Alaska Airlines Boots Passenger for Harassing FA
Jeff Edwards October 12, 2016
ORG XMIT: WADZ201 In this photo made Thursday, June 11, 2009, an Alaska Airlines airliner is pushed away from a gate at SeaTac Airport in SeaTac, Wash. Alaska Air Group Inc., operator of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, said Thursday. July 23, its second-quarter profit plunged 53.9 percent to $29.1 million as sales slipped 9.3 percent.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
One passenger’s juvenile pre-flight commentary as a female flight attendant attempted to demonstrate how to use a flotation device soon earned an up-close look at the forward exit door.
An Alaska Airlines passenger learned a lesson about appropriate behavior when his lewd comments directed at a female flight attendant during the preflight safety briefing caused him to be ejected from a flight at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA). At least one other passenger on the Sunday flight took to social media to praise the crew members involved for standing up for “staff and those of us on board who were demeaned by another passenger’s juvenile and exceedingly disrespectful behavior.”
According to Amber Nelson, who wrote about the unpleasantness in a Facebook post, the uncouth passenger disrupted the safety presentation with the unhelpful comment “Ooh, sexy.” Nelson wrote that the female flight attendant stopped the demonstration to chide the passenger, saying simply, “You need to be respectful.” The boorish flyer reportedly didn’t seem to grasp the gravity of the situation, defiantly telling the crew member, “C’mon, I’m just playing with you.”
When the disrespectful passenger was later told to gather his things and exit the plane, he still didn’t quite understand his culpability in the matter. Nelson later told Business Insider that he continued to plead his case as he was led from the aircraft, insisting,”I didn’t do anything wrong! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
Other passengers on the flight disagreed. “It was everything we could do to keep from applauding as he was led away,” Nelson wrote in her account of the events.
Alaska Airlines confirmed details of the October 9 incident to reporters. ”We stand behind the actions taken by our employees,” a company spokesperson said of the way the situation was handled.
[Photo: David Zalubowski/AP]
At least he was paying attention to the safety demonstration, which is far more than most passengers do.
It's ok? It's only locker room banter? Guess that defence only works for some people...