2 passengers get op-ups, flight cancelled, black pax moved to Y, white pax stays in F
May 10, 2017, 11:55 am
#31
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Here it's neither racism nor incompetence. A party of two was given an OPUP (for free). Then the flight was cancelled and they were rebooked onto a flight with only one remaining FC seat. At that point, one person was given the FC seat for free and the other got a seat in coach, which agrees with the fare that had been paid for both seats.
This was apparently all done by computer. IMO the computer did two things wrong:
Rebooking an OPUPed passenger into a premium cabin on the new flight. The OPUP was only needed for the flight which was not flown. Both passengers should have been rebooked in coach, with the one FC seat being given to an elite or nonrev who was entitled to it.
If one passenger on a PNR was going to be treated better, status should count, even if it's only an affiliated credit card. Otherwise, give the better treatment to the lead passenger.
Better yet, explain this to both passengers during the first interaction after the flight cancellation and rebooking, and let them choose if one of them want to take the FC seat and, if so, who would take the upgrade.
If the descriptions of what happened later are correct (just involving one FA? or a GA too?), then it's surprising that an airline employee isn't accustomed to the idea of a white person and a black person traveling together and/or wishing to sit together. That's bad behavior by an individual employee or maybe a couple employees, but not something that AA itself did wrong, assuming that they're selecting and training employees appropriately.
This was apparently all done by computer. IMO the computer did two things wrong:
Rebooking an OPUPed passenger into a premium cabin on the new flight. The OPUP was only needed for the flight which was not flown. Both passengers should have been rebooked in coach, with the one FC seat being given to an elite or nonrev who was entitled to it.
If one passenger on a PNR was going to be treated better, status should count, even if it's only an affiliated credit card. Otherwise, give the better treatment to the lead passenger.
Better yet, explain this to both passengers during the first interaction after the flight cancellation and rebooking, and let them choose if one of them want to take the FC seat and, if so, who would take the upgrade.
If the descriptions of what happened later are correct (just involving one FA? or a GA too?), then it's surprising that an airline employee isn't accustomed to the idea of a white person and a black person traveling together and/or wishing to sit together. That's bad behavior by an individual employee or maybe a couple employees, but not something that AA itself did wrong, assuming that they're selecting and training employees appropriately.
May 10, 2017, 11:57 am
#32
Join Date: Oct 2002
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Just curious if anyone was there and witnessed this live or did you all read and article and become speculative experts?
May 10, 2017, 12:03 pm
#33
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The operational issue and it's resolution wasn't racist. Ghosting a black woman passenger while responding politely and in detail to her white friend while both are asking the same questions about what happened is racism - or certainly any rational person would say it appears so.
May 10, 2017, 12:20 pm
#34
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Yes, they can. But...
...the news media is no longer in the business of delivering objective facts and meaningful analysis to the public, and therefore they employ very few journalists.
Today, the news media is the business of delivering eyeballs to advertisers, so they look to employ personalities and commentators instead, with heavy preference for those that can play up current moods and reduce complex issues to 10-second sound bites.
It really is that simple.
...the news media is no longer in the business of delivering objective facts and meaningful analysis to the public, and therefore they employ very few journalists.
Today, the news media is the business of delivering eyeballs to advertisers, so they look to employ personalities and commentators instead, with heavy preference for those that can play up current moods and reduce complex issues to 10-second sound bites.
It really is that simple.
May 10, 2017, 2:34 pm
#35
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That's the issue. They only explained it to white friend while ignoring the exact same questions from black friend.
The operational issue and it's resolution wasn't racist. Ghosting a black woman passenger while responding politely and in detail to her white friend while both are asking the same questions about what happened is racism - or certainly any rational person would say it appears so.
The operational issue and it's resolution wasn't racist. Ghosting a black woman passenger while responding politely and in detail to her white friend while both are asking the same questions about what happened is racism - or certainly any rational person would say it appears so.
May 10, 2017, 3:11 pm
#36
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Next time I miss an upgrade, I will play the discrimination card, will send a tweet to all news outlets, and will ask for a big compensation. Stay tuned 
May 10, 2017, 5:09 pm
#37
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I would imagine that they couldn't even tell she was black by her name alone..heck a computer probably ran the numbers on status and fare-refund costs. Sounds like a shakedown to me.
And we don't know that the United emps who did it..if they did it..were white.
And we don't know that the United emps who did it..if they did it..were white.
May 10, 2017, 6:53 pm
#38
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Traveling the World
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How can the passenger prove its due to racism. I have seen equal amount of white and African Americans sitting in First Class. Whether its their company or personal means who booked them I see the downgrade was not due to race because anyone could have been downgraded for many reasons.
If we continue to use race as an excuse for a lawsuit especially if you can't prove it then by all means we are abusing race to get ahead. Now if it can be proven that you were denied service and were told" Sir we are downgrading you because you are African American" then that is considered discrimination due to race.
Anyone could say that race played into downgrades, poor hotel rooms etc but it has to be proven.
If we continue to use race as an excuse for a lawsuit especially if you can't prove it then by all means we are abusing race to get ahead. Now if it can be proven that you were denied service and were told" Sir we are downgrading you because you are African American" then that is considered discrimination due to race.
Anyone could say that race played into downgrades, poor hotel rooms etc but it has to be proven.
May 10, 2017, 6:57 pm
#39
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So, I have a slightly different read on things, based on flight patterns between SDF and CLT around the time in question. Nobody comes out of it smelling rosy.
Based on the linked article, the flight in question was AA5389 on May 2. I can't find any cancellations SDF-CLT on May 1, but 5389 usually flies a CR9 and on that day flew a CR7--so it seems more likely the pax were not op-upped at all but, per their own account, purchased upgrades at check-in, and the flight was then downgauged.
Here beginneth speculation: Sabre bumped the three lowest-priority upgrades from F and, because Sabre gonna Sabre, sent everybody to the very back of Y. Whatever coin flip it used to split the two pax on the same PNR ended up picking the black passenger. This is very bad optics, of course--white up front, black to the back--but innocuous at its core. My white male frequent-flyer posterior has been stationed lav-adjacent more than once after seat shuffles for whatever reason; stuff happens, and to be fair the complainant seemed to acknowledge as much in her statements. So far, so nothing.
If gate staff were replying to the white passenger's questions and ghosting the black passenger, though... hoo boy, they deserve to get keelhauled for it. On board, it's hard to parse what happened; could've been genuine slights by the crew, could've been that by that point the pax were in such a state that everything was going to seem untoward.
Other than that, there is naught but to chuckle at a DYKWIA from a Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite cardholder...'s friend, and to pity the poor chump at PSA (it was a regional service) who's getting kicked up one wall and down the other by the mothership's PR department.
Based on the linked article, the flight in question was AA5389 on May 2. I can't find any cancellations SDF-CLT on May 1, but 5389 usually flies a CR9 and on that day flew a CR7--so it seems more likely the pax were not op-upped at all but, per their own account, purchased upgrades at check-in, and the flight was then downgauged.
Here beginneth speculation: Sabre bumped the three lowest-priority upgrades from F and, because Sabre gonna Sabre, sent everybody to the very back of Y. Whatever coin flip it used to split the two pax on the same PNR ended up picking the black passenger. This is very bad optics, of course--white up front, black to the back--but innocuous at its core. My white male frequent-flyer posterior has been stationed lav-adjacent more than once after seat shuffles for whatever reason; stuff happens, and to be fair the complainant seemed to acknowledge as much in her statements. So far, so nothing.
If gate staff were replying to the white passenger's questions and ghosting the black passenger, though... hoo boy, they deserve to get keelhauled for it. On board, it's hard to parse what happened; could've been genuine slights by the crew, could've been that by that point the pax were in such a state that everything was going to seem untoward.
Other than that, there is naught but to chuckle at a DYKWIA from a Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite cardholder...'s friend, and to pity the poor chump at PSA (it was a regional service) who's getting kicked up one wall and down the other by the mothership's PR department.
May 10, 2017, 7:07 pm
#40
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May 10, 2017, 8:20 pm
#41
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I'm kind of disappointed in the number of posters who assume the worst of another person and accused pax of playing the race card to get money from AA.
Not everyone is as savvy as us FTers. Someone who assumes her Citi-platinum-whatever card makes her just as important a CK or EXP clearly isn't familiar with commercial aviation. Perhaps she did not understand how op-ups and downgrades work, and felt as if race was the distinguishing factor. That doesn't make her a scheming, evil person.
Not everyone is as savvy as us FTers. Someone who assumes her Citi-platinum-whatever card makes her just as important a CK or EXP clearly isn't familiar with commercial aviation. Perhaps she did not understand how op-ups and downgrades work, and felt as if race was the distinguishing factor. That doesn't make her a scheming, evil person.
May 10, 2017, 9:51 pm
#42
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 542
I'm kind of disappointed in the number of posters who assume the worst of another person and accused pax of playing the race card to get money from AA.
Not everyone is as savvy as us FTers. Someone who assumes her Citi-platinum-whatever card makes her just as important a CK or EXP clearly isn't familiar with commercial aviation. Perhaps she did not understand how op-ups and downgrades work, and felt as if race was the distinguishing factor. That doesn't make her a scheming, evil person.
Not everyone is as savvy as us FTers. Someone who assumes her Citi-platinum-whatever card makes her just as important a CK or EXP clearly isn't familiar with commercial aviation. Perhaps she did not understand how op-ups and downgrades work, and felt as if race was the distinguishing factor. That doesn't make her a scheming, evil person.
May 10, 2017, 9:58 pm
#43
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,312
oh PLEASE 
lol
What race to you put in the box that it asks for it on aa.com when you buy a ticket?
oh yeah, the race identity question DOESN'T EXIST so the computer doesn't know if you're black white or purple when it rebooks you.
good grief.
lolWhat race to you put in the box that it asks for it on aa.com when you buy a ticket?
oh yeah, the race identity question DOESN'T EXIST so the computer doesn't know if you're black white or purple when it rebooks you.
good grief.
May 10, 2017, 10:31 pm
#44
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 948
The entire interaction boils down to her being the victim of racism, and it appears as if she had decided that was the case from the start.
May 11, 2017, 4:46 am
#45
Join Date: Jun 2015
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I'm not saying the passengers have a legit basis to complain about the downgrade, but from a customer service perspective, you have to be aware that when you turf a passenger of color but leave the white person next to her alone, the optics are obvious but your neutral-to-benign intentions are not. Criminy, is it too much to ask that people--in this case both agents AND pax--take a few seconds to try to understand the other side?