A top tier Alaska Airlines flyer is accusing the airline of discrimination and retaliatory removal from a flight, in what can only be described as a very strange incident…
Continue reading: Wild: Alaska Airlines SFO Gate Agent Accused Of Retaliatory Flight Removal
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SFO all I had to know. The us vs them culture among service employees in the bay is strong.
This kind of behavior and incompetence is par for the course for bay area service workers.
This is a pride thing. Could be made worse by racism.
Not always; sometimes there is real discrimination. But, thanks for identifying your own prejudices to the rest of us.
No need to denigrate all workers, or an entire region, because most are doing great work; but, again, like Voian below, thanks for identifying your own prejudices for the rest of us.
My belief is that this was a crappy gate agent and it had nothing to do with race.
What I didn’t say is that the us vs them is common amongst a certain “prideful” demographic in the bay over-represented in service work while that demographic has internalized racism against Asians who are over represented in wealthy tech.
1990, this Chicano sf bay native gate agent is jealous that the poster’s wife is able to fly and book a last min flight on their 800k tech TC.
It would depend if the companion displayed behavior of a typical AWFL which made the gate agent feel uncomfortable. That would be grounds for removal from a flight. We don’t know.
That is certainly possible. I've gone to court for passenger lawsuits saying an agent did something to punish them, or to try and steal from them, or for racial reasons. The defense, which has won, is no, my employee is just incompetent.
Right. To make any of our time reading this worth it, we would need to know the reality of the situation. The person writing chose not to include this information, making me suspicious.
There are many possible versions of this story. Maybe the agent bent over backwards to help the person, and did, only to be harassed afterwards, and they weren't having it. Maybe Alaska hires prejudiced people. Tough job for a racist, but who knows? Who can ever know? The flying whole process is not super egalitarian. Ugliness matters more than visible ethnicity, and sex matters more than looks. If you're a beautiful woman you are pretty much home free. An ugly guy, especially with brown skin, and you start at a loss in the eyes of the United States of Trump. And wealth matters more than all in many cases. And all are less than fair measurements, but we humans rely on them consistently. What matters is 1) Is it really true a junior companion can't fly without their senior? 2) Did they really fix the ticket properly and in time? 3) Did the agent really board the person only to deboard them? 4) Was their carry on too big?
Power grabs by employees are never ever acceptable. This is an inexcusable situation that needs quick and just resolution. Our friends’ son is a pilot for this organization, and I would not want his valuable organization to be hurt by this self-centered, thoughtless worker. Resolve the issue.
As a SFO Alaska titanium member, I’m surprised at this reaction by the gate agent. I would say AS has very good agents at SFO. I’ve always had issues at LAX GA not following procedures.
Again. The issue here was probably the new ticket was not checked in. And the companion ticket was canceled. Hence removal from aircraft at the last second.
I don’t believe the hostility until we get more evidence. As it’s reasonable they removed them due to ticketing issues at the last minute.
I will criticize the AS Ti member here though. They should know that companions cannot travel without them on those tickets. They should have known the issue hours before boarding yet seems to have been done with the last hour. So some reasonable time frames and what a “knowledgeable” Ti member should know makes me wonder some of the “facts” may have been exaggerated.
If customer service line was long….they should have unilaterally canceled the companion ticket online. Then repurchase a new ticket online for their companion. Easy….then recheck in.
As soon as I read about observing white people I lost interest. Whilst discrimination happens, people play the race card all the time as they feel it will entitle them to something.
Not surprised. I booked Alaska because they were the best option out of a regional airport I was flying out of. Or so I thought. Terrible service, inconsistent communication, three mechanical delays. Washed my hands of them.
Ooh this is fun.
My turn.
I will criticize the person who criticize the AS Ti member here though.
You don't have to be Ti to get a companion fare.
You don't get more codes for being Ti.
Therefore this Ti member could be as familiar with the companion fare as someone who flies AS once a year.
Last time I had a small painting, I checked my roll aboard, since I had my backpack and paint tube which was about 30 inches long. To me that was 2 carry ons.
To begin with, in the described scenario - could original ticket purchaser just check in for the flight and then simply not show up?
I can easily imagine that 2 paintings would stand out and attract the attention of any gate agent, whether or not there were other customer service issues already happening.
I was actually there for this flight. And let me tell you that is NOT what happened. We were also on the plane and this is not fair to the agents who they are lying about. What a shame on this person for lying about this situation. Also the man who helped us was so nice and there was no racism here. Shame on them
Ok, so what happened then? There are two (or more) sides to every story, and so far we've only heard the passenger's.
I imagine that would result in the entire booking being canceled, or at least the return flight.
This is how USA treats minorities. Then y'all give the excuse this is a one off this is not the norm. Yet for us it is the norm. If you're part of the problem you never will be part of the solution.
I would have assumed that you had contacted AS on this issue before posting. Why didnt you?
Sounds like another "poor me because I am xxxxx" article. I've seen gate agents and ticket agents be subjected to verbal abuse. The passenger always acts like the airline staff is at fault and not them. I've witnessed too many of these. I have told the agent in front of the passenger that I am a witness and offer up my contact info. The offending passenger usually folds after I speak.
So, I was on this flight. The racist accusations are inaccurate because there were 3 different agents who were culturally diverse.
I was one of the passengers who told you to get off because the man who was asking you to get off was being polite.
Perhaps look inside yourself.
What’s there to lie about Ado Bo ? Trying to discredit someone because it’s not fitting your narrative is why this world has gone downhill.
I recall the lady arriving and the reason this she stood out is because of her pink outfit she was wearing. Saying the man picked on her for her bags NOT true. The man and woman at the gate were telling everybody to put their stuff away. A lot of people ahead and behind us got moved aside over having to many things. So that’s how I know this is BS. My husband himself got asked. We were lucky that I had extra space in my bag I was able to stuff the small bag inside. So that “racist” card already discredited the story for me. Now the conversation that happened between them I can’t speak on. Due to not overhearing it, but I did not see any worker follow her down. There was also mixed races there boarding the flight. When we sat , we happened to be a few seats behind this woman. The man who came to get her off was not one of the people who initially was helping with the flight. He asked her who she was traveling with, they had their interaction and he informed her that due to her having to travel with her companion she was not able to travel alone. She refused to get off the plane. They were trying to explain the situation to her in a professional manner. The black gentleman who was up helping originally informed the new man who came to take her off that the captain informed them that if she refused to get off they would take ALL of us off. Another passenger actually got up and told her she was holding up 160 people trying to get to NY and that it was clear she wasn’t going to leave on that flight, so she needed to comply and get off. She was on the phone trying to hand it to man who came to her and trying tonmake him talk to someone. He refused to talk to whoever she was talking to and said it was a conversation to be had outside. They took her off. We all said thank you to the man that got ger off and we left delayed but left.
ok, I agree with return flight - that would be an issue.
but on the outbound? Gate agents deal with boarding passes, not really tickets.
IS the system smart enough to enforce that the person who purchased the ticket boards before the +1?
What’s wild is that she turned out to be an Asian woman meanwhile, the staff was an Asian man, a Latina woman and man, and a Black man. The claim that they were “racist” toward her is honestly laughable. I’d love to know where this article pulled its socalled “sources,” because so much of it was flat out wrong. I was there, I saw it happen, and the truth was a whole lot different.
Racists do society a huge favor by identifying themselves. Any time you hear or read "race card" the person is a racist.
This i how treat your mom.
Honestly stfu… coming from a minority I’ve only had 1 racist event happen in my life from some big ole corn fed retarded white boys who were drunk, they apologized immediately after they realized they were being retarded.
The largest states in America are dominated by minorities… California, Texas, Florida, New York… look up demographic information and you’ll see that so called minorities aren’t really minorities.
The US is a diverse country, wonderfully so. With over 400 million people you are going to run into dumb asses from time to time.
Racism isn’t a common thing in America, let’s stop playing the victim card buddy.
You claimed "so much of it was flat out wrong... the truth was a whole lot different", yet your quibble seems to be purely about the complainant's subjective interpretation of motive. Your post is entirely consistent with the relevant facts described by the complainant -- which ought to also be verifiable from recordings -- which would point to her removal being completely unjustified.
If the passenger purchased (for over $1,000) a new split ticket, specifically for independent travel, and was allowed to board with that new ticket, then the absence of her companion --which you corroborate was the claimed justification -- would be a completely invalid reason to subsequently remove her. You also corroborate that the agent apparently refused to speak to their own colleague in reservations, who could not believe what was happening.
With the companion tickets you have the primary traveler, and the companion. Often my wife, sadly, doesn't get the vacation we need. As such, I've spoken to AK about how to best utilize the comp cert from a risk avoidance perspective (i.e if one of us cant go). If i make my wife the primary paying person and myself the $100 paying person and she cannot go, i cannot either. If I make myself the primary paying person, and her the companion, and she cannot go, i still can. Then what happens is you have a residual value ticket of $99 that is a companion fare. Later when i book another ticket, they can attach that fare to my newly purchased fare- in this way you do not lose the companion fare. If the primary traveler cannot go, I've always been told the companion cannot go either. My vacation is pretty easy to get, my wife works at a hospital, and it's very much up in the air as her seniority is less than others. The takeaway then is for me to place myself as the primary traveler. When/if she cannot go, they separate off her $99 ticket into a new record locator that i can again use at a later date (note there would never be additional charges as the ticket allows for all routes at $99). I understand that in this case the circumstances were unforeseen so it would have been difficult to determine who to make primary. So perhaps this note doesn't apply exactly to parts of this conversation, but it could be helpful for people when making the determination between the primary and companion traveler- so they can avoid being stuck in this kind of a situation.
Always great to see that my white fellow passengers continue to show their racism and remain to be completely blind to it. You're the one who doesn't believe when a woman has been rpd or when a racist cop shoots or violates the Civil rights of a person of color. Remember, we see you and we know who you are and when the time comes you or your loved ones are a victim, we promise, we will not step up to lend a hand, protect or believe them.
Actually, no… my “quibble” isn’t about interpretation, it’s about facts that directly contradict the viral narrative.
1.Nobody was “picked on.” The agents were stopping everyone with extra items, regardless of race. I personally saw passengers of multiple backgrounds being asked to consolidate bags including my own husband. That’s why it was obvious to me that her claim of being singled out was false.
2. There was no harassment or pursuit. The claim said she was “followed down,” but that never happened. The agents remained at the gate assisting the next passengers.
3.The removal reason wasn’t fabricated on the spot. A new staff member boarded to inform her per the captain’s orders that she couldn’t continue the flight alone, given her travel arrangement. Whether that was a booking policy issue or a misunderstanding with the airline, none of us passengers were privy to the backend details but the staff remained professional and calm while she refused to deplane!
4.It was her refusal that delayed everyone. The crew made it clear that if she continued to refuse, the entire flight would be canceled. Another passenger even stood up asking her to please cooperate because we all wanted to get home.
So no !! this wasn’t some moral “interpretation” of motive. I’m recounting what actually occurred, minute by minute, as an eyewitness. The online version of events dramatically misrepresents what those of us in the cabin saw with our own eyes.
One last thing about “refusing” to speak to their own colleagues She immediately got on the phone, trying to hand it to him without explaining who was on the other end. She never said it was a supervisor or airline employee, just kept insisting he “talk to them.” He refused, saying it was a conversation to be had outside since he didn’t even know who she was trying to make him speak to. So that was also key. She wasn’t saying just trying to make him speak to someone… and as he was being instructed to do by the captain to solve the issue outside of the aircraft he stated this is a conversation we can have outside. Now what happened outside you or I clearly not there. But one thing I do know was I WAS THERE FOR THE SITUATION, while you’re just commenting on something you weren’t a part of.
Imagine exposing your racism and being wrong about the race in the same sentence.
That comment says a lot more about you than it does about the situation.
First off, the woman involved wasn’t even “ghetto” she was was an Asian woman who clearly was supposed to come along with someone who held status. So your “race card” narrative doesn’t hold up on basic facts.
Second, using the word “ghetto” here is telling. That term doesn’t describe behavior it exposes the kind of bias people project when they’ve already decided who’s “beneath” them.
This situation had nothing to do with race and everything to do with airline protocol and a passenger refusing to comply with instructions everyone else followed. Maybe next time, save the stereotypes and check your assumptions before typing.
Denying boarding to somebody who just spent 1K on a ticket as approved by the airline is pretty bizarre. Hope the airline can claw that back form the gate agent.
Your updated list of "facts" are just adverse assumptions & poor reading comprehension.
You think it's impossible for outwardly "calm" employees to have improper motives?
How would you know if the removal reason was fabricated or not? Why was the passenger allowed to board?
Which staff member did the passenger ask for their name? How would you know it isn't the one you perceived to be "a new staff member?"
What part of the complaint was about being asked to consolidate bags? They complained their **already consolidated** bag was rejected good because it had 2 paintings. You don't mention they measured anyone else's consolidated bag sizes.
Since she had to check 1 painting, retrieving & removing that would necessarily cause some delay regardless...
Curiously you won't blame the staff member refusing to speak to their own colleague for possibly contributing in any way to the delay.
If you read the complaint closely you would understand the agent was the one who allegedly instructed her to contact reservations and would therefore be aware she was speaking to reservations.
If there was any doubt the agent could also have asked her & clarified that in about 5 seconds.
Your rebuttal still isn’t landing.
Here we go again:
You’re making a lot of assumptions about what I didn’t say, while ignoring what I actually witnessed.
I never claimed anyone’s motives were impossible to question I said the behavior I personally observed didn’t match the version being spread online. There’s a difference between questioning intent and inventing events that didn’t happen.
As for the “fabricated reason,” I stated clearly that I couldn’t speak on the internal airline reasoning. What I did say is that the man who boarded communicated the captain’s instruction that she could not continue to travel alone. That’s not speculation it’s what was said out loud in front of the cabin.
She was allowed to board initially because the issue clearly came up after boarding, once details about her companion’s situation surfaced. That’s not unusual for airlines it happens more often than people realize.
The bag situation has been twisted beyond recognition. She arrived visibly disheveled with three bags, one of which contained her paintings. We were told as were all passengers that only two items per person are allowed under FAA regulations. Everyone with an extra bag was told to check it, including my own husband. So if every other passenger had to comply, it makes no sense that she’d be treated any differently.
The man who came onboard wasn’t one of the original gate agents. He was a new staff member we hadn’t seen once during boarding. He wasn’t there at the counter or gate he appeared only after everyone was seated, relaying the captain’s message.
About the phone incident: she got on the phone and abruptly shoved it toward him saying, “Here, talk to them,” without identifying who she was talking to. She never said it was a supervisor or airline employee just insisted he speak to some unknown person mid-boarding. He refused because he had no idea who she was trying to make him talk to, which is entirely reasonable in that situation.
And regarding the delay: it wasn’t about retrieving or checking a bag. The delay happened because she refused to deplane after being told she couldn’t remain on that flight. The captain’s instruction was clear: if she didn’t leave, the entire flight would be canceled. Another passenger even got up and told her she was holding up 160 people trying to get to New York.
So no this isn’t “poor reading comprehension.” It’s called firsthand observation. The version I shared reflects what actually unfolded in front of over a hundred witnesses, not an edited assumption written from behind a keyboard.
But Michael , It’s always people like you nowhere near the situation who write essays from their screens like they’ve cracked a case. Some of us were actually there. There’s a big difference between chasing an argument online and speaking from real experience.
But hey , I get it. It’s easier to sound confident behind a comment section than to admit you might just be wrong.
And for the record, you’d THINK the agent who boarded would have known she was speaking to reservations. That’s simply not true. She actually spoke to a different staff member about her reservation there were four different staff members present, and the people handling bags at the gate were not the same ones managing ticket or reservation issues at the computer. He literally couldn’t have known.
She spoke to a woman at the computer, which makes the online story seem even more selective and fabricated. It reads like she’s trying to target the agent who asked her to check a bag because she felt entitled and thought the rules didn’t apply to her!! even though boarding had already begun. The agent handling the bags was closer to the door, assisting other passengers as they boarded. Not close to the agents on the computers who were helping others with ticket questions.
Trying to discredit an eyewitness who was actually there to try to prove a point. You are going off an online complaint, twisting assumptions to justify it, while I’m explaining what really happened and pointing out the things this woman is straight-up lying about.
Goes to show not everything you read online is real.
But my mother always told me “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”
There were violations in part of both the FAR’s and Alaska Airlines policies. The merit of the complaint without racism being a part of it would have been reasonable. There is a legitimate complaint here without it being about racism