Andre Hilton is an interior designer in Atlanta. He’s also hearing impaired. He was also thrown off a Delta flight after trying to hold a flight attendant accountable.
Delta Ejects Hearing-Impaired Passenger
This is a story relating to masks, but only tangentially so. Per Hilton, he was having a conversation with his seatmate and his mask slipped over his nose. A flight attendant got in his face and told him “for the last time” to keep the mask on. But Hilton claims there was no first time…there was only one warning and the flight attendant was rude, even pointing two fingers just inches from Hilton’s face.
Hilton explained that he was hearing impaired and showed the flight attendant his hearing aids. But the flight attendant, according to Hilton, continued to berate him loudly in front of other passengers.
Hilton decided to ask for the flight attendant’s name. The flight attendant reacted negatively.
“And he goes, ‘Nope, that’s it. You’re [a] problem, I knew you were going to be a problem. Soon as he stepped on, you got to go, you’re getting off the plane.'”
The pilot approached Hilton and asked him to accompany him to the front of the aircraft. Hilton immediately complied. A discussion ensued:
Hilton: For him to label me a problem and call me a problem was out of line.
Delta Pilot: Okay, work with me on this. We’re going to put you on the next flight, but you can get mileage or whatever like that when you get to Atlanta.”
Hilton: “I really don’t want to…. I want to get home just like everybody else.”
Delta Pilot: “I know but the conflict resolution team has recommended we put you on the next flight.”
Hilton: “So basically I’m being kicked off this flight and being put on the next one, after being disrespected on this one.”
Delta Pilot: “I can’t answer that part.”
Hilton did end up taking the next flight home.
You can watch part or all of the 11-minute video here:
View this post on Instagram
An Apology From Delta
I’d love to hear the flight attendant’s side of the story, but we do have the following statement from Delta:
“As part of our many apologies and exchanges with this customer about his very atypical experience last month, we fully refunded his airfare in addition to other gestures of goodwill. Our teams continue to be in touch with his attorney.
“Our deep-seated values of diversity and inclusion of all groups in the world we serve extend especially to our customers with disabilities, as evidenced by Delta’s Advisory Board on Disability. In place for more than a decade, this Delta board consists of individuals with unique insight as both Delta frequent flyers and who each are experts on a variety of disabilities. This group continues to advise Delta on how we can continue to provide thoughtful and safe service to customers with disabilities.”
Yes, Hilton has hired an attorney over this.
CONCLUSION
The fact that Delta has publicly and privately apologized makes me think the flight attendant was in the wrong. Listening to Hilton, he also doesn’t strike me as anti-masker in any way. Thus, I tend to think this issue is a case of a bad apple flight attendant.
image: andre_jordan_hilton / Instagram
Pathetic. I wish him a successful and lucrative lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which Delta richly deserves for failing to make any reasonable accommodation for this man. Shame on the pilot too for allowing others to make decisions on his ship that is under his command.
The most important feature of masks is they give petty authoritarians a convenient pretext to boss other people around and tell them what to do.
No.
It’s time to stop bending over backwards and coddling every idiot who refuses to mask up appropriately. I don’t care if he has a hearing impairment. It’s his behavior impairment that’s the issue.
Stop trying to be cute. Stop trying to make a fuss. Stop making excuses. Stop giving these morons more publicity.
We’re in the middle of a devastating pandemic. People should NOT be taking non-essential trips anyway. But if you do, you need to follow every rule, to a Tee.
No exceptions. No excuses. None. The rules apply to everyone. Everyone. Period.
Wear the mask, correctly, or get the fuck off the plane and get on the No-Fly list. And stop whining about it.
If you watch the video, he IS wearing his mask properly. You’ve never had your mask fall? I know I’ve seen people talking and I’ve seen their mask move below their nose. The attendant was being rude.
He might be wearing his mask properly because of the problem now and he is doing a video recording at that moment.. but who knows before that. No excuses
Man up sack up mask upon
Masks are a bigger problem than covid. Stupid people look at the rediculous helter skelter way people use masks. Your just stupid if you think mandated masks are anything but infectious rags strapped to your mouth.
Anti Masker??? Horrible label for people tired of the nonsense and knowing this has to end. Sad how fears have been mercilessly used to pit people against each other.
Listen to you Dick being a dick.
He is man of color perhaps the flight attendant has other issues
F. attendants in US are arrogant and do not know where they are standing.
Wow, Dick your name suits you so well.
I’m hearing impiared, deafth, hard of hearing. Who cares what you calll it, I work and live with hearing half of what people say in conversations. So, go figure that one,
ANDRE very well may have missed 2 warnings because he can’t hear. He had the damn mask on unlike some passengers that flat out refuse to wear it. He couldn’t hear what the flight attdendent was saying, then he had explained his disabilty and still got kicked off. Why, because he’s an Afro-American, That’s why the flight attendant said, “I knew your going to be a problem.” I bet he don’t say that to White or any other passenger. Let’s keep it real, right now race relations are at an all time low in America. But anyway, Andre tried to explain he is hard of hearing, well the flight attendent couldn’t look past Andre’s black skin, He had enough of the uppity Negro, and kicked him off the plane.
AND if don’t wear a hear hearing aid, keep your nasty, negative comments to yourself. YOU have no idea, I repeat no idea, how we deaf people are working in Covid world with a mask. I can’t turn up my hearing aid and choclear implant loud enough. Please, stop talking about somebody and haven’t walk a day in my death shoes, get real. I bet you wouldn’t survive a day working with any disabilty.
The anointed minority race baiting for relevance
Can you not read?? Where in any of this us it said that he refused to wear his mask? While I too am tired of these people who have a fit over being requested to take a simple precaution such as wearing a mask, this clearly wasn’t one of those situations.
Right on ! My man !
Your an Idiot!!!! He did have it on it slipped down he pulled it up the flight attendant was wrong glad he’s suing.
“You need to follow every rule to a tee . . . and stop whining about it.” – Dick Bupkiss
I’d like to mark this as Exhibit A.
Oh brother, electroshock therapy for all! Lmao.
The fact that what happened to the flight attendant is not mentioned is telling. In a world of massive layoffs and furloughs, why do the airlines not negotiate so attendants have service managers on each flight who can take real action when one behaves badly, and stop the system where seniority trumps all else?
Ever since 9/11 flight crews have acted with impunity. They treat no one with respect and act like their poop don’t stink. The terrorists clearly won. Thanks Bin Laden.
I’m glad the crews are getting their hours cut and losing jobs. F’ em.
Mask up, Andre. Mask up.
Such animosity … Take a deep breath. It will all be resolved in his favor.
JI wasn’t there, I don’t know what happened before or during incident. I did hear he was talking with seatmate and mask slipped. I did hear him say he was talking on his phone too. Attitude HAS alot to do with any interaction. FA probably had told people 100 times to mask up. He snapped. I dont think race or hearing had anything to do with it. Just comply, be pleasant, relax. Delta will solve the issue. Glad he got home safely and pretty quickly.Sad it came to this, no need to inflate or expand. 1000s Deltas FAs have gotten covid. Some employees have died.
The first person to do wrong is the passenger. He should not be wearing such flimsy mask. He should buy a box of 50 surgical masks. They are no longer in short supply. They have a metal band that you can use to shape it to your nose. These flimsy cloth masks leave a gap. In about 6 weeks, you can start ordering N95 masks because the shortage to medical personnel is almost resolved.
The FA probably has a hot temper.
The passenger was probably ok because he didn’t blow up and started fighting with the pilot.
Is it possible the “first time” was the 10 or so times he had to acknowledge that he would wear a mask before buying a ticket, selecting a seat, checking in for the flight, printing a boarding pass, etc and the several announcements made in the boarding area and on the plane during the boarding process?
And he’s hearing impaired so he showed the FA his hearing aids explaining that he can’t hear her well. Then he was upset she was speaking to him loudly. Is she not supposed to speak loudly to someone who is hard of hearing? How else is he supposed to hear her? Is she to whisper? Talking more loudly seems a rational choice.
Also, it sounds like the complaint resolution team (the specially trained complaint resolution officer and the captain) is the one who removed him from the flight, not the flight attendant.
Wear a mask or charter your own aircraft.
I would recommend you to reconsider to use Deaf instead of hearing impaired. For instance, do we call straight-impaired? Nothing is wrong with using DEAF in general. Thanks
But he’s not deaf. He just need a hearing aid.
@Matthew, my understanding is that “deaf” or “hard of hearing” are preferred over “hearing impaired.” I think the latter is considered negative. Also, some deaf people use hearing aids, too.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I’ll do some research…I thought deaf actually meant unable to hear as opposed to limited hearing.
I’m hearing impaired. The term works just fine for me. I would hate to be called deaf . that’s something I’m not.
The gentleman the article is talking about used the words hearing impaired on his Instagram post.
Blame it on Bin Laden. Since 11/9, FAs, airport personnel, etc.. were given a level of “authority” like never before. At anytime they can make your life miserable no matter what. All they need to do is to say they don’t feel comfortable with you traveling on the plane and you are done. That is why since 11/9 I enter the airport mute and don’t open my mouth until I leave the destination one. I avoid being nice, rude, talking, etc… I act like a robot to avoid anyone not liking me. It is about time for that to change. The biggest problem I have is if the guy is a problem why is he allowed on the next flight?
I wish Andre well in his suit against Delta. He should not have been removed from the flight and was disrespected by the flight attendant who should be reprimanded for not handling the situation professionally. It is obvious from the video that Andre was not the aggressor. I would like to hear comments from the passengers who witnessed this incident.
Wow a lot of bed news lately about delta
I guess is not the best airlines anymore.
Lovely
People who aren’t deaf or don’t read lips to communicate have no idea how bad the current mask situation is for them. You’d think Delta FA’s would be trained for this so it makes me think there is another side of the story on this event.
The FA the need to have a bodycam
Is very simple and easy
The anointed minority race baiting for relevance
WTF is that supposed to mean?? Did something in this click on your racist bug??
His mask is on correctly, when he is speaking it comes down, and he pulls it back up.Delta needs a reality check.They made him get off for no reason n I won’t b using Delta when I start back flying
“That’s it you gotta go. I knew you were going to be a problem from the moment you stepped on.”
Nothing beats a flight attendant in charge
Masks are a bigger problem than covid. Stupid people look at the ridiculous helter skelter way people use masks. Your just stupid if you think mandated masks are anything but infectious rags strapped to your face.
Here’s the deal you only see whats in the the video, im sure there is more before anyone starting filming you can’t jump to conclusion and assume Mr.Hilton was being this perfect passenger. I agree the flight att could have handled it a little better and nicer then the approach.
The fact is everyone hates wearing a mask but it is a policy of delta and if its not followed you can’t fly.
Not taking any sides just saying get all the info before we point fingers
Deaf and hard of hearing in usa are discriminated every single day for finding jobs to having fun and traveling and it is a shame how american laws only side with the opposite side of humanity. I too understand what its like and yeah its something we get use too everyday.
I totally agree with you!! Don’t want to follow rules no problem.. just don’t go OUT. Super simple
Regardless if he pulled the mask down or not, I still think its reasonable for the airline to ask that if your mask is so poorly fitting that it slides down when you speak, that you either get a better mask or just not speak. I work in a pharmacy, im constantly talking to people. My mask doesn’t slip down because guess what? It fits properly.
This dude is fishy af.
He was endangering the other passengers. It doesn’t matter that he’s black, deaf, and gay. He’s an irrespnsible and ignorant baby who needs to act like a civilized person.
If the man can’t hear, why can he hear the tiny mousy voice of the woman talking to him in the video?
And if he can’t hear, he should hand the flight attendant a card notifying him he can’t hear from the start.
It’s pointless to have a hearing device if it doesn’t work. He can probably hear better than all of us with one of those devices.
Delta only apologizes publicly because they are always supposed to apologize for you fools.
How was he endangering anyone? He didnt not have a mask on, it had simply slipped, as occurs with many masks, below nose.
Also DL still allows (though requires an inquiry with a medical doc via video) people not to wear for medical reasons. They also allow you to tak off if eating/drinking. This goes to show it’s a feel good measure even if it does technically help.