or maybe both.
Either way, I’m not wearing my eyemask until after takeoff, and I’m going to be extra nice to my crewmember on my next flight — especially if it’s on US Airways.
Here’s Winn’s story.
I was sitting in an exit row in a window seat, and a steward — a male in his late 40’s or early 50’s — had asked me to remove the eye mask from my eyes and move the seat forward in preparation for takeoff, to which I immediately complied.
However, after that, the pilot announced a mechanical problem and delay with the door. I put the seat back and the eye mask back on to rest, as I had not had any sleep that night and had to get up at 4 a.m. to fly from Asheville to Charlotte. I have seen these delays last an hour or longer.
The situation escalated when another passenger asked for a favor.
The passenger in my row, in the aisle seat, asked the steward if she could move a friend into the empty middle seat.
Steward replied, “Yes, but only after takeoff.” Steward then looked at me, and said, “You will of course have to move your small handbag from the empty middle seat to make room for the passenger.”
I said I would prefer to wait until the new passenger actually arrived. The handbag was a cloth bag, about the size of a paperback book. Steward then changed his request: “You need to move that bag now, in case it goes flying about – can I put it up above for you?”
I said I prefer to hold it on my lap, and wrapped its cloth strap around my wrist and laid it on my lap, as it held my wallet. Note that the steward did NOT say, “I’m sorry, but plane regulations require you put your wallet up above.” I knew of course that larger bags could not be held in an exit row during takeoff.
Strangely, the steward pointed his finger at me, with thumb raised up in the air as if it were a pistol, and said, “It looks like you and I are in for a conflict.” Then he walked away. I dismissed it as odd behavior, or maybe a poor attempt at humor.
It was no joke. Winn says he was escorted from the plane. “I was threatened with arrest and deplaned for wearing an eyemask,” he told me.
Eventually, US Airways rebooked him on the next flight to Phoenix.
So what does the airline say about the incident? Winn sent an email to the company asking it to address the incident. Here’s what it told him:
Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at US Airways. We are sorry you were unable to take your originally scheduled flight. We are in receipt of your explanation and concern regarding the situation on Flight 306, September 1, 2009 in Charlotte.
Through our investigation and from internal reports of the incident you described, it appears our personnel view this encounter from a different perspective. When there is any question as to a passenger’s behavior, the Captain has the authority to deny travel. We have an obligation to all our customers to provide them with professional service carried out in a safe, secure environment.
Our reports indicate the Captain of Flight supported the recommendation, and we uphold that decision.
In other words, you probably were interfering with the flight crew. Go away.
Not to go all academic on you, but I’m struck by the way words are being used in this dispute. Winn’s use of the archaic term “steward” suggest he spent a lot of time flying before airline deregulation, when flight attendants were there to serve you, primarily. And US Airways capitalization of the words “captain” and “flight” suggests it has an inflated sense of self-importance. No wonder Winn is getting nowhere with his complaint.
My recommendation? I would take the $400,000 he spends on travel with US Airways every year and find another carrier. The airline had a chance to review his complaint and respond, and its terse rebuttal suggests it no longer values his business.
(Photo: San Diego Shooter/Flickr Creative Commons)
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Charlotte Airport is a horrible place. I’ve had a horrible experience in the past with both Charlotte and USAir. My flight from Philadelphia was delayed because they decided to clean the plane for 3 hours after the flight was supposed to depart. Once in Charlotte, they refused to give me a hotel room because I missed the connecting flight. It wasn’t a weather issue, it was clearly the airlines fault. None of the people in the Charlotte terminal would open their mind to see any logic. After 2 hours of arguing with anyone I could find or get on the phone, they finally saw fit to give me a hotel room. I will never deal with USAir or Charlotte again in my life.
This article was linked from digg.com. I just came from the forum there, and it’s safe to say that the *vast* majority over there think that he (not the airline) was wrong. They also used the word “douchebag” alot, but I don’t judge, just report.
This is a perfect example of what this article on fixing bad customer service is about — http://critique.org/bcs.ht . The airline should pay this guy for his time they wasted (such as at the rate of $1/minute).
“flight attendants abusing their post 9/11 power”. Are you kidding me with that statement? The very first people that died that day were flight attendants. I’m sure they’d gladly give all that new found “power” they have back to have things they way they were before 9/11. Wow. People wonder why so many of them have attitudes. It’s because people give them a hard time about the stupidest stuff. Flying isn’t what it used to be and now these people have to be the eyes and ears for security and safety on the airplane. As such they can’t always trust that a simple bag issue isn’t a diversionary tactic for something else going on on the airplane. This guy isn’t giving us the whole story and I’d bet money on that. I’ll gladly continue to allow them their new found “power” if it means my safety and security.
Get real…
@Tempest
Are you kidding me? There was no real reason to kick this guy off the plane. This was a small, petty issue. I think the passenger could have handled it better, but to get kicked off the flight? No way.I agree with Andrew in saying he should have been compensated.
Sounds as if one “Don’t you know who I am?” personality met another and got the surprise of his life. (I have Googled this alleged college or university president and can’t find anyone of this name connected with any institution of higher education.)
It is not clear whether the face mask was the reason for the passenger’s removal. The passenger phrases this as his conclusion, not as a statement by any member of the flight crew. It is clear that the real reason for the passenger’s removal was the passenger’s refusal of the flight attendent’s order to put away a loose object. The flight attendent had established, to his own satisfaction, at least, that this customer would always question any request, propose his own alternative, and be willing to argue it.
The passenger’s mistake was failure to understand that what was phrased as a polite suggestion or even as an offer of assistance (”Can I put it up above for you?”) was in reality, an order every bit as demanding as, “Put your hands on the door, NOW!” The passenger even admits his mistake. He states, “Note that the steward did NOT say, ‘I’m sorry, but plane regulations require you put your wallet up above.’” However, he blames the flight attendent for his confusion, because the flight attendent did not give him a threatening order.
Here’s the followup to my story. I finally sent a copy of my complaint about being kicked off the flight for my eyemask to the US Airways CEO, and he ordered Customer Relations to make a special investigation. To their credit, at my request they DID contact another passenger sitting nearby, who verified the details of what happened as largely accurate. US Airways finally gave me $200. credit for that flight leg after a lot of arguing about what it was worth to US Air to keep a long time customer who is feeling abused by a petty power tripping attendant.
I feel their are other things these airports could be doing and looking out for that when i hear things like this it is just another reason for them to have an issue to bother someone because one of them was probably having a pissed off type of day. Flying has become such a big issue in this country now it is almost not even worth trying to do anymore.
Hmmm, just to clarify, on the ground it is not policy for the flight attendants to decide who stays and goes, there is a ground supervisor who makes that assessment. Also, I somehow find it impossible to believe this man was removed from the plane due to an eye mask. The amount of paperwork alone is enough for a flight attendant to diffuse a situation before it escalates. I believe this article is missing many steps and interactions between this passengers first encounter with the flight attendant and his removal.
The passenger should have immediately removed the wallet and other valuables from the bag, put the valuables into a pocket, and then stowed the bag (or handed the bag to the flight attendant).
Part of the problem is tight fitting pocketless clothing, which forces one to have a purse or fanny pack or something like that.
Too bad the flight attendants can’t concentrate on using their authority with the most obnoxious passengers.
Looks like the passenger was unreasonable and did not comply with crew instructions. He should have had his butt kicked off the flight. Loose items are NOT permitted in the cabin and holding his bag is not the accepted solution.
A more appropriate headline would be “Passenger kicked off flight for not obeying crew’s instructions”. I hate it when people are told to follow a regulation and then they rationalize, “I’ll just hold it in my lap”. He’s lucky that he was let on a later flight. As for his $400,000 a year in travel expenses, I don’t care where he spends it as long as he’s not on a plane with me. Money isn’t everytihng and it doesn’t give you the right to make your own rules. The University should have a policy that requires compliance with airline and FAA regulations.
@ Bill. So holding a child on a lap is okay, but a wallet in a bag is not? This is beside the point, but I had to ask…
As a US Airways frequent flier, international traveler, and observer of human behavior, I have sympathy for flight attendants on US flights.
We US Americans take longer than Europeans, Africans or South Americans to seat ourselves and buckle in. All the lolly-gagging! The 4-5 flight attendants are trying to get us 200-300 passengers seated safely while the clock is ticking down to take-off time. They don’t have time anymore for the ol’ “Coffee, Tea or Me?”-type service. If you need that kind of service, upgrade to First Class. There one attendant is assigned to 6-12 people (for the size of most planes in US Air’s fleet.) Better crew to passenger ratio.
And what about all the carry-on baggage? Many US Americans carry two bags and feel the need to stow both above. The airlines tell us we can stow one above, but when carrying two, put the second at your feet. Then I come along with my small 16″x18″x24″ wheeled computer bag, and can hardly wedge it between the over-stuffed shopping bags and full-sized carry-ons. Some of these over-head-compartment hogs are the ones that brag, “I don’t check MY bags anymore.” The attendants are trying to make all those valuable possessions fit in the overhead bins. I say cut ‘em some slack; I sure wouldn’t want to do their job.
Check out Forbes magazine this month for interesting article about US Airways.
The passenger in this case did seem a bit obnoxious. But is that reason to kick them off the plane? Was he really endangering anyone, other than the flight attendent’s ego? Every week it seems I hear of another incident where the flight crew didn’t like someone because of their personality, their dress, etc, and they kick them off the plane. 9 times out of 10 you later read of the airline apologizing to the passenger. Why do we put up with it anymore? Why do we pay so much money to be treated like crap?
I was kicked off a U.S. Airways flight on the ground at Charlotte on 6/14/09.
My only offense: a small amount of vomit.
The passenger next to me on the flight was talking on her cell phone while we were still on the ground. Because I was going through a highly emotional and stressful event in my life (completely unrelated to the flight) something the passenger said on the phone triggered a visceral response in me and I wretched a bit of the water I had been drinking. The passenger next to me ended her phone call and motioned the flight attendant over. The flight attendant brought me a white trash bag and asked me if I was o.k. I replied that yes, I was fine, but added that sometimes I am a little afraid of flying. (I thought that would be a quick and easy way to explain that the vomit was an emotional response rather than an infection or stomach bug.) I then got up and went to the bathroom. After a minute in the bathroom there was loud banging on the door, and a threatening male voice telling me to open up. I hurried to finish up and opened the door to meet the gaze of a man in what appeared to be a pilot’s uniform (possibly the co-pilot or maybe ground supervisor?) who told me that it had already been discussed with the captain and that I would have to get off the flight. I immediately agreed and complied without complaint, but asked if it would be o.k. if my friend, who was sitting in another section of the plane, could join me. We were both escorted off the plane and booked on the next flight. My friend was told that I had to leave the plane because of “health reasons.” She also thought that the co-pilot’s manner was inappropriate and harsh.
We were booked on the next flight and luckily I was able to get home to Boston that afternoon. But my anxiety level had quadrupled in the time before boarding the second plane- the removal from the plane having exacerbated its intensity.
I don’t understand, if they really thought my health was so compromised as to need to be removed from the flight, what did they think was going to change in the time elapsed between the first and second flights?
I think that US Airways overreacted to the situation of a mouthful of water. Although the flight attendant was appropriate, nice, and helpful. Somehow whatever communication was exchanged in the cockpit led to an overzealous and inappropriate response on behalf of the airline.
Today I did a google search to see if anyone else ever felt they were inappropriately kicked off a plane. I think it’s very interesting that one of the top links that came up was regarding an incident with U.S. Airways in Charlotte.
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