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Passenger removed from DEL-JFK AA293 on 30 Jan 2023

Passenger removed from DEL-JFK AA293 on 30 Jan 2023

Old Feb 5, 23, 6:26 am
  #1  
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Passenger removed from DEL-JFK AA293 on 30 Jan 2023

Read about this disturbing news on a passenger flying AA293 on Jan 30 was deplaned as she could not put her carryon on the overhead bin due to her medical condition. The FAs were quite rude and when she asked for help the crews and the captain removed her from the flight. She was flying J.
Delta/Virgin brought her home. Would love to hear the AA version of the story.
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Old Feb 5, 23, 7:50 am
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You can be sure there is more to the story.
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Old Feb 5, 23, 7:55 am
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Just read an article on this. Def more to the story. A passenger surely would have helped her store her bag in the overhead if cabin crew wouldn't.
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Old Feb 5, 23, 10:22 am
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Ive updated the threads title to more accurately reflect its apparent contents.

Note that this thread is headed for swift closure unless someone can quote and link to an actual story about the incident, and discussion can stay on topic.

~Moderator
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Old Feb 5, 23, 10:32 am
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Here's a link. Cancer patient.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/97611314.cms
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Old Feb 5, 23, 10:37 am
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If true, that's truly horrible and I hope the customer gets compensated. Hard to tell without another side of the story, though. :\
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Old Feb 5, 23, 11:12 am
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"Not my job" does seem to be in character for an AA FA, to be fair.
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Old Feb 5, 23, 11:22 am
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Most long haul AA FAs also suffer from "senioritis" and have doctor's notes allowing them to do only the very minimum necessary.
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Old Feb 5, 23, 11:44 am
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Originally Posted by bobnchi
You can be sure there is more to the story.
It’s AA. “Not my job” FAs are plentiful enough that it’s far from a sure thing.
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Old Feb 5, 23, 11:57 am
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A lazy crew is not going to choose the laborious and time consuming process of having a passenger removed for no reason to spare themselves from having put a bag in the overhead.

Almost certainly, as in most cases like this, the offended party became belligerent and there was no choice but to remove and add the reams of paperwork involved to their workload.
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Old Feb 5, 23, 1:26 pm
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Without having read the article (sorry!), can't there be worker's comp-related issues as to why FA's may choose not to assist lifting passengers heavy baggage? I have definitely seen FAs (on various airlines) stand by while a pax struggles to get their bag in the bin, particularly on widebodies where the (center) bins can be higher. Of course there's no reason another passenger couldn't assist (I will if asked by the pax, or even the FA), so I agree that there has to be more here.

That said, if you can't lift your bag into the overhead you should probably check it. (Of course recognizing that for medical reasons this may not always be the solution.)
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Old Feb 5, 23, 1:37 pm
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Originally Posted by ijgordon
That said, if you can't lift your bag into the overhead you should probably check it. (Of course recognizing that for medical reasons this may not always be the solution.)
It could also do with the height of the bins. The 777 is a tough one for short people, especially the center bins. I typically help 1-2 people on every 777 flight as I'm tall. There's always someone around willing to help.

Even if the FA says no, I'm curious here as to how this escalated to a deboarding.

Originally Posted by javabytes
It’s AA. “Not my job” FAs are plentiful enough that it’s far from a sure thing.
True, but there are many steps in between the FA saying "not my job" and it escalating to getting booted off an airplane.
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Old Feb 5, 23, 1:38 pm
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Originally Posted by enviroian
Here's a link. Cancer patient.
I do feel sorry and probably would have helped if I were nearby and saw what was happening.

That said, after one of my sisters donated a kidney (for another sister), she was told in no undertain terms that she could not lift more than 5 pounds for the next few days. On her flight home, my brother-in-law went to the airport to help check her in, and she checked everything other than a small purse. Her husband met her at her home airport to help her retrieve her luggage from baggage claim and take it to their vehicle.

Yea, it was a PITA for her, and if she had told her story to people around her, perhaps even the FA's, someone might have helped. But it isn't something one should take for granted.
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Old Feb 5, 23, 2:18 pm
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Originally Posted by ijgordon

That said, if you can't lift your bag into the overhead you should probably check it. (Of course recognizing that for medical reasons this may not always be the solution.)
Per the article it sounds like a handbag. She very well could have been carrying her ID and medications that shouldn't be checked and possibly needed on a long flight. I just don't see how it went from her asking for help to its not my job to deplaning her. I wonder if they were worried she might have a medical issue in flight and didn't want to deal with it.
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Old Feb 5, 23, 2:33 pm
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Originally Posted by Antarius
True, but there are many steps in between the FA saying "not my job" and it escalating to getting booted off an airplane.
This is the $10K question and leaves me wondering what the hell happened. It's a long way between these two. Did the passenger snap and start to yell at the FA? Maybe we'll never know.
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