USA Today has the story of a New York state employee who has been placed on leave after name-dropping the governor as she had a meltdown on a Delta flight earlier this month. This incident was captured on video and posted to Facebook, and has over 1.5 million views. The passenger with the bad attitude, Susan Peirez, is a program director at the Council of the Arts.
The woman was acting like a complete asshat in the video, as she threw a tantrum for being seated near an infant on the short flight from New York JFK to Syracuse. The woman said she “works for the governor,” and asked the flight attendant for her name. The flight attendant provided her name and employee number, and the lady responded by saying “thanks, Tabitha,” and followed that up by saying “you may not have a job tomorrow.”
According to the woman who took the video, here’s what led up to this incident:
Rundell said the woman was the last to board the plane and used a series of expletives when realizing her seat was in the back of the aircraft, leading Rundell to twice ask the woman not to use coarse language around her son.
The second time, the woman heard her and told her to shut up, according to Rundell, a Mary Kay consultant and cheerleading coach. “I started recording right after that,” she said.
Obviously this lady was acting like a complete moron, and trying to name drop the governor and suggest the flight attendant would be out of a job is hilarious on so many levels. But there’s something else I find interesting about this situation.
The flight attendant in the video keeps her calm, and provides her name when asked. What’s interesting is what pushes the flight attendant over the edge:
“Thanks, Tabitha, you may not have a job tomorrow.”
“I want this lady off my plane.”
“I apologize, please, I apologize, I apologize. I’ll be quiet now please. I’m sorry, I was really stressed out. Please Tabitha. Thank you.”
What should get someone kicked off a plane?
Post-9/11 airline employees have a lot more authority to kick people off planes. We see this more in the US than anywhere, where we see gate agents call the police on people, flight attendants kick people off planes, and more. The intent is that if someone poses a threat to a flight then they should be kicked off. But over time this has certainly changed, and many people are kicked off planes for less drastic reasons.
The above situation is an interesting one, because I have to wonder whether it was really necessary to kick the woman off the plane:
- Did the passenger have a ridiculously bad attitude, and was she cranky? Hell yes.
- Did she pose a risk to the flight? I think not, and I actually think she was instantly more remorseful than I’ve otherwise seen before in such a video.
Essentially the passenger was threatening to file a complaint against the flight attendant, since that’s really the only way you can interpret “you may not have a job tomorrow” (as ridiculous as the threat is). I don’t think complaining about (perceived) bad service is grounds to get someone kicked off a plane.
Again, let me acknowledge that this passenger was acting like a fool, and her cumulative behavior was awful. Usually I think it’s pretty black and white as to whether a passenger deserves to be kicked off a plane. If at any point they threaten another passenger or a crew member with violence, or if they repeatedly refuse to follow safety-oriented crewmember instructions, I think they should be kicked off.
But should a bad attitude be grounds to kick someone off a flight? I’m not sure, and I’m curious what you guys think.
You certainly got a lot of comments so perhaps mine has already been offered by someone else. Should Susan Peirez have been kicked off the plane? Yes, for three reasons. First, she was being abusive to another passenger. Second, she was being abusive to a flight attendant - she wasn't complaining, she was being abusive and threatening. And third, any passenger being abusive in any circumstances and so lacking in self-control and civility, should not...
You certainly got a lot of comments so perhaps mine has already been offered by someone else. Should Susan Peirez have been kicked off the plane? Yes, for three reasons. First, she was being abusive to another passenger. Second, she was being abusive to a flight attendant - she wasn't complaining, she was being abusive and threatening. And third, any passenger being abusive in any circumstances and so lacking in self-control and civility, should not be enclosed in a metal tube with other people at 30,000 feet for any length of time.
Two points, 1) the passenger in question displayed "pre-aggression behavior. Most people have seen this type of behavior in restaurants, bars and other public places prior to a situation becoming violent. In these situations a person may choose to call management, call the police or simply leave. On an airplane however these options are of no avail once the plane takes off. Everyone onboard is stuck with the unpredictable unruly and potentially violent passenger. The...
Two points, 1) the passenger in question displayed "pre-aggression behavior. Most people have seen this type of behavior in restaurants, bars and other public places prior to a situation becoming violent. In these situations a person may choose to call management, call the police or simply leave. On an airplane however these options are of no avail once the plane takes off. Everyone onboard is stuck with the unpredictable unruly and potentially violent passenger. The time to effectively deal with the unruly passenger is BEFORE the plane takes off. In my opinion, the flight crew acted prudently.
2) The passenger was suspended from her job because she implicated the governor and implied that the flight attendant would be fired. This is what is called in government service as "acting under color of authority." She threatened that since she worked for the governor that the F/A would be fired. This part of the story has nothing to do with the airline and rest solely with the governor's office to dispel any notion that the governor would have had the F/A fired. In my professional government service opinion the job suspension was totally justified.
She broke a federal law. The question you put should be asking is why wasn’t she taken to court for this.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/125.328
Wait a minute, you're "not sure" she should be kicked off? That's why people like YOU are part of the problem BEN.
100% she deserved to be kicked off. She threatened the Flight Attendent with losing her job. That is a threat and therefore threatening behaviour! I used to be Cabin Crew and you do have to monitor people’s behaviour at all times. She probably would have been equally fisrespevtfula d disruptive in the air, so yes, getting her off the plane was the best option. Off camera she was swearing at a mother and her baby,...
100% she deserved to be kicked off. She threatened the Flight Attendent with losing her job. That is a threat and therefore threatening behaviour! I used to be Cabin Crew and you do have to monitor people’s behaviour at all times. She probably would have been equally fisrespevtfula d disruptive in the air, so yes, getting her off the plane was the best option. Off camera she was swearing at a mother and her baby, and being very disrespectful. Is that ok? No. It isn’t.
Thanks for the post, Lucky.
Delta claims in a statement that they "treat coworkers and customers with dignity and respect, and we expect our customers to do the same to us as well as their fellow passengers. The passenger was verbally abusive, bullying, and used foul language while raising her voice even when asked repeatedly not to. Therefore, she was escorted off the plane and put on a later flight at no cost."
Now, I...
Thanks for the post, Lucky.
Delta claims in a statement that they "treat coworkers and customers with dignity and respect, and we expect our customers to do the same to us as well as their fellow passengers. The passenger was verbally abusive, bullying, and used foul language while raising her voice even when asked repeatedly not to. Therefore, she was escorted off the plane and put on a later flight at no cost."
Now, I understand, timing wise, it may have seemed that she only ejected her when she threatened her job. And that very well may be the case. It also could be that that was the last straw, regardless of what the passenger's comment was going to be, because they gave this woman several chances to calm down and the flight attendant had enough.
And in certain circumstances, I do NOT believe in giving folks a second chance. A very rich and successful person once told me that when you do, they will walk all over you again. And when I think back to the times I gave folks a second chance, he was right - they simply turned right around and did the same thing. Every time. So I have no doubt, that once this flight was airborne, this woman (she doesnt deserve to be called a Lady - ladies are professional) would have immediately started her BS again.
And to those of you liberals whining she shouldnt have been kicked off, is now fired, etc. Well...she said she knows the governor, remember? She was going to use that to get the flight attendant fired? Maybe she could use the ol' governor to get her a new job. Let's just see if she'd smart enough to keep this one. My eight ball says "Not likely"
As an airlines employee for 10 years, absolutely she should have been removed from the flight. She provided clear and compelling evidence that she is not mentally stable.It is too risky to have her in a confined space, putting all aboard at risk.
Unfortunately, the suspension for further investigation will likely only lead to some disciplinary behavior. Why? Because she's probably worked for the State for quite some time (read: earning a sweet pension), and the State probably won't risk some lawsuit (cuz you know she'd be one to file) for having let her go and terminating her earned time toward the aforementioned pension. At best, she gets a demotion or wait, here's a good one: transfer her...
Unfortunately, the suspension for further investigation will likely only lead to some disciplinary behavior. Why? Because she's probably worked for the State for quite some time (read: earning a sweet pension), and the State probably won't risk some lawsuit (cuz you know she'd be one to file) for having let her go and terminating her earned time toward the aforementioned pension. At best, she gets a demotion or wait, here's a good one: transfer her to DMV where her behavior is 'expected.' :P
I have a different perspective: it sounds to me like the mother with the baby needlessly instigated and escalated this. The mom saw someone who was already agitated and, rather than put headphones on and prove the passenger wrong with a well-behaved child, got sanctimonious by complaining about language an eight-month-old can't decipher anyway! Why even engage with an angry passenger to begin with? And where's the footage of her doing so, so we can...
I have a different perspective: it sounds to me like the mother with the baby needlessly instigated and escalated this. The mom saw someone who was already agitated and, rather than put headphones on and prove the passenger wrong with a well-behaved child, got sanctimonious by complaining about language an eight-month-old can't decipher anyway! Why even engage with an angry passenger to begin with? And where's the footage of her doing so, so we can observe her tone? Fact is, airplanes are not nurseries nor churches. If a PG-13 environment is so crucial for this mother and child, road tripping might be their best bet … unless, of course, the mother's afraid the baby might glimpse some unseemly bumper stickers along the way?
Words precede behavior. She thought she could threaten the flight attendant and "pull rank" by lying and saying she worked for the governor. She's an asshat all day every day. She JUST happened to pick the wrong day to do it and lie. There are people on that plane and people in her own office that are thanking that flight attendant.
On a lighter note a Transavia flight from
Dubai to Amsterdam diverted to Austria due to an incident involving farting
Had she been a white male, they would have moved him to first class.
She was belligerent and threatening. Yes, she should be thrown out.
"Thiago", "Cassandra", and "john conners",
For a minute there I believed you were real people.
You got me.
Ah, the interweb.
@Lucky I can't believe you're asking this. Would you want to be seated next to this woman?
@Cassandra We don't have public behavior school, but getting kicked off a plane for bad behavior (especially to a mother with a young child) is one way of learning!
A person who threatens (yes, threatens) to have an employee fired for absolutely no reason is a certifiable mental case. Yes, she deserved to be removed from the plane.
Her rude, entitled, behavior and profanity laced comments were unacceptable and Tabitha was correct to have her removed from the plane. If a woman her age is unable to be civil on a 45 minute flight, no matter how stressed she was, she needs some help. Maybe this will be the catalyst to put her on a better path. You need to be accountable for how you treat other people. I wonder how her coworkers...
Her rude, entitled, behavior and profanity laced comments were unacceptable and Tabitha was correct to have her removed from the plane. If a woman her age is unable to be civil on a 45 minute flight, no matter how stressed she was, she needs some help. Maybe this will be the catalyst to put her on a better path. You need to be accountable for how you treat other people. I wonder how her coworkers view her? After all, you are who you are and this incident was very telling of the kind of person the Arts Council has working for them.
Don’t drag your ill mannered rug rat on a plane and then allow it to disrupt 150 people. This 19 year old who probably flies ONCE A YEAR needs to parent…….not fly.
With that said…..this is just one of many issues with Delta. Ed Bastian spends too much time reading spread sheets and not enough time fixing Delta’s rep. Delta employees are total jerks…. top to bottom......and I can document a instance where they refused...
Don’t drag your ill mannered rug rat on a plane and then allow it to disrupt 150 people. This 19 year old who probably flies ONCE A YEAR needs to parent…….not fly.
With that said…..this is just one of many issues with Delta. Ed Bastian spends too much time reading spread sheets and not enough time fixing Delta’s rep. Delta employees are total jerks…. top to bottom......and I can document a instance where they refused a customer who's wife had just had a miscarriage and they would not allow him to fly on a later flight so he could support his wife. Later when a lawsuit was initiated, Delta got humble really quick.
Yes, she deserved to be removed from the plane.
Also, since the safety of the passengers on the flight is their responsibility, to every FA and every pilot, for the duration of the flight, that IS "their plane". So Tabitha was correct to refer to it as such.
I agree she should have been removed. When we board an airplane, we are stepping
into the crew's office space. I believe that the majority of flight crews do all they can to
defuse situations, and their goal is to keep ALL Passengers Safe and have to think about what can happen when a situation like this one, gets out of hand in the air.
The passenger clearly thought she could try and...
I agree she should have been removed. When we board an airplane, we are stepping
into the crew's office space. I believe that the majority of flight crews do all they can to
defuse situations, and their goal is to keep ALL Passengers Safe and have to think about what can happen when a situation like this one, gets out of hand in the air.
The passenger clearly thought she could try and intimidate this crew member, by insinuating that the passenger could have her fired, after the passenger behaved the way she did. Plus the cursing was not necessary.
I have been in several situations where something that seemed minor on the ground turned into a serious situation in the air, and I was asked to help restrain a unruly passenger who had promised to behave on the ground after having a pilot and ground supervisor speak to him. Once airborne, he started cursing , being very disruptive and made threats of violence. This could have been prevented had the pilot and supervisor listened to the cabin crew, who are the ones who actually deal with the passengers and know when to spot potential trouble.
When a customer comes into my business and curses or starting getting aggressive, I handle it. I do not allow it and I think this cabin crew member for Delta handled the situation well and had the forethought to stop a bad situation for escalating in the air.
It's easy to sit back and say no, the female passenger should not have been taken off the plane, but he actions were on called for and it was only after she was called out, did she try and explain her way out of it. People need to think before they act or speak. In today's world, don't act stupid on an airplane.
Ya know, when people drive over the speed limit and get caught, they get a ticket. Enough tickets or they want to erase those misdemeanors, they required to attend driving school.
Isn't there some way we could send people to public behavior school?
By the way, no, throwing her off the flight is a rotten precedent.
Because we as a society have failed to provide acceptable standards in so many areas of life,...
Ya know, when people drive over the speed limit and get caught, they get a ticket. Enough tickets or they want to erase those misdemeanors, they required to attend driving school.
Isn't there some way we could send people to public behavior school?
By the way, no, throwing her off the flight is a rotten precedent.
Because we as a society have failed to provide acceptable standards in so many areas of life, we now have a hodgepodge of requirements. Corporations avoid responsibility, employees avoid responsibility, governments avoid responsibility. Yes, we have created, I will agree, a lot of entitled people. But secondly we are also plagued by a lot of martinets (and martinettes?) A lot of judgments are thrown around haphazardly (Bi-polar because she first behaved badly then calmed down and apologized?) We have one person after another who announces that he/she is responsible for our safety at the same time that person provides no assistance to solve a problem. I think the FA behaved badly (gee, she got upset about something she didn't like. Heinous.)
I read this site because #1. I want to know how to defend myself from the way airlines treat passengers, and #2. I want to be special, well, special enough to not have to sit in a middle seat ever and to have enough leg-room to not be crippled by the experience. #3. Finally, no I am not able to regularly pay for first class. And neither am I talking about 45 minute flights, although I am well aware that we could sit on the tarmac interminably.
Btw, I would definitely NOT want a lot of people writing on this blog to sit on any jury passing judgment on me, or heaven forbid being a co-worker, or even providing "helpful" details about a traffic accident! PSB, pre-assaultive behavior??? Oh my lord!
May I recommend a wonderful movie from another era: Twelve Angry Men.
Thanks to Joe, Emily, Craig Gabriel and several others for some much needed and appreciated reasonableness.
Her behavior was absolutely unacceptable.
She could have been completely fine after she apologized
Or
The situation could have escalated after takeoff. Imagine if the baby did start to cry, things would've gotten ugly very quickly. Like someone else mentioned, once you are in the air the flight crew is on their own. The smartest decision was to remove her while they were still on the ground.
All that fuss for a 45 minute flight . She could have just accepted it and kept quiet. She obviously has an attitude problem
As a flight attendant/lead purser, I made one time the "exception" to let someone on the plane after he apologized for his behavior. Guess what? For the next 8 hours in our international flight, we had to deal with his awful behavior that could have led to his arrest upon landing. We are now taught in our emergency training that we have to do every year, that situations on the ground, are taken care of...
As a flight attendant/lead purser, I made one time the "exception" to let someone on the plane after he apologized for his behavior. Guess what? For the next 8 hours in our international flight, we had to deal with his awful behavior that could have led to his arrest upon landing. We are now taught in our emergency training that we have to do every year, that situations on the ground, are taken care of on the ground. There are so many incidents out there that could have been dealt with on the ground but because the crew was being nice then it became a threat to the crew and passengers mid-flight. I agree with the crew as seems that most of the posts here support the crew as well as Delta in their public statement.
If the woman is threatening to get the flight attendant fired and invoking the name of the governor of New York on the ground, there is reason to believe that she will escalate in the air.
That is a reason to put her off the plane and let her fly later if she calms down, even if the next flight is the next day.
I would not want to fly with her on board.
Threat assessment is irrelevant .Other passengers should not have to endure this ugly infantile behavior.
@Emily and @ Brian Godfrey have it right.
People need to get a grip.
By focusing on "bad" behavior, we lose sight of the possible person who can truly do harm to the aircraft, just because they behave well.
NO! I don't see any reason to remove her. Bad attitude doesn't necessarily lead to bad behavior. Angry passenger is not necessarily bipolar. People are making a lot of assumptions here. Imagine people doing that during jury duty... LOL
Please take her off the flight. She's not entitled to treat flight attendants in that fashion.
Interesting that she hasn't removed or changed the settings on her Facebook page. A couple of people posted links to this incident and there's a negative comment on there as well. She hasn't posted anything since Nov. 2017. She might want to be on top of stuff like this.
It is clear that she should be kicked off the plane. She did indeed threaten the flight attendant. Any threat to a crew member should result in expulsion even if it is not a treat of violence.
Absolutely kick her ass off. I guarantee next time she wants to throw a tantrum she’ll think twice now. Thus self-entitled society we are becoming is tiring. While I think we ALL can say when getting to our seat “of god I hope this baby acts ok” I also know what it’s like to be a parent on a flight and there’s only so much you can do for an infant. Babies cry especially Haley...
Absolutely kick her ass off. I guarantee next time she wants to throw a tantrum she’ll think twice now. Thus self-entitled society we are becoming is tiring. While I think we ALL can say when getting to our seat “of god I hope this baby acts ok” I also know what it’s like to be a parent on a flight and there’s only so much you can do for an infant. Babies cry especially Haley at varying altitudes. I would never say anything insulting to the infants parents nor make them feel uncomfortable. Delta honestly should have kicked her ass off and told her to take greyhound.
Seems to me the FA wanted her off the flight for retribution not some perceived security threat. Problem for both the poorly behaving passenger and power tripping FA. I’ve seen so much “latitude” for flight crews it undermines their true motives IMHO. The guy who boards drunk and is immediately served a PDB of alcohol causes me to wonder every time how the FA can perceive this guy will not become a violent drunk as...
Seems to me the FA wanted her off the flight for retribution not some perceived security threat. Problem for both the poorly behaving passenger and power tripping FA. I’ve seen so much “latitude” for flight crews it undermines their true motives IMHO. The guy who boards drunk and is immediately served a PDB of alcohol causes me to wonder every time how the FA can perceive this guy will not become a violent drunk as well as they can perceive this passenger is likely to be a problem during the flight. Who knew FAs are also profilers.
The thing that makes me laugh is a lot of posters on here are saying things along the lines of 'oh crew are just throwing people off planes ALL the time now'.
That is simply not true.
I can tell you (as crew) EVERY flight has a small percentage of D-heads that you would love to have to not serve. In my many years of service i've seen a tiny amount that have had the...
The thing that makes me laugh is a lot of posters on here are saying things along the lines of 'oh crew are just throwing people off planes ALL the time now'.
That is simply not true.
I can tell you (as crew) EVERY flight has a small percentage of D-heads that you would love to have to not serve. In my many years of service i've seen a tiny amount that have had the boot (mainly people that are intoxicated or refuse point blank to follow reasonable instructions).
Think about it - how many times have you flown commercially and how many passengers have you witnessed 1) experiencing pretty sh*tty behaviour and 2) being kicked off. I bet #1 is lots of times and #2 never.
Kick her off. Immediately. Flying is awful enough without someone with so little self control in the back. . .
She'll think twice about making a scene in the future. FA may have done her a great favor, offering a valuable lesson.
This lady would’ve had a complete mental breakdown if she was seated near the child that screamed bloody murder for 8 hours on that flight out of Germany! Did anyone catch her comment “I’m just stressed”? Well Miss I’m Important, lots of passengers are stressed crammed into those tiny, uncomfortable seats. That said, most decent people can keep their $hit together enough to not yell at a baby. What an Asshat.
Mr K - working in a hotel reception is different. If a situation escalates you can call the police or security. Once that aircraft is in the air you, as crew, are on your own. There is no calling the police.
Boarding is a stressful time. There is a lot to do in a limited amount of time with a limited amount of crew. The crew member on this flight would have assessed this woman...
Mr K - working in a hotel reception is different. If a situation escalates you can call the police or security. Once that aircraft is in the air you, as crew, are on your own. There is no calling the police.
Boarding is a stressful time. There is a lot to do in a limited amount of time with a limited amount of crew. The crew member on this flight would have assessed this woman as having the potential to become a disruptive passenger in flight. That can be a security threat. Sure, maybe she'd pipe down and sit out the flight after being allowed to travel. Or maybe, once she realised she had gotten her way with the crew she would have absolutely went for it once the plane was in the air. It's a tough call and one that I would err on the side of caution with.
She deserved to be booted. She was acting in an irrational manner. Flying commercial is public transport. If you don't like the idea of being sat next to someone you don't like then drive or fly private.
But the biggest issue is that these things are best dealt with on the ground. When as crew you get an inkling that this person could be more difficult once airborne making the situation a lot harder to...
She deserved to be booted. She was acting in an irrational manner. Flying commercial is public transport. If you don't like the idea of being sat next to someone you don't like then drive or fly private.
But the biggest issue is that these things are best dealt with on the ground. When as crew you get an inkling that this person could be more difficult once airborne making the situation a lot harder to deal with many will take the decision to not take the risk and take off with them.
It is no different if someone boards the plane, sits down then calls the crew over and says they don't feel well. They feel a bit faint, they have chest pain for example. Odds are, at that point you'll make the decision they cannot travel as the situation could escalate once airborne and lead to diversions etc.
This silly woman thought it's acceptable to board a commercial jet and treat it as her own private flight and behave like she's better than anyone else. Now she knows that's not how the world works.
Well, it looks like *someone* lost their job, but it wasn’t the flight attendant.
http://www.ibtimes.com/susan-peirez-delta-passenger-who-screamed-baby-suspended-government-job-2654627?ft=95p2z
Good to know that the gov’s office doesn’t take absuse of authority lightly, even if it was a silly threat to begin with.
Maybe the woman in question here had heard about the child who screamed blue murder on an eight hour trans-Atlantic flight last year and was worried.
If air carriers in North America actually provided service as a full-service carrier should, I think one would hear less of such situations. How often do you hear of passengers being tossed off flights in the USA compared to the rest of the world?
@FedUP - "many times, the parents could care less..." How much less do you think they could care? Because if it was a lot less wouldn't that imply they are already caring to at least a reasonable degree? Maybe the problem is you?
This woman was not remorseful. She simply said what she thought she had to to when she realized the FA wasn't going to take any bull. You can see her looking forward as the FA probably was going to contact the captain, the gate agent, or a coworker to assist. "I have to be on this flight..." she said... a look of mild panic, but true remorse? Oh Hell No.
Storm Troopers of the USA.
Now, when anyone makes the slightest fuss ( asks for a bag of peanuts, needs to go to the bathroom, or asks to be seated elsewhere) it is a terrorist infraction, and you need to be removed. 911 hysteria, many years after.
There never was any customer service on US airlines, now you will be thrown off if you dare to say anything to an old bag flight attendant who...
Storm Troopers of the USA.
Now, when anyone makes the slightest fuss ( asks for a bag of peanuts, needs to go to the bathroom, or asks to be seated elsewhere) it is a terrorist infraction, and you need to be removed. 911 hysteria, many years after.
There never was any customer service on US airlines, now you will be thrown off if you dare to say anything to an old bag flight attendant who hates their job.
PS - The kid was fine, but many times, the parents could care less and the kids are out of control.
No, she didn't deserve to be kicked off the plane.
Her behaviour was horrible and rude, but I really doubt she posed a threat to the security and safety onboard. Horrible behaviour is, sadly, something you have to deal with from time to time, working in travel and hospitality.
I've worked in hospitality myself (hotel reception) and have numerous times heard angry and upset people tell me I won't have a job tomorrow, that they...
No, she didn't deserve to be kicked off the plane.
Her behaviour was horrible and rude, but I really doubt she posed a threat to the security and safety onboard. Horrible behaviour is, sadly, something you have to deal with from time to time, working in travel and hospitality.
I've worked in hospitality myself (hotel reception) and have numerous times heard angry and upset people tell me I won't have a job tomorrow, that they know the owner and what not. Here's how it works: You deal with it, play a bit of theater with some apologies and ensure her you're verry sorry but there's nothing you can do about it. Perhaps offer a solution that's not perfectly what the guest is trying to achieve, but makes him or her a little bit happier. Then you talk crap about her with your colleagues afterwards.
If someone gets really rude or angry, you apologize for the inconvenience they're experiencing and tell them they have to calm down, stop screaming and ensure them you're doing what you can to help, or that there's really not much more to do. If it gets really bad, you eventually let them know that "this is the last warning, if you don't calm down and stop speaking like this, we will have to ask you to leave" and then take it from there.
The whole "I want her out of my hotel" or "I want her out of my plane" part is just embarassing.
Also, the passenger asking her not to say "fuck" in front of her kid/baby is obviously nothing but a prime example of a ridiculous American thinking the essence of good parenting is making sure your kids don't ever hear the word "fuck" said by a random person - and then passively aggressively look for a conflict around this, with someone who is clearly already stressed and angry. Yes, prejudice!
As many others pointed out, quite a few of us have seen similar behaviors, yet the scumbags have managed to stay on the plane (yes, post 9/11 flying, too).
I had a guy angrily mash my soft-sided duffel because it encroached in the overhead bin where he'd placed his sports coat... KICK THAT GUY OFF MY PLANE, said no one ever...
Interesting viewpoints...I wonder if I'd know who made which comments pro/con if we met IRL.
Every professional knows this idiot was exhibiting PSB - “Pre Assaultive Behavior”. It was absolutely past time for her to be back at the gate reconsidering her behavior.
Good job, FA
Personally, I think she should have been given one last VERY STERN warning. If she violated it, then she'd be deplaned. At that point, she wasn't being violent, she wasn't making personal threats of a violent nature, and instantly seemed remorseful. So yes, I do think that the flight attendant acted a little bit too capriciously.
Having said that, I think she'd probably have been booted from the plane before departure eventually, or perhaps...
Personally, I think she should have been given one last VERY STERN warning. If she violated it, then she'd be deplaned. At that point, she wasn't being violent, she wasn't making personal threats of a violent nature, and instantly seemed remorseful. So yes, I do think that the flight attendant acted a little bit too capriciously.
Having said that, I think she'd probably have been booted from the plane before departure eventually, or perhaps the plane would have had to divert due to her behavior in-flight. Entitled, spoiled people like her will usually continue making trouble so while I think the flight attendant shouldn't have booted from the plane at that precise moment, it likely would have happened eventually, and for good reason.
I perceive “you may not have a job tomorrow” as a personal threat. Personal threats are never acceptable and should get one kicked off the plane.
@RoloT You, sir, are absolutely WRONG.
Any FA uttering the phrase, “I want this person off MY plane” should either be dismissed or forced to go back through training. Talk about a sense of entitlement. You want to refer to the aircraft as “my plane,” become a Captain......or the CEO.
she absolutely deserved to be booted. glad she was.
The flight attendant has a duty of responsibility that everyone flies safely and I think she was right to remove this person given her unstable, unpredictable, temperament.
The lady needed to calm down then fly.
The Democrat and Chronicle reports "Spectrum News identified the woman as Susan Peirez, a $95,000-a-year program director whose name and photo has since been wiped from the state council's website. "
What a hot head.
They both did the same thing, went on a power trip. FA won.
She should be thrown off, but not because of any supposed risk: she was a guest and disrespected the host.
If this had happened in a local brick and mortar independent store (or our own home), would we even be asking this question? Of course not! We all would've asked such a disrespectful person to leave immediately!
She was not remorseful at all. Not sincere in the slightest. She totally should be kicked off. The infant wasn’t even making a sound
Typical New Yorker attitude...no surprise there
I honestly think the woman was rude but she didn’t deserved to get kicked off the plane
Flight attendants are trained to “ diffuse” the situation
Her comment “ I want her off my plane “ was inappropriate
How is it her plane???
It’s deltas plane. And it’s not all about what she wants !
If the situation can’t be difussed and not escalated then kick her off
A...
I honestly think the woman was rude but she didn’t deserved to get kicked off the plane
Flight attendants are trained to “ diffuse” the situation
Her comment “ I want her off my plane “ was inappropriate
How is it her plane???
It’s deltas plane. And it’s not all about what she wants !
If the situation can’t be difussed and not escalated then kick her off
A more appropriate comment would have been. Please calm down or we will have to ask you to leave
If she keeps it up. Then remove her
@DaveS, the woman in the video has already been suspended from her job according to the article Lucky linked to.
She was probably just hungry. None of this would have happened if she had taken the time to eat before boarding. Seriously. People do not act like this on a full belly.
No this was clearly not enough to get kicked off the plane. The woman’s behaviour was appalling but I have seen people behave worse and not get kicked off. In addition she was sitting down in her assigned seat/fastening her seat belt/putting away her things, even while she was speaking rudely, thus she was not disobeying her any crew instructions.
As someone else on here said, if being an as**ole was enough to get you...
No this was clearly not enough to get kicked off the plane. The woman’s behaviour was appalling but I have seen people behave worse and not get kicked off. In addition she was sitting down in her assigned seat/fastening her seat belt/putting away her things, even while she was speaking rudely, thus she was not disobeying her any crew instructions.
As someone else on here said, if being an as**ole was enough to get you kicked off a plane then they would all be half empty. The FA clearly just got angry at the comment about her job (as we all would be) but that is not enough to deplane someone.
Seems to me the governor would be interested in knowing what kind of person is dropping his name, especially if she is flying on official business. Maybe it isn't the flight attendant who could face job consequences here.
100% correct decision. That erratic sort of behavior is unlikely to just cease with a "I'm sorry". More than likely she will be a nuisance once the plane is airborne.
Reading most comments I realize that the majority thinks the act itself was not enough to kick her out, but the "lady" was showing signs that she could get worst in the air. "What if she caused more problems in the air" "What if she decided to do this and that in the air" "what if etc etc". "if she is doing that with the plane in the ground, what would she do in the...
Reading most comments I realize that the majority thinks the act itself was not enough to kick her out, but the "lady" was showing signs that she could get worst in the air. "What if she caused more problems in the air" "What if she decided to do this and that in the air" "what if etc etc". "if she is doing that with the plane in the ground, what would she do in the air"
Kicking her out of the plane for things she could (or not) do in the future is convicting before the crime. This rational suggests that we should send a 5 years old to death row in case he stills a pencil in school. If he is stealing that young we should terminate him now before he becomes a serial killer...
She was being rude a true a-hole. Other passengers should ignore her, FA should give her a warning it is not tolerated. She paid for the ticket and rules are very clear that she cannot be kicked out for "just" being an idiot.
I agree with a comment that mentioned that the video being out there is a good punishment for her. Well done :)
As a hotel professional, it would be great to be able to kick people out of hotels as easily as they can get kicked out of planes.
This woman deserved what she got. Was it technically / legally correct? Who cares!
Yes. And a good example to all other 'asshats' that think they travel under a veil of anonymity.
It is not ok to behave like this in private let alone public.
Reminds me of the Korean Air 'nuts' episode.
She also was suspended from her job pending an investigation - to get kicked off the plane for acting like this is probably fair, to loose your job - if it was purely a moment of airport-induced stress/fatigue - is probably a pretty harsh punishment.
The problem with cameras everywhere is that this could have been a first for this lady - maybe she’s normally really calm and nice and was just having a terrible...
She also was suspended from her job pending an investigation - to get kicked off the plane for acting like this is probably fair, to loose your job - if it was purely a moment of airport-induced stress/fatigue - is probably a pretty harsh punishment.
The problem with cameras everywhere is that this could have been a first for this lady - maybe she’s normally really calm and nice and was just having a terrible day (or the TSA were being there normal selves and pushed her to the limit) but now she’s going to be permanently known (through the power of Google history) as that lady that went psycho on a plane and cursed out a baby - that has lifelong impact on jobs, relationships, etc. On the other hand maybe she really is a 100% psycho and finally is getting called out on it - we’ll never know but she’s going to be judged as the latter regardless.
No passenger should have to be made to feel uncomfortable by the acts of others, as a passenger I expect the air crew to be prepared to stick up for those passengers who are behaving badly and if necessary remove the offending passenger from the plane, Yes swearing and making others feel uncomfortable is enough in my opinion for a passenger to be removed from a flight, If they are not happy they can get...
No passenger should have to be made to feel uncomfortable by the acts of others, as a passenger I expect the air crew to be prepared to stick up for those passengers who are behaving badly and if necessary remove the offending passenger from the plane, Yes swearing and making others feel uncomfortable is enough in my opinion for a passenger to be removed from a flight, If they are not happy they can get off the flight before it leaves, meantime if you cannot say anything nice say nothing.
At least this Delta employee kept her cool. Unlike the ticket agent who totally lost it.
Interestingly it's the passenger that may not have her job anymore lol.
Well the video doesn't show any risk in my opinion although she's obviously a jerk. She was given the option of taking a later flight - if she was that concerned about sitting next to an infant she could have taken that option. "Me, me, me" pretty much sums this woman up. I hope she's mightily embarrassed. However I would ask why on earth did the other woman filming think she had the right/obligation to do so?
The overwhelming opinion here seems she should have been kicked off. If bad attitude bye bye- no other passengers need that kind of stress. Safety or not, later take the next flight and be respectful no one likes flying in the back of coach. But all of us have been there before
I read in another article that she dropped the F-bomb twice, once being when she told the baby's Mother to 'Shut the F*** up'. To me, that's enough to ask her to get off.
But should a bad attitude be grounds to kick someone off a flight?
YES. Just like being stuck in traffic and trying to take the quicker route. You'll never know if the other route would have been quicker. There's no way to know the emotional stability of this passenger if there is already a red flag before a flight even departs than why take the chance ?
A decision was made. What if she...
But should a bad attitude be grounds to kick someone off a flight?
YES. Just like being stuck in traffic and trying to take the quicker route. You'll never know if the other route would have been quicker. There's no way to know the emotional stability of this passenger if there is already a red flag before a flight even departs than why take the chance ?
A decision was made. What if she wasn't kicked off the flight and turned out to be well behaved the entire flight? But what if after takeoff she threw hot coffee on the crying baby?
She was a bitch. But not a dangerous person. We don’t always get to deal with our favorite customers.
FA overreacted. That happens sometimes as we all can get juiced by a stressful situation. A common sense approach would have been a bit of a cooling off period (3-5 min) then have either the gate agent or a senior FA check the lady’s temperature. If she’s still a nut, send her packing.
And to add, when I board an aircraft I greet the crew. May say hello to me neighbor. And then shut up. This cow just began ranting as soon as she saw the child. Her apology sounded insincere nor did she apologise to the mother and child
In such circumstances they crew have to make a judgment call and she was deemed a risk
Yes, valid reason to kick her off. She would have an impact on the crew members working enviroment and they had reason to suspect none compliance in case of something happening in flight.
Get her off and the crew can focus on their job instead of that mentally unstable woman.
She would not comply with crew instructions and continued to rant and act like an immature brat when the child she complained about was apparently, behaving like an adult and didn’t utter a word
People complain when they see rude staff and mention they sd be fired. Yet when the tables are turned they are running to the defence of the passenger. You can’t win
She seems like an a-hole and should take a bus next time
Ridiculous to kick her off for something so trivial ( and no doubt causing further delay to the other passengers) but entirely appropriate to post the video. Perhaps the public shaming is sufficient penalty rather than getting fired.
Two words: zero tolerance.
BTW the offender in question has been temporarily suspended by her employer.
Can Debit weigh in on this post, please?
I strongly agree with Garrett here. I say that while no customer service representative should have to tolerate bad behavior, that in and of itself should not have been grounds to remove a person from a flight. However, given that her behavior in the video was a "red flag" it is likely a good way to show that the passenger's behavior was unacceptable. As a former bus driver myself, the MAJORITY of cases that started...
I strongly agree with Garrett here. I say that while no customer service representative should have to tolerate bad behavior, that in and of itself should not have been grounds to remove a person from a flight. However, given that her behavior in the video was a "red flag" it is likely a good way to show that the passenger's behavior was unacceptable. As a former bus driver myself, the MAJORITY of cases that started with a passenger like this, DID escalate into something more. I think this could be a preemptive measure to maintain peace aboard the aircraft. I say this with confidence, albeit wavering confidence.
Reading some comments about this incident on another website, with many of the posters asking if she is really a man, based on the pictures of her that accompany that article. Her behaviour is unacceptable, kick her off.
If any of you didn’t click the article it says “the woman ultimately left the plane”
Wait, she is (was?) the program director at the Council of the Arts?? and she was not automatically upgraded to business class?!?!? WTF. and then the gall of the staff to not kowtow to this VIP. how can Delta afford to treat its most important passengers in such a course, undignified and demeaning fashion. There will be severe repercussions from the travel decision makers for the useless, random, and otherwise unknown parts of the NY...
Wait, she is (was?) the program director at the Council of the Arts?? and she was not automatically upgraded to business class?!?!? WTF. and then the gall of the staff to not kowtow to this VIP. how can Delta afford to treat its most important passengers in such a course, undignified and demeaning fashion. There will be severe repercussions from the travel decision makers for the useless, random, and otherwise unknown parts of the NY state governing body. Delta has dug its economic grave!
Kick her off! It’s not just what she said to the FA, it’s that other passengers have to deal with her ugliness throughout the flight.
Regardless of whether or not she deserved to be tossed, 1.5 million Facebook views of her asinine behavior has got to sting. That is, if she has any shame. Karma is a real bitch.
Summary: Entitled asshat with government job thinks she's above behaving like a civilized adult and gets what's coming to her.
No controversy here. Kick her off the plane.
She was a jerk.
But the FA kicked her off for retribution, not because she felt threatened in any way.
Tabitha, the ENTIRE plane thanks you!
“Did This Lady Deserve To Be Kicked Off A Flight?”
She ain’t no lady.
@Ethflyer I get what you mean, but flying is the worst in the US. Lucky is right about FAs being dictators in America.
First... If she’s acting that way in the ground, it’s reasonable to assume she will do the same in the air, or get worse. The flight attendant has to make a judgement call. Would you want someone continually acting this way for the whole flight? Even if it’s a short one? She only changed her behavior because she realized there were going to be consequences. Had she not been kicked off the plane, there was...
First... If she’s acting that way in the ground, it’s reasonable to assume she will do the same in the air, or get worse. The flight attendant has to make a judgement call. Would you want someone continually acting this way for the whole flight? Even if it’s a short one? She only changed her behavior because she realized there were going to be consequences. Had she not been kicked off the plane, there was no cause for her to change behavior. Second... I’ve seen rude customer being asked to leave in a restaurant. I don’t see this as any different. Safety is one reason to remove someone, but so is the comfort of the other customers.
In the failed empire, this was what they did to each other. This was how they treated each other. Donner Party--they ate each other--that was the us.
there was very little courtesy, respect, dignity unless one was economically hustling. Hence, this example above was yet another case study. Spiritually empty, and emotionally starved, intellectually and ontologically void. what was their narrative?
It is quite simple: She is telling the flight attendant on the ground “you may not have a job tomorrow”. What is she going to do or say to the flight attendant in the air? You remove the possibility of disruption before the door closes.
I can't tell from reading this if she was actually kicked off, or you're just asking if she should have been.
The passenger probably didn't get quite close enough to get kicked off, but the flight attendant definitely pulled off an excellent bluff. It changed that woman's attitude from arrogant ass to helpless plea-bargainer.
@Matt - You are 100,000% correct.
I don’t nornally fly in America, but when I do it really reminds me of flying in China. Horrible flight attendants and even shittier passengers. In the hundreds of thousands of miles that I’ve flown in Japanese carriers I have never once witnessed the shit you see flying in the US. Kick this moron off the plane, I don’t want to have to listen to some middle aged woman complaining for an hour straight.
Lucky, I'm sorry but I disagree with you on this one. I wouldn't want to spend even 15 minutes sitting next to an asshole like this lady. If she really thinks she's so damned important, then she should really be flying on a private jet. And if you're the last pax to board, be thankful that you were allowed on and don't be last again. For any reason.
I like Garrett's comment above. Well said!
I worked as an airline flight attendant for over 17 years. We had passengers similar to this one. But unless the passenger threatened a crew member, or another passenger, I would not have asked the Captain to have this passenger removed. Instead, I would have monitored her closely. Then, file an incident report at the conclusion of the flight. The fact this passenger said, "You may not have a job tomorrow", I have heard this...
I worked as an airline flight attendant for over 17 years. We had passengers similar to this one. But unless the passenger threatened a crew member, or another passenger, I would not have asked the Captain to have this passenger removed. Instead, I would have monitored her closely. Then, file an incident report at the conclusion of the flight. The fact this passenger said, "You may not have a job tomorrow", I have heard this before. Thankfully, the flight from JFK to Syracuse is only about a 45 minute flight.
The woman absolutely deserved to be asked to leave the plane! This entitlement needs to stop! I fly up front all the time and some of the behavior I've seen is atrocious! I treat all people in customer service with respect and 99% of the time I get respect back. I think it should be a requirement in high school or college to work in customer service. I waited tables during college and that is...
The woman absolutely deserved to be asked to leave the plane! This entitlement needs to stop! I fly up front all the time and some of the behavior I've seen is atrocious! I treat all people in customer service with respect and 99% of the time I get respect back. I think it should be a requirement in high school or college to work in customer service. I waited tables during college and that is what made me respect people in customer service. I've had flight attendants thank me on numerous occasions for how polite and kind I was. It's sad that a flight attendant has to thank someone for not being rude.
No. She was upset but clearly not a threat. If employees can kick people off flights for being upset they won’t have any passengers.
Asshat? Love it. She’s obviously a psycho.
If you fly and don’t have headphones, you’re certifiable.
It is surely not a valid reason to kick her off yet, despite the fact she had a ridiculous attitude. Additionally FA treating to kick the woman out of "her" plan was equally bad. it is not her plan and not her rules to create. FA are acting like dictators and he behavior should also be reviewed by her employer.
Absolutely. She was sorry because someone stood up to her. She was a bully picking on a baby.....a well behaved one at that.
So she was then kicked off the flight? The article does not make it clear.
I think in this particular situation where you have someone whose acting irate, then quickly changing behavior like someone who has bi-polar, it could pose a flight risk in the air. Do you really wanna be 35,000 feet up in the air and risk some nutbag causing commotion on the flight and suddenly change like Dr. Jekyl and Mr....
So she was then kicked off the flight? The article does not make it clear.
I think in this particular situation where you have someone whose acting irate, then quickly changing behavior like someone who has bi-polar, it could pose a flight risk in the air. Do you really wanna be 35,000 feet up in the air and risk some nutbag causing commotion on the flight and suddenly change like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde and start ranting and screaming about the baby again? Then what do you do?
Yes — bad attitude on the ground is bad. Bad attitude at 30-something k feet up in the air is even worse.
“I won’t do it again” — if I had a dollar for every time I heard that...
The thing is a bad attitude is often accompanied by/followed by bad behavior. TBH if you're going to act like an asshole, and that indicates that you're going to be a problem later on at a much more vulnerable time, don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.