YOu guys are all missing the point. The main issue here is that the guy appears to be "Arab-American" or at least of Arab descent.

It's sad that racial profiling has reared its ugly neck. Will most non-white travellers be constantly harrassed for wanting to travel on the airline of their choice?

That probably explains why American is flying nearly empty planes on European/Asian flights. Many Europeans and Asians are avoiding any american airlines.

For one thing, they won't be missing much of the service!