Celeb Involved in Latest Racially Charged Incident on American Airlines
Jeff Edwards January 30, 2018
Rapper Joey Bada$$ took to Twitter to call out an American Airlines flight attendant for allegedly profiling the musician as someone who didn’t belong in the first class cabin.
The last thing American Airlines needed was yet another high-profile allegation of racial discrimination, but a well-known musician became the legacy airline’s latest accuser this week. Rapper Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, better known as Joey Bada$$, told his more than 850,000 Twitter followers that he believes he was racially profiled on an AA flight this weekend.
“So I’m boarding this #AmericanAirlines flight walking to my first class seat,” the rapper wrote shortly after boarding. “But before I get there I put my bag up (in the first class section obv) & one of the flight attendants goes ‘excuse me sir you can’t put your bag there that’s for our first class customers’ AHAHAHA.”
Late last year, following a string of incidents in which the airline was accused of mistreating passengers from ethnic minority backgrounds, the NAACP issued a travel advisory warning African-American passengers of “a pattern of disturbing incidents reported by African-American passengers, specific to American Airlines.” Just a few weeks later, American Airlines officials announced that all of its employees would be required to complete mandatory anti-racism training.
The songwriter and actor appears to have been very much aware of American Airlines’ recent struggles. Scott didn’t waste any time alluding to previous claims of racial bias against the airline.
“So I show her my ticket and the whole plane just laughs at her,” he later posted. “Stupid b****. @AmericanAir is the best airline for racial discrimination. This is why I’m #teamdelta @Delta.”
Determined not to allow this most recent incident to spiral into another public relations nightmare, American Airlines representatives quickly responded to the musician’s very public grievance about his flight. The situation, however, was not quite so easily defused.
“@joeyBADASS,” the airline replied. “Our customers should feel welcomed while traveling with us, we’re going to have someone meet you at the gate once you arrive.”
Meanwhile, as evidenced by a later Tweet, Joey Bada$$ it seems, was not at all impressed with the airline’s efforts. The rapper appears to have had the last word on the subject.
“Be honest you guys said this just for Twitter,” he wrote. “Didn’t see anyone waiting to meet me when I arrived. And even if there was, trust I wasn’t interested. But thank you anyway… for nothing.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
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Well, he was boarding late and as I recall he said he was in first and they questioned him again. I can only say I was pretty shocked by it. It did seem that by the end of the flight he had cooled down. He was joking with the FAs by that point and no longer seemed angry.
Sounds like he was treated just as any other passenger would be when putting their bags above an already-full seat row So, what's the opposite of racism?
I rarely if ever find First Class Overhead bins full when I board with my appropriate group particularly when flying First or Business. Conversely it seems more and more common that coach passengers will put their bags into First or Business overhead and even in coach start filling the overheads from the from of the plane even when sitting in the back. Obviously taking the first available overhead space to avoid not finding any when they reach their seats. So important that airlines and passengers board the plane by group and insist that passengers put their luggage in the appropriate area near where they are sitting. Who likes to have to swim against the tide on deplaning to try to get your bag that you were forced to put it up many many rows behind you?
No, the point is how he was treated. And that is more or less the only important point.
I think we are all missing the point.... a rap performer is not a musician because rap is not music! Spelled wrongly too, always add the "c".....