A trio of American Airlines passengers attacked a wheelchair assistant on the jetbridge in Atlanta (ATL) after he appeared he block them from getting off the aircraft.
Who Was In The Wrong? Wheelchair Assistant Attacked By American Airlines Passengers In ATL
Looking at the video, I have an idea about what happened. First, a disabled passenger was let off the aircraft who needed a few extra moments to get settled into her wheelchair. It appears that while she was getting settled, another wheelchair attendant tried to block people from getting off the aircraft to give her room.
They refused to wait, a scuffle ensued, and the wheelchair assistant lost a 3-on-1 shoving match that he also participated in. No one appears to be harmed, but there was yelling and there may have been battery (harmful or offensive touching) and assault (imminent fear of such touching).
MIA to ATL fight breaks out. @AmericanAir @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/2IeIwIq7gx
— Peter Miralles (@pmiralles) August 19, 2024
As View From The Wing points out, working for a wheelchair assistance for a company like Prospect or PrimeFlight is a “rough, low-paying job but it doesn’t usually come with getting pounded by disembarking American Airlines passengers.”
And that’s true. I’ve also seen a lot of these workers put on airplane kiddy wings and think they are in a position of authority over other passengers. In fact, I ran into a remarkably similar incident at EuroAirport (BSL) recently, though I knew better than to touch anybody.
The jetbridges are not exactly narrow like the aisles of an airplane. There is room, especially outside the aircraft door, for a disabled passenger to settle herself in a wheelchair while other passengers disembark around her. I find it totally inappropriate that a wheelchair attendant would block the door and while pinning him to the wall may have been a bit much, there may be circumstances where at least pushing him aside was reasonable (if someone blocks me from walking where I have a right to walk, I may well move them as well).
CONCLUSION
Since no further explanation was provided for the video, we must speculate, but it appears that the wheelchair assistant aggressively blocked people from stepping off the aircraft. That was improper conduct (and I think we can all agree that three people pushing the assistant several feet up against the opposite wall was also a bit much if just trying to get off the aircraft).
image @pmirrales / X
The de-evolution of the human species has begun and this looks like an excellent example. All the fuss for nothing. American should have planned for those needing extra time to exit last. It is an assault to move someone in a wheelchair, or even touch it. So as much as one may wish to get through, sometimes you have to suck it up.
Those who need wheel chair on disembarking should be last one to get off plane. Some people has tight connections.
Arun I noted that in my comment! In fact, I see that as a failure of the American flight attendants not to have organized that.
@Maryland … +1 . The primitiveness of human behaviour becomes more apparent whenever there is overcrowding . There is no dignity in selfishness . Regardless of who ought to go first , they ought to wait for the wheelchair . After all , the extra time might be all of one minute ? They do not follow the Lord’s admonition , and continually Trespass against one another .
Some people has tight connections, but they has time to engage in a shoving match? The wheelchzir attendant may not have authority, but passengers should let him do his job instead of abusing him and no doubt stressing the wheelchair passenger.
Sometimes those in wheelchairs have tight connex too
You should see the able bodied INDIANS on Wheelchairs at Sfo Airport. The Funny part is when they ditch the wheelchairs after customs and try to ditch the wheelchair assistants without paying.
Why is it always these guys
Low IQ on average, and higher than average levels of testosterone.
The aggressive sort is why every young person ought to learn defensive martial arts . If threatened , it is right and proper to dislocate the offender’s kneecap .
Actually the test levels are the same, but they typically have a higher amount of estrogen.
A brawl. Just like you might see at a Waffle House or Chuck E Cheese if you’re in the wrong neighborhood that includes a high % of the demographicwhich is far more likefy to behave this way than any other.
You may not like the elephant in the room, but there he is. Again.
Yup, I feel the same way when I am around that certain demographic with my kids. You know they are much more likely to display pedophile tendencies and I am afraid for the kids as 98% of convicted are EA’s
Black. Flight to arl. Say no more, they thought they were in spirit
It actually looks to me like the wheelchair assistant hit the woman… And while she was being aggressive, I’m not exactly sure what he expected would happen next.
I think fighting is a sign of low intelligence, they all look stupid, and I certainly wouldn’t have handled it that way, but I think the two men just came to the defense of the woman they were with.
What were the cabin crew doing? On any decent airline they would hold up others leaving in order to allow a passenger with a disability to be treated with dignity.
Oh, but we’re talking here about the me, me, me, me culture of the United States. How disgusting.
That’s one of the biggest problems these days: people confuse rights with privileges. You don’t have a right to walk on the skybridge, you are allowed to walk on the skybridge – at a time that is deemed safe and appropriate.
And, that other commenter with the same name as me is t me. Too funny that the James Harper’s are posting today.
It might be worth clarifying that this was not a 3-on-1 fight, it’s better described as a 2-on-1 since one of the gentlemen (the guy in the white t-shirt and black track pants with white stripes) tried to stop the fight. That same guy even asked the employee if he was alright. That dude should get some credit, he tried to stop the madness.
Fair enough.
Seems like the older gentleman knew he screwed up….he was way too worried about the fact that his misbehavior was recorded. That makes it a lot harder to lie about what happened. If he was truly believed that he was merely a victim, he would be thankful that the incident was recorded.
When I traveled with my elderly wheelchair bound father; we were always instructed to wait for the plane to empty and the wheelchair was brought to his seat. Since he also boarded first, the airlines often allowed me to put him on the plane using his personal travel chair (it fit down the aisle), gate check the chair and pick it up when disembarking. And sometimes he did get out of the wheelchair at the entrance to the plane to walk (stagger actually) down the aisle. But we were always first on and last off. It is not only polite; but waiting for everyone else to clear the aisle before disembarking is orders of magnitude less stressful.
In the past people who needed wheelchairs would wait until most if not all people had disembarked. Now they are in a hurry just like everyone else…
I love it at the end the guy gets aggressive with whomever was taking the video and asks him why is he recording. Why? To get your trashy behavior on video so you can’t lie about it.
I agree. While I have a huge respect for people that need wheelchairs, they should wait until everyone else disembarked to then get out. My in laws need wheelchairs to get in and out of the plane and they always wait patiently until it is their time.
Since when do wheelchair people leave before able people?
The wheelchairs are waiting for the guest from the start. My guess is, the porter instructed the people to pause their exit while the rider got into the wheelchair, but they just ignored him, and shoved him aside. The dumb part is, their luggage isn’t going to get there any faster.
It isn’t just the wheelchair attendant being rude, or a tyrant: one CANNOT prevent others from leaving a space, be that an aircraft, bus, car, or room in a building. Yes, exceptions apply (you cannot, for example, leave a plane when it is about to fly off the ground, or you cannot leave a bus while it’s driving down the freeway), but otherwise preventing people from leaving a space is called FALSE IMPRISONMENT, and yes it IS a crime that you can be charged for.
One cannot FALSELY IMPRISON others just because he or she thinks it’s justified.
I believe false imprisonment implies the use of force, intimidation or deception. None of those appear to have been present.
Falsely imprisoned? Get a grip. Holy sh*t I’m embarrassed for you to live your life with this much of a chip on your shoulder.
I’ve set many a screen for these wheelchair guys and at 6’4″ 280 I piss a lot of pax off. But it’s only 10 seconds of their precious time….
I disagree that there is enough room on the jetbridge for disabled people to get into their chairs and people to deplane at the same time. It is a crowded space with wheelchair assistants, wheelchairs, gate checked bags, mechanics and pax waiting for their traveling companions who weren’t seated together. In other words, chaotic. The flight attendants usually ask for people needing wheelchairs to wait until most people have deplaned to avoid a slowdown (or showdown).
People are just plain rude! I recently flew home with an injury that put me in a full leg brace and needing use of crutches. I upgraded to sit in Business and I required wheelchair assistance to get me through TSA, to gate. Even with a business class seat and injury which permitted me to board ahead of the masses and I still had someone trying to get in front of me who turned out to be in economy! If I had been healthy, I would have done what I always do and wait to board at the end, regardless of where my seat was to avoid sitting on plane forever!
Fellow passengers were just plain rude when I was exiting plane with some practically overrunning me once I made it to the end of the bridge on crutches. I stayed as close to the wall and respectfully out of people’s ways until that very last moment when I also needed to enter the airport. I had to put my crutch up to block the man coming at me, trying to cut me off, literally at the turnstile!
Same people – ALWAYS. Having a little courtesy is something they know nothing about. If the roles were reversed, the city would be burning with widespread looting…. Anyone disagreeing knows that I speak the truth
People need to get to their next flights and may have to get to other terminals like in ATL.. and the plane train from B-C-D -E-F is a mess.. Not sure why people cannot get ready and get off..They need to talk on their phones or put a coat on and then get their bag…nuts
Ohhhh, don’t get me started. But what you described happens also while boarding. Why can’t people get into the plane, move quickly to their seat, place one bag on overhead bin, place their ass on their assigned seat, backpack under the seat in front, put their seat belts on and be quiet? I am tired of seeing people calmly walking to their seat, then they cannot find the way to place their bag in the overhead compartment, then they have to remove a bunch of crap from their bags before seating. Then they stand up again to get more crap from their bags and the delay continues. Some people think they own the plane and they are the only ones that matter there. Oh, and don’t forget those that sat for an hour at the boarding area but need to use the lavatory before taking off.
You might want to look up the legal definition of “battery” (not assault — assault is causing someone to reasonably fear imminent harm) before you decide to move someone else out of your way.
Battery generally includes any unwanted touch. Sometimes it includes anything a person is holding or touching (envision tearing the bedcovers off someone — that’s battery).
Thanks for your comment. I’m aware of the difference, but it began by yelling and getting up in the wheelchair assistant’s face, before any actual touch, which I classify as assault.
Not sure how to think about this site when you reply to this but let so many comments of vile racism just sit there. Please do better.
I’ve explained my view on comments many times. I don’t whitewash over racism.
As a first time reader, explain again the benefits because this comment section is a cesspool of racism from anonymous cowards.
https://liveandletsfly.com/comment-policy/
I explain my philosophy on comments here.
When pulling into the parking spot, I’ll usually make an announcement asking passengers who require extra assistance to remain seated until general disembarkation concludes, so that they may take their time without facing harassment.
During a deplaing where I stepped in for a colleague, a wheelchair passenger took a bit of time to get off, and the comments that followed by others were shocking. “Why don’t you tell the cripples to get off last”. Horrible.
The Passengers ARE At Fault
The Wheel Chairs come off First, and Passengers that whine are disrespectful and deserve to be Yelled and Fined
The Stupid have no Right to Special Attention besides being told what to DO!
So cutesy, so mindful, so demure.
You failed to see the woman grab the assistants neck before he shoves back. Watch closely
Atlanta enough said
Well done Matt, at keeping the racist comments up. Keep whitewashing.
We don’t remove vile comments so as to pretend that such bigotry does not exist.
You still give them a platform to keep being racist. No one’s denying racism exists.
Then what’s the point of needing comments to be moderated before being posted? If you allow racism, what won’t you allow?
No profanity…see here:
https://liveandletsfly.com/comment-policy/
Blatant racism is tolerated over profanity in your world. Insanity.
If people used their real names behind their racist comments then I could see your justification. But just letting it go because you think it leads to some type of discourse is optimistic at best, and makes you complicit at worst.
That seems a rather cowardly response.
You lost some respect today.
The Trumps of this world are helped when their bigoty is shrouded in moderation.