A woman was ejected from a Southwest flight (to the applause of fellow passengers) after embarking on a racist tirade when told to fold up her tray table.
I write about these stories, in part, to chronicle poor behavior as an ongoing problem on flights in the USA. But also as a warning to would-be offenders: you are increasingly less-likely to get away with incendiary onboard speech.
From what we know about this story, a black Southwest flight attendant instructed a passenger to put up her tray table prior to takeoff. She responded by bitterly complaining and calling the FA the N-word.
The video bleeps out so much you can hardly understand the conversation, but you get the picture…
Listen to passengers respond as she is escorted off the flight…that’s quite telling.
Here’s what Southwest had to say about the incident:
On Flight #5593 with scheduled service from Chicago Midway to Houston Hobby on Saturday morning, our reports indicate that a Customer refused to comply with our Flight Crew’s instructions after boarding and before the flight departed Chicago. The customer became unruly and verbally abusive toward our flight attendants, and the decision was made to return to the gate to deplane the Customer, where she was met by local law enforcement officers. Our employees handled the situation professionally with grace and class, and we do not condone or tolerate such profane and unruly behavior on board our aircraft. Once the customer deplaned the aircraft, the flight resumed to Houston Hobby, arriving about an hour later than originally scheduled.
CONCLUSION
By continuing to shame passengers who use such foul language, hopefully more will be less likely to use similar language in the future.
image: airbus777 / Flickr
I wonder if you proofread your articles. First paragraph. “A women…” Should be “a woman…” I was a proofreader for a typesetting firm.
Good for WN! I noticed the offender’s walker and back brace. I bet she will find some way to litigate and I hope WN responds forcefully back to her in a counterclaim for delay of flight.
Do you happen to know what most airlines do post these incidents? Do they ban or temporarily suspend the flyer from flying with them again?
I’d wish more airlines would go along the lines Mike is asking! Naming and shaming doesn’t appear to be enough. More airlines need to do what Hawaiian did and sue the offenders for reimbursement of the costs of the delay – in Hawaiian’s case it was close to $100,000. Now, THAT is a warning for people to behave appropriately towards other people in a public space!
I hope this woman will be refused any future business with SW Airlines, but that they may see fit to provide her woth a nice piece of cardboard to write her destinatoon on it so when she has to hitchhike for her next trip.
The Stew should have let her leave the tray table down. It might have knocked some sense into this woman at take off…
Should place these people on the no fly list.
I bet the passenger is a Trump voter…
Alright Hillary…A completely irrelevant comment from a non-voting Liberal. Keep moving, food stamps next line.
Hear, hear.
And your wonderful input to the conversation was what exactly? Two wrongs don’t make a right. You’d be wise to heed the adage (attributable to many people in many variations) “It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubts.”
A #MAGA deplorable no doubt.
Are we adults here? Or latent teens drinking beer…why do you politicize everything? Just so inflammatory serving no one…the woman was wrong,action taken,story over…hopefully she will realize she was endangering lives not just being obnoxious, we have these A _ _ _ _ oles on both zide of the aisle…no pun intended…