Passenger threatens to cough on me if I don't change seats
Hi,
Had a pretty interesting experience last week on the LH Newark to Munich flight. Was assigned a Window Y seat on the right side of the plane (door). Because I'm a UA 1k/Star Gold had early boarding and as I make my way to the seat a lady is sitting in the seat next to me as is her hubby across the Isle.
The woman complains about not feeling well and asks that her hubby gets my window seat which would require taking the Isle seat. I say to her I'm flexible about where I sit all I want is a window seat somewhere (it's a late flight I want to sleep). Here comes the fun part. She get's mad, wines about feeling bad, that her husband is a Senator, how their upgrades didn't clear, she needs the extra legroom to sleep, and tells me several times that she will cough on me and that I will get sick.
She says this several times -- and I have to admit I was impressed by her lack of decorum but their is a big difference between saying that someone will cough a lot and saying "ich werde sie den ganzen Flug anhusten" (cough on you). That's a threat -- and if I would have heard it one more time I would have called on the purser to call the cops. A plane is not a place to make threats of any kind.
This was all in immediate hearing range of a flight attendent who tried to calm the lady down and found me a seat a few isles down on the window.
She of course was grateful that I didn't make a fuss and offered drinks from "the front" -- all I wanted was my special meal and the opportunity to sleep.
Yes, and I am sick of the bullying to get my decent seat. On a leisure travel board I frequent (why, I don't know as it just irritates the heck out of me, but I do like to see how the amateur flyer thinks), parents often post that they will use the tactic of threatening vomit or other bodily fluids.
As soon as anyone does anything other than ask politely if I will move, I ignore them.
I've had passengers shout at me, bully me, order me, push me, and do anything else to get my prime bulkhead seats. Sorry, I'm sick of it and I refuse to give in if one cannot display at least some form of polite behaviour.
As soon as anyone does anything other than ask politely if I will move
I actually find it quite annoying when I am asked at check in or by the FA if I would be kind enough to accommodate this wonderful couple who are traveling together. They put me in a position where I will look like a jerk if I deny , which I normally do not.
Now I have reserved 81A and paid for it , it irritates me even more when I find out that the lovely couple have upgraded or even worse OP ups or family and friends.
Was never threatened, but....
I don't like it to be asked in the plane if I would agree to change my seat cause a party of 2 or 3 wants to sit together. Or with children.
Especially if I got the very rare change to occupy a bulkhead or exit row seat.
Why isn't it possible to make a seat reservation in advance for those pax? Yes I know, sometimes changes in flight schedules etc can occur. But that happens at almost every longhaul flight in Y. Even once in Business Class.
Sure, if I only have a "standard" seat I do not mind to change - as long as I get a window seat and I'm asked with some kind of beeing nice.
And even when unexpected things happen. I recently had to sit in a middle seat in Y for a westcoast flight because my original one was cancelled. I would never dear to ask the FAs to bother other Pax ala "this lovely young HON wants to sit in an emergency exit, would you be so kind to move?"
Actually it happens quite often that they put a touri pax last minute into a prime seat. Then the story starts ( we are on our .... (fill in what you like ) and we need to sit together plus a zillion of all other reasons.
When I say that he or she should offer the neighbour of the other half the prime seat is when things get interesting . I had some nasty experinces with Americans where I quickly forget my language skills.
It happened in C in row 1 or 9 as well in F in row 83.
You have to stand up for your rights or your going to get run over.
I had a mother(with baby to boot) do this(being sick and having a kid get sick towards you) to me on a flight(AA domestic not LH) out of orlando one-time, and i ignored it the first time, and then she repeated again as she must have thought I didnt hear it, and this time i hit the attendent call buton and looked her in the face, and in a voice where the captian at the front of the plane could hear (about 10m/30ft away) "Did you just make a threat of bodily harm agianst me, you care to repeat it for the whole plane to hear". oh you should have seen the look on her face it was priceless, as she thought i would rollover and give up. I may be a nice person but i can turn into a 800lb/300+ kg Gorilla if rubbed the wrong way. You dont let people like this get away with things like this
The captain came out to investigate what was going on, and the mom started this whole sob story about how i was being mean by not changing seats with her so that she could have more room. I told the captain the threat she made and stated the florida state statue for assault with intent for battery to cause bodily harm, and that also it could be considered making a terroistic threat. The pilot said sir come with me, and then asked one of the FAs to take care of "that" pointing at the lady and kid. Pilot brought me up into the forward galley asked me to cover the story again so he could document it, and then asked me how i knew these laws. I told him Im a paramedic and haveto know the laws that pertain to my job and the areas i work in. The pilot said that was fine, and would I mind checking the lady and kid out since they mentioned they werent feeling well, and that the pilot didnt want someone spreading disease to the rest of the passengers. I didnt have a problem with it I have had patients treat me much worse then this, but i had a advantage of having access to restraints in the ambulance. The captain had a FA get my bag that has a mini kit in it (Stethescope, wrist BP cuff, and thermometer). I checked them out and moms wasnt kidding because while i was taking Jrs vital signs he turned green then gave back his dinner all over mom((none on the seats or floor)why to people travel when there sick especially kids with a fever in excess of 38.8 C/102F).
That was all the captain needed and had them offloaded the flight, just as this happened the local Police showed up as appearently the Gate agent had called for them. Well the captian spoke to them and then the the sgt asked me if my statement to the captain was correct, which i said yes, and then the police ordered the mom to follow them. The whole plane started to applaud this which caused great shock to the wifes husband who had another kid next to him(so why did she need to switch into my seat, which was a window as well).
After the mom had been offloaded; ironically Dad stayed onboard for the flight, which i thought odd. To top it off I was given a seat in first class and very well taken care of by the cabin crew. As I was exiting the flight I got a look that could have killed from the husband as he wasnt a very happy camper. I think this was due to more then a few fellow passengers gaving him a piece of there mind on the situation.
You have to stand up for your rights or your going to get run over.
I had a mother(with baby to boot) do this(being sick and having a kid get sick towards you) to me on a flight(AA domestic not LH) out of orlando one-time, and i ignored it the first time, and then she repeated again as she must have thought I didnt hear it, and this time i hit the attendent call buton and looked her in the face, and in a voice where the captian at the front of the plane could hear (about 10m/30ft away) "Did you just make a threat of bodily harm agianst me, you care to repeat it for the whole plane to hear". oh you should have seen the look on her face it was priceless, as she thought i would rollover and give up. I may be a nice person but i can turn into a 800lb/300+ kg Gorilla if rubbed the wrong way. You dont let people like this get away with things like this
I quite agree. Was in fact considering having the cops called -- as I'm sure this was duress/coercion (noetigung) and it may have been a valuable lesson for her just how improper her actions where. But she didn't repeat the statement and quite frankly if I didn't have to sit next to her and could get a window seat and could beging my snooze that was good enough for me. It's one of those situations where you have to balance the short term vs. long term benefit (flight leaving on time / getting to the destination on time / finding an acceptable solution vs. "justice")
Anyway, thanks for sharing the story and for not backing down.
MCO is definitely one of the worst airports for these types of behaviours, especially based on the drama I read online on these leisure sites from amateur travellers.
I 'own' 1C on TED, 6C on 319/320, and 9A on 757 when flying UA. Those are all prime seats and non-status passengers only have access in advance of OLCI if they choose to pay. Most often the seat map is empty in E+ when I OLCI but of course the flight is sold out, and nobody wanted to pay for the better seat. Yet they have no issue with bullying me.
The most outrageous was being called to the podium at MCO with a request to switch seats. I initially said 'yes' against my better judgement (but the passenger was right there and I didn't want to seem rude) Then I realised that I had a cast and sling and the seat change would put my arm on the aisle, so told the GA regretfully no. The mother flipped out, screaming and shouting at me that I was rude and ungrateful and a number of names. In the end nobody would switch with her.
So I should give up my prime seat, for which I had an obvious need, because someone didn't want to pay a few dollars in advance to secure seats together? I have been told 'MOVE' in past - sure, that will get you my seat. I actually once reported the wife of a UA employee, who threatened me by telling me her husband's title and location of employment repeatedly, and by using her child's bad behaviour as a threat. She should certainly have known better.
Thanks god something like this never happen to me. Really what is with some people? No manners at all.
I find that it is a mentality of 'my needs are greater than anyone else's needs, therefore you should all move to make way for me'. Whenever I am embroiled in this discussion I point out that some of us have needs as well for certain seats (in my case I choose my seat based on my physical issues).
Sadly it would appear that it is most often parents who seem to think that an entire family must sit all together, and that there are a number of molestors on board the aircraft who will endanger the child. I don't know when the mentality changed in some parts of the world but it would seem that to some people having a child is some form of handicap, which I find very sad indeed. Having a child does not trump every one else's situation.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scubatooth
I checked them out and moms wasnt kidding because while i was taking Jrs vital signs he turned green then gave back his dinner all over mom((none on the seats or floor)why to people travel when there sick especially kids with a fever in excess of 38.8 C/102F).
Surely that qualifies as some sort of abuse/neglect. Poor kid.
. I had some nasty experinces with Americans where I quickly forget my language skills. 
Surely that qualifies as some sort of abuse/neglect. Poor kid.
