AirTran Airways A+ Rewards - Surly Steward Kicks Women Off Aircraft

Take a look AirTran FA loses cool (http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/west_palm_beach/women-kicked-off-airplane-at-pbia-claim-unruly-flight-attendant-was-to-blame)

My guess is he'll be unemployed soon.

As this is not a Checkpoints and Border Policy Debate topic but more an Air Tran discussion point we will be forwarding to the Air Tran forum for further discussion. Please follow it there for input.

Thanks for your contributions
~magic111

The three women: A lawyer, therapist and retired travel agent.

One to sue Airtran, one to book away from the airline and one to help everyone calm their nerves. :)

Mike

There has to be another side to this story. Frankly, I'd like to toss some people off myself after watching them fill up the bins with oversized bags. I'm not buying the "we didn't do anything wrong" side of this.

There has to be another side to this story. Frankly, I'd like to toss some people off myself after watching them fill up the bins with oversized bags. I'm not buying the "we didn't do anything wrong" side of this.

That's why I always board first on AA and take advantage of my priority boarding.

The question becomes, is control of your carry-on surrendered to crew members the moment you cross the door threshold?

FA's appear to think the mandate of an on-time departure allows them unquestioned custody. All this notwithstanding the safety issues of items on the floor impeding emergency evacuation, of course.

There has to be another side to this story. Frankly, I'd like to toss some people off myself after watching them fill up the bins with oversized bags. I'm not buying the "we didn't do anything wrong" side of this.

Given the Southwest statement indicates the women were put on another carrier's flight at Airtran's expense, and compensated for being thrown off, it seems like the women were telling the whole story and Southwest agreed.

Given the Southwest statement indicates the women were put on another carrier's flight at Airtran's expense, and compensated for being thrown off, it seems like the women were telling the whole story and Southwest agreed.

I'm not convinced they even de-briefed the crew. A comp ticket is just good PR and risks very little. Apparently, there was no reported security threat or even delayed dispatch.

Do FAs correctly assume custody of carry-on is automatically ceded to on-board crew?

The whole,"thrown off'" phrase is a little over blown,dont you think?

Not trying to be rude, but that is pretty much what happened. Would you have preferred "tossed out on their a@@?" :D

I smell BS here.

Could we be missing something?

The question becomes, is control of your carry-on surrendered to crew members the moment you cross the door threshold?

FA's appear to think the mandate of an on-time departure allows them unquestioned custody. All this notwithstanding the safety issues of items on the floor impeding emergency evacuation, of course.

Interesting question. In one sense, you surrender control of all of your possessions, even your clothes, when you pass into the sterile area of the airport. Whether or not FA's can wield that power or not is a different issue but for the most part, they have total authority inside the cabin.

As for the baggage in question, if you have something fragile to transport on a commercial flight, shoving it into the overhead bin is not really the method you want to use. That's a "public" space subject to cramming by other passengers and the FAs. No guarantees at all that your bags will not be smashed, squeezed or dropped to the floor.

Try asking the FA's politely when you board if they could take some special care of your item. I think most will oblige you if possible. Or better yet, pack it very carefully in a checked bag. I've transported many delicate items that way and never had one damaged.