Oct. 19, 2023
Read time: 3 minutes and 23 seconds.
tags:Flying can be stressful, and airline customer service is often a gamble. But what happens when that gamble turns into a nightmare? I had a terrible experience on American Airlines that left me banned until 2099. This is something I didn’t expect, especially since I simply requested a visit to the bathroom.
I was boarding a flight and was removed from an American Airlines flight for using a swear word. I wasn’t directing the word at anyone, just expressing frustration after being denied a bathroom break. I was removed from one of their flights because I asked to go to the bathroom and they said no and I just .. swore. I did not incite any violence, but had violence pressed on me, by multiple crew members. Which is fascinating since they try to uphold some type of “law”. Until recently, I thought they had an american or canadian jurisdiction. Well, it turns out that they operate in this strange grey area outside of the law where they have the liberty to act as they deem fit for the circumstance. This happened while I was on my way to visit my very sick brother who has stage 4 terminal cancer. A 40 year old guy with a full life ahead of him, and this would be my 3rd visit to him since I found out he had been sick with cancer. Now, i’m already emotionally loaded going on this flight, but not an excuse to swear AT anyone and I never swore at anyone. The truth, however, is that they did physically assault me. The lack of empathy from the crew was shocking, and the situation quickly escalated.
After being removed from the plane, I was assaulted by two crew members as I simply wanted to leave the terminal. I was already going to be left behind for this flight due to some one power tripping because they were tired of serving coffee pre-flight. So, as I tried to leave the terminal and approach exit doors, I was assaulted by multiple crew members. I managed to film the incident, which is something I plan to release soon. Just imagine someone who just missed their flight, their brother is on their death bed, on top of that, following up, no one was going to give me a refund and to top it off, I was assaulted TWICE.
Police showed up only to find that I was calm and in a reasonable state because I was simply upset I was missing my flight to see my sick brother, but I was not nearly as erratic as the crew members. As I explained the story to the police officer, they explained this grey area of the law between the airport and the terminal doors that they truly don’t have jurisdiction over. So, physically assaulting me on behalf of American airlines was permissible, but i’d probably be in jail if I hit one of them back (which thankfully I did not).
As I explained the story to the police officer handling the case and complaint, the crew member who was leading the charge against me was listening to my telling of the story and what was happening. I shared my purpose of the trip and why I was probably in a less than pleasant mood before the trip.
The most pathetic part? A crew member cried crocodile tears when filing the police report, especially after I shared about my brother’s stage four cancer. it was this shallow display of hollow empathy that they showcased when they were put on the spot by the police, but not when it was an authentic person to person story. It’s mind-boggling how some crew members act, playing “God” with passengers’ travel plans.
As a result of this incident, I’m banned from American Airlines flights until 2099. I’ll be 107 years old before I can fly with them again which i’m certainly looking forward to if I make it past the trauma and issues. I’ll probably make some edits here when I feel comfortable enough to share the videos. The most annoying part, they’re the most common airline between where my family lives and where I live. American airlines is abhorrent and the quality of their staffing makes me pray that Tesla moves quicker on robotics to replace low quality service workers who where a neon vest at a terminal.