Originally Posted by Andy Big Bear

Ding Ding Ding! Give that man a prize.

This was one of the older FA's, I'd bumped heads with her multiple times. She basically just didn't seem to like me. The last time is what did it.

I was flying with one UA mainline's policy reps that morning, with her telling me how they changed their policy for the exit row. So I had it right from the horse's mouth, but we hadn't chatted about the change in the regionals.

Was on a UA regional that afternoon and happened to get an exit row in first, and happened to have encountered the same dreaded FA, who told me that I would have to go to coach because of "FAA Law."

To paraphrase my response, it was "no that's how your regional has chosen to enforce FAA's exit row policies, UA mainline doesn't do it now, I think you can understand people would get confused, even me, and I know the policy." She argued she just got trained on "FAA law" and "it's the same everywhere, what policy is it even you are talking about, do you know?" I said "yes, I have it right here, would you like to see it." She said "no, you have to go back to coach, let me find somewhere to put you."

I had a friend in coach, so I told her "no problem, I'll do the switch for you" and I walked back frustrated and said to him, "here's an upgrade to first, apparently I'm an ....... for flying while fat again." She was standing right behind me and then jumped in and said "I can have you kicked off this plane for using foul language, I have that ability, am I going to have to have you kicked off or arrested?"

"

Originally Posted by spamkiller

I would have recorded it, then asked her to repeat it. Then tell her, that she had better have me kicked off the plane and have me arrested for exercising my First Amendment rights. Then ask, "to clarify, are you ordering me off the plane?"

Originally Posted by spamkiller

I would have recorded it, then asked her to repeat it. Then tell her, that she had better have me kicked off the plane and have me arrested for exercising my First Amendment rights. Then ask, "to clarify, are you ordering me off the plane?"

Originally Posted by spamkiller

I would have recorded it, then asked her to repeat it. Then tell her, that she had better have me kicked off the plane and have me arrested for exercising my First Amendment rights. Then ask, "to clarify, are you ordering me off the plane?"

Originally Posted by IceTrojan

Yeah, good luck with that. The First Amendment doesn't apply in your scenario. That would have been mighty embarrassing.

Originally Posted by Tchiowa

First Amendment applies to government interaction. You have no First Amendment right to sass a Flight Attendant and not expect a reaction. If they consider that you are disrupting the flight you can and will be removed and claiming "First Amendment" would simply provide some comic relief for the airline staff and police.

Want to make sure you get kicked off a plane? Get into a confrontation with the flight crew then whip out your phone to record it. Then you can record yourself walking out the jetway.

Originally Posted by spamkiller

I believe I could make it work and I would just be getting started. If they hired Janine as a lawyer, it would be real fun.

Originally Posted by Andy Big Bear

Ding Ding Ding! Give that man a prize.

This was one of the older FA's, I'd bumped heads with her multiple times. She basically just didn't seem to like me. The last time is what did it.

I was flying with one UA mainline's policy reps that morning, with her telling me how they changed their policy for the exit row. So I had it right from the horse's mouth, but we hadn't chatted about the change in the regionals.

Was on a UA regional that afternoon and happened to get an exit row in first, and happened to have encountered the same dreaded FA, who told me that I would have to go to coach because of "FAA Law."

To paraphrase my response, it was "no that's how your regional has chosen to enforce FAA's exit row policies, UA mainline doesn't do it now, I think you can understand people would get confused, even me, and I know the policy." She argued she just got trained on "FAA law" and "it's the same everywhere, what policy is it even you are talking about, do you know?" I said "yes, I have it right here, would you like to see it." She said "no, you have to go back to coach, let me find somewhere to put you."

Originally Posted by ou81two

Here's an article from 1990 about obese people not being able to sit in exit rows. Yup 1990. 25 years later and people are still knowingly sitting in exit rows in spite of their obesity.

Great job. Yet another example of why it is passengers who are out of control and not FA's. I'm sure the people on your flight really appreciated the delay.

Originally Posted by ou81two

What I think is immaterial. If the guy doesn't like the policies, then he should work to change them. They're there for a reason. The guy knows the rules and caused a fuss about it. That's on him and not the FA. The staff on those planes aren't typically the ones with the issue.

Originally Posted by ou81two

Here's an article from 1990 about obese people not being able to sit in exit rows. Yup 1990. 25 years later and people are still knowingly sitting in exit rows in spite of their obesity.

Great job. Yet another example of why it is passengers who are out of control and not FA's. I'm sure the people on your flight really appreciated the delay.

Originally Posted by TMM1982

I also don't believe his telling of the events either. I bet he made a big scene on the plane as went back into the "regular seat" and the FA told him to calm down or she'll have him thrown off the plane.

Originally Posted by TheTakeOffRush

Courtesy, classiness, and comfort cost extra for pax, especially with US carriers (though not exclusively). And even then they're often omitted. But this is a success for airline investors, neh? Trimming the fat makes everybody on the business end of ops cranky: crew, agents, and pax.

I'm just heartened that these events are relatively rare.