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Home  >  American Airlines  >  “My Status Is Higher Than His!” (American Airlines Passenger Tries To Get NFL Star Kicked Off For Being “Sick”)
American Airlines

“My Status Is Higher Than His!” (American Airlines Passenger Tries To Get NFL Star Kicked Off For Being “Sick”)

Matthew Klint Posted onMarch 14, 2023March 14, 2023 41 Comments

An American Airlines passenger pulled the elite status card in trying to get his seatmate thrown off the flight for being “sick,” but his seatmate happened to be former NFL star Desmond Howard, with a huge social media following.

Man On American Airlines Flight Asks That Desmond Howard Be Thrown Off, Citing His Superior AAdvantage Elite Status

Desmond Howard won the Heisman Trophy while playing for Michigan and went on to play 11 seasons as a wide receiver in the NFL. During that time he broke records and was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXXI while playing for Green Bay Packers. He’s now a college football analyst at ESPN.

Howard was flying on an unspecified American Airlines flight in first class. In a video he posted on Twitter, he claims that the onboard situation deteriorated when he cleared his throat. According to Howard:

  • His seatmate thought Howard was sick and asked the flight attendant to have him removed
  • In so doing, he said, “I am sure my status is higher than his, so you should remove him.”
  • Howard responded, “I’m sorry, are you a doctor?”
  • He went on to specify that he was just clearing his throat and that the uncomfortable man was free to take another flight if he preferred
  • Howard was not removed from the flight
  • In the video, he captured his seatmate on video and claimed, “The caucasity of him, unbelievable!”
    • Howard is black, his seatmate was white
  • His seatmate than asked to move seats

Ok, I’m on team Howard here. What a fool and a tool that seatmate was (with his cloth mask…). There’s always going to be coughing and runny noses on airplanes. You don’t like it? Stay home or wear a triple mask if it makes you feel better, not a cloth one.

But what really makes his seatmate a fool is trying to get Howard thrown off based upon who has the higher frequent flyer status with American Airlines. It’s almost too comical to believe, and yet too absurd to make up.

The “caucasity” statement is not helpful. There is no way to prove whether the statement was made with racial animus or even an unconscious bias. This tool is foolish enough without implying he’s a racist too.

CONCLUSION

I cannot help but to snicker about a story like this. No, we cannot invoke our elite status to get other passengers thrown off when they cough or sneeze. The passenger at the butt of this story is a fool and Howard was certainly right in calling him out on it (even if it violates the AA privacy policy to capture photos or videos of other passengers).

What are your thoughts on this incident?


image: @DesmondHoward / Twitter // H/T: One Mile At A Time

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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41 Comments

  1. Santastico Reply
    March 14, 2023 at 9:59 am

    Seatmate is a jerk. Status means absolutely nothing. I have been a Diamond medallion with Delta for over 10 years and just did a round trip of 4 hours each leg in a middle seat in coach. My upgrade number was 26. Now, Howard pulling the race card here to play the victim also makes him a fool. Anytime someone plays victim using race makes the person a fool.

    • Average Republican Reply
      March 14, 2023 at 10:13 am

      Yea! Just like that fool martin Luther king! If he just would have done what the white man told him instead of playing the race card all the time he would have been fine!

      • Santastico Reply
        March 14, 2023 at 10:23 am

        What a stupid comment. The problem now is that anything that doesn’t go the way people want they play the race card as the reason. I feel sorry for people that have to use their race as an excuse for everything. Guy told him he was sick. Tell the guy to f..off and end of story. No need to play the race card.

      • PolishKnight Reply
        March 14, 2023 at 11:09 am

        MLK was protesting against institutional discrimination calling for a color blind standard judging people on their character, not their race.

        Howard did drag himself down to the other guy’s level (or even below) with his racist invective. Heck, one could argue that Howard’s remark would justify getting him thrown off the plane for racism.

        Although the incidents were rare, I’ve encountered numerous liberals and feminists calling me “stupid pollack” in public or online. I regret I didn’t get the drunk woman thrown out of the pub for her behavior.

        • Billy Bob Reply
          March 14, 2023 at 11:38 am

          Institutional racism? I thought the standard GOP line was that there’s no such thing and to believe there is is woke

          • Santastico
            March 14, 2023 at 11:43 am

            Have you taken your pills today? Remember to put your mask before you go out. It is dangerous out there.

          • PolishKnight
            March 14, 2023 at 3:01 pm

            I agree that the GOP is naive about race issues but this is amusingly due to them believing in “color blindness” including when racism is directed against whites. They wish for a truly “color blind” society but we don’t have one and am unlikely to. I could go into this further, but I don’t think that’s appropriate for a travel blog to kick off a flame war but… ask yourself a question about “institutional racism”: If a white guy working in the media had made a racial slur against a black guy who felt entitled in a similar situation, would the media be handling this differently?

          • Billy Bob
            March 14, 2023 at 3:48 pm

            @PolishKnight: yes the white guy would be treated harsher because there is very recent history of white people oppressing black people, and you could even argue it’s still going to some extent. I’ve been called “racist” names as a white person and it’s never bothered me, but I’m not going to pretend that a black person should feel the same way

          • PolishKnight
            March 15, 2023 at 10:21 am

            Isn’t the phrase “white people oppressing black people” both overly a broad generalization and racist itself?

            If you prefer, you’re free to accept white guilt for me, if you like but I think that such people as yourself probably hope to offload it to the working class socio-economically disadvantaged whites instead.

      • Linwood Reply
        March 14, 2023 at 3:19 pm

        You are not an average republican. You are a racist, bigot, stupid, asshole

      • Ignorant is bliss Reply
        March 14, 2023 at 6:03 pm

        Ignorant!!! As hell!!!

      • Mr P Reply
        March 14, 2023 at 9:25 pm

        One should look in the mirror before calling someone a Fool.

      • Linda Reply
        March 15, 2023 at 3:24 pm

        Average republican, average dick

      • Deatra Burris Reply
        March 15, 2023 at 6:07 pm

        My life look at you they way you look at others .

      • Earnest Reply
        March 16, 2023 at 5:46 am

        I hope that’s sarcasm because of not that was spoken you are a true racist

    • Brandon Reply
      March 14, 2023 at 10:47 am

      What I find hilarious about the race card, is clearly it would be at one of those abject failures that loves to make everything about race despite being a white liberal. The rest of the normal world has moved on from masks, but this guy is still here virtue signaling with his….. CLOTH mask of all things.

      • Shawn Reply
        March 14, 2023 at 4:12 pm

        Yes because what is the likelihood he would have responded that way had a 40 YO white dude been sitting there instead of a black man.

        It’s odd he chose to use status as a defense of his argument towards a black man. Because he’s black he has to have better status than him.

        There are certainly racial overtones. As a white gay dude, I didn’t get it until I became a minority. Cos white privilege is alive and well.

        • Brandon Reply
          March 14, 2023 at 4:51 pm

          No, I dealt with jerks just like this for two years. This little “Karen” would have likely done it regardless of who was beside him. FFS, he is still wearing a cloth mask.

          But hey, when you are a hammer you are always looking for a nail.

          • Brandon
            March 14, 2023 at 4:54 pm

            I also find it hilarious you actually consider yourself a minority. Unless you are shoving your opinions down peoples throats, they really don’t GAS about you. It’s takes an egomaniac and narcissist to think otherwise.

        • Chad Reply
          March 16, 2023 at 2:06 pm

          There is no such thing a white privilege that’s an excuse people use for success envy.

          This guy would have clearly done the same if the guy was white.

    • Aztec Reply
      March 14, 2023 at 11:30 am

      I agree this wasn’t necessarily about race and jumping to that conclusion was premature. However, I’ve noticed everyone uses the race card these days, white people included. I once dated a woman with a son who was applying to be a cop. He apparently aced everything but was rejected based on his psychological profile. He (and his mother) blamed it on the ‘system’ favoring minorities. Well, guess what? – the kid should NOT have been a cop. He had pretty bad anger management issues. It was no coincidence he failed his pych. profile.

    • Redlegmitch Reply
      March 15, 2023 at 11:46 am

      Here is how you know it was about race. When the guy says “I know my status is better than his”. Even though they are both sitting in first class. My bet is he made that assumption, because of both their races. Another “dog whistle” way of saying I have to be better than you because I am a white male and you are not. My guess is he would not have assumed that if it were another white male sitting next to him.

    • Koldhard Reply
      March 15, 2023 at 8:49 pm

      Please forgive Desmond for confusing racism with elitism. If Desmond was white, it would clearly be a case of petty elitist privilege. The complainer wasn’t accustomed to blacks in 1st class and assumed that Desmond himself was not a member of the privileged class. Desmond a nationally known celebrity and a Michigan Man probably correctly assumed the guy is a racist. After farther review, the call on the field of racism stands.

    • Earnest Reply
      March 16, 2023 at 5:43 am

      We are one race! There are no different races in the world

  2. Maryland Reply
    March 14, 2023 at 10:44 am

    Perhaps Howard was being sarcastic? Otherwise sounds like two kids on the playground. But I cannot fault Howard for telling this story. It’s funny

  3. WFB Reply
    March 14, 2023 at 11:50 am

    Hey I’m white. I’m not going to explain what it’s like to be a black man. How ’bout you?

  4. Paul Reply
    March 14, 2023 at 2:27 pm

    Chin diapers on them both tells you all you need to know. Boot ’em both!!!!

  5. Ronald Saunders Reply
    March 14, 2023 at 4:14 pm

    The problem is that I fear that it’s a whole different outcome if that wasn’t “Desmond Howard”…

  6. Dolcefire Reply
    March 14, 2023 at 6:18 pm

    Once thing I’ve learned over 70+ years of living as a Black women who grew up and still lives in an integrated world and had a 20 year career reducing prejudice and hate in a very large urban community is that victims of implicit bias, bigotry and discrimination are better just does of the intent of perpetrators of these actions than White observers or interpreters. This is a consistent problem in America. Denial is still the top response to victims of bias, bigotry and discrimination from members of the dominant ethnic culture. Empathy is not. Caucasity was the correct description of the cause of action. Entitlement is the built in assumed state of mind of members of the dominant culture. This is a fact that needs to be remembered when commenting on the validity of the experience of anyone that is a member of another culture due to their different life experiences.

    • PolishKnight Reply
      March 14, 2023 at 6:40 pm

      Your logic is useful to observe the media’s empathic reactions to complaints of bias by alleged African American victims of bias or discrimination against whites versus vice-versa. Would a white complaining of hostility directed at him by an entitled African-American have received a similar media response? Objective, rather than subjective, observation would therefore reveal, quote, the “dominant ethnic culture.”

  7. Dave Edwards Reply
    March 14, 2023 at 8:58 pm

    As a proud card carrying white privilege member, I’m embarrassed by this asshole. Damn shame Mr Howard didn’t kick his ass.

    What an embarrassment to the human race this guy is.

    And the cynical me wonders why UANYC was flying American?

    • Maryland Reply
      March 14, 2023 at 10:11 pm

      Hey Dave. Proud of you now. How far we’ve come. Agreed

    • UA-NYC Reply
      March 15, 2023 at 11:15 pm

      Don’t come much to LALF these days for many obvious reasons.

      But good to see that I still live rent free in tiny d!ck mini-hands cucks like Dave Edwards’ head. Go fck yourself, you double digit IQ, $15 an hour, MAGA mouth breather.

  8. Kd Reply
    March 14, 2023 at 9:24 pm

    Lmao! Saying the CAUCASITY isn’t saying the man is racist. He just has the audacity of a white man! “My status is higher than his!” … with pride!

  9. JoAnn Reply
    March 14, 2023 at 11:50 pm

    All these racist people on here claiming Howard used the race card.

    • Brandon Reply
      March 15, 2023 at 11:40 am

      Look at that, the racist reveals her true stripes.

  10. Dark Star Reply
    March 15, 2023 at 2:34 pm

    If Howard and Charles Woodson had taken their talents to Columbus,rather than “that school up north,perhaps Ohio State might have had a couple more Heismans’ in its trophy case …go Buckeyes!

  11. Logic Reply
    March 15, 2023 at 2:47 pm

    The seatmate most CERTAINLY is a racist. What else would he have to base his “Higher Status” on other than race. Desmond is black, which is the ONLY thing the disgruntled passenger knew about Desmond. To say he’s NOT racist is how this behavior persists. Call it like it is and stop sugar coating it. Do you think he would ASSUME he has a higher status if it was a white guy? Doubtful.

    • Brandon Reply
      March 16, 2023 at 10:27 am

      Lol, you really are an idiot. If the guy is ExP or CK, it’s likely not many people have equal or higher status. Then again, this is your people, so I’m surprised you are defending him against the evil “plague rat” who is “sick”. “logic”…. That’s hilarious.

  12. Chad Reply
    March 16, 2023 at 2:08 pm

    Howard suffer from black victim complex

  13. Chad Reply
    March 16, 2023 at 8:06 pm

    People who still wear masks are Nazis.

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