mid

Just in case some of you guys get frisky:

Air Kiss

AA F/A: There'll be NONE of that on AA. We ask and then we tell!

cingmot

Good grief. A plague on both their houses.

justageek

What a terrible story.

Major to the FA, purser, and captain. And to AA for defending the crew's actions instead of simply apologizing for the over-reaction.

I don't care if a couple is gay or straight--threatening to divert the plane because people are kissing is an absurd abuse of power.

clarkef

The mistake the couple made was to ask if the FA would have made a scene if the couple were straight. At that point, the purser is thinking discrimination claim and everyone closed ranks.

mvoight

What discrimination claim? Sexual orientation is not a protected class

douglas99

How can AA defend such red neck behaviour? The FA should have been dissmissed and the Pursor disciplined , who knows what they told the Captain to get the reaction he gave.

I suspect the bigoted FA made up the story of the complaints to cover herself.

The answer to the question about whether they would have reacted the same to a mixed sex couple is clearly no. There would be an outcry that even AAs pr people could not contain. You only have to read the books that FAs have written to know what mixed sex couples get away with. :

ilovetofly

Very unfortunate.

Federal laws require passengers to follow crew members' instructions.....sounds familiar?

I agree somehow the power could be/had been abused.

stratofortress

Maybe not by the feds, but New York statehas SONDA, the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act. I'm not an attorney, but I reckon a JFK-based would probably have some passing familiarity with a law that raised as much of a controversy as this one...

Perhaps they do have a New York state discrimination claim under SONDA?

PUCCI GALORE

There are days when I think that either the world has gone mad or I have. When I read an article like this I am in no doubt.

Indeed, this story is just so bizzare that I would love to know that other side of the story - something really does not add up.

whirledtraveler

They should have called the Captain's bluff. An airplane diverted over an incident like this? AA would never live it down. It would be on every talk show for at least a week and I'm sure that the Captain knew it.

ExpertFlyer Voice

I wonder how this would show in the flights details?

ASULawFlyer

I agree, something's not right with this story. I hope there are some facts missing because if AA condones this type of behavior from its cabin crew under these circumstances, AA needs a serious lesson in tolerance.

Personally, I groan when I see couples (straight or gay) engaging in grossly overt displays of public affection. But what was described in the article is nothing I haven't seen straight couples do a million times on an airplane without so much as a second look from cabin crew or other passengers. I think leaning your head on your partner's shoulder and giving a quick peck is cute.

Had I been sitting next to these gentlemen and the events were as described, I would have taken out my business card (lawyer) and handed it to them in view of the pursor along with the caution to them only to continue their behavior if they'd like AA to supply them with MANY years of free travel.

to AA.

LACouple

One would have thought AA was more progressive then this With American's competition across the pond playing advertisements such as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YpW343KEvc&NR

you would think AA would lighten up!


Cheers



LACouple

ijgordon

I doubt the flight crew were speaking on behalf of the AA corporate entity that day. I'm not sure whether that makes the incident more or less disturbing. Perhaps some sensitivity training is in order?

ClipperinSFO

AA had to live down some anti-gay discrimination a few years back (the "changing pillow covers incident" among others), so they have in general been pretty aggressive about reaching out and supporting the gay community, at least in terms of commercials, special programs etc. This story, if picked up, could undo all those efforts. That said, there have always been rumors of insitutional homophobia at AMR.

I have always found AA is particularly adept at making its customers feel like criminals, either implicitly or in this case explicitly. I always attributed it to the whole Texas school marm thing. They got a rule book, and they love to use it.

This article also just goes to show the risks of letting domestic (read: unsophisticated) carriers fly on international (read: sophisticated) routes. Could you imagine this scene happening on Air France? J'en doute vraiment mes amis.