A story is going viral about an American first class passenger’s lack of a meal, and it has now been viewed at least 10 million times across social media platforms. Was this a case of racism, or just airline incompetence?
In this post:
Black woman skipped for meal in American first class
A Boston-based influencer recently shared a video on social media, of what happened to her on a flight on May 3, 2025, from Boston (BOS) to Miami (MIA). She first posted the video to TikTok, but it has since also been posted on Instagram, X, and other platforms.
As the story goes, she treated herself to first class, but was disappointed when all first class passengers were served food, except for her. She captions the video with the following:
When u the only black person in first class and the food apparently ran out…. Well thank you American Airlines
She provides the following additional details and comments:
- It wasn’t just that they ran out of her meal choice, but they didn’t offer her any food at all, but rather just offered her drinks
- Her ticket was purchased five days before departure, and she wasn’t sleeping when meal orders were taken
- She didn’t eat anything all day because she “looked forward to this,” thinking she would eat on the plane
- She doesn’t understand how an airline can be missing meals for first class passengers
- She says she didn’t report it or call the airline, because she was baffled, and her “brain couldn’t comprehend that this happened”
Some people are calling on a boycott of American, or suggesting she sue the airline for racism. In a statement, American has shared that “we want all of our customers to have a positive experience during their travels with us,” and “we have reached out to the customer to learn more about their experience.”
Was this racism, bad communication, or what?
Racism is of course real, including in the airline business. For example, American is the airline that kicked all Black men off a plane because one Black passenger reportedly had a body odor issue. The company’s CEO even admitted it. At the same time, American is also the airline that struggles with customer service and delivering a decent product, regardless of the race of a passenger. 😉
What’s my best theory as to what happened? I would assume there was some sort of a catering snafu, and they were short one meal. Her confusion is understandable, because airlines are supposed to load exactly as many meals as there are first class passengers, so there should be one for everyone.
Of course sometimes, mistakes happen. Maybe the catering company didn’t load the correct number of meals. Maybe the flight attendant made a mistake, and dropped one of the meals. Maybe the quality of one of the meals just didn’t look good.
So, why would this particular passenger be chosen to not get the meal? Typically, meal orders are taken front to back, and on top of that, passengers can pre-order meals, so they’re prioritized for meals. She was seated in the last row on the right side, so one explanation would be that she was simply the last person to have her meal order taken, and the other people around her got meals because they pre-ordered them.
The thing that I simply can’t wrap my head around is why there wasn’t any communication surrounding this. Why did the flight attendant not explain the situation to the passenger, and apologize for the lack of a meal, rather than simply pretending that it never happened?
It’s truly bizarre, but we’re talking about American, which often struggles with customer service, so I can’t say I’m surprised. Anyway, that’s my best theory.
Now, is it possible that race or age played into this? I wasn’t there, so I can’t rule it out. It’s possible that (for all the wrong reasons) the flight attendant assumed “this woman doesn’t look like she belongs here, so I just won’t mention the catering issue.” That would be ridiculous, if true, and that would clearly be discrimination.
I can understand people not wanting to make a big deal of something, but in this situation, I think there would’ve been nothing wrong with saying “excuse me, is it possible for me to have a meal as well?” One shouldn’t have to ask, but I think that can be done in a totally non-confrontational way.
Bottom line
A Black woman was traveling in American first class, but unlike her fellow passengers, she wasn’t offered a meal. Catering snafus happen, though the fact that the crew reportedly didn’t in any way address this with her is a problem. Now, I don’t know what the motivation was for her specifically being denied a meal — it could be a function of where she was seated (that logic tracks), or there could be more to it.
What do you make of this American first class incident?
One of my axioms is: The difference between conspiracy and incompetence is hard to discern.
I vote for incompetence on this one!
Marshall
It is hard to believe that all day she was looking forward to a meal on an airline. She may have been avoideded because of her extremely revealing attire. If she were not in first class she may have been escorted off the plane.
Sounds like a case of good old-fashioned racism. Why bother denying it?
Very tiresome to see the race card pulled time and time again. Say it with me. This was not about race. People are so easy to trigger
Do you use this argument every time someone accuses another individual or business of racism?
I have had issues with pdb's. I usually ask for a cup of ice for the bottled water at my seat...I see the cups coming down the aisle and dropped off.. NOne for me so I usually ask again and sometimes need to ask a third time.. One time after the 2nd ask was told too late door closing....I guess as an older female I am invisible!!
Why didn't she just ask the FA? Because she's trying (1) to get a bunch of clicks on her social media and (2) to sue and get a lot of money. Neither would happen if she had asked and it turned out the FA thought she had already served the passenger and then brought a meal. That's if what she's claiming about not getting a meal is even true, as we've seen people lie about bigger race-related incidents before (e.g. Jesse Smollett) just to get attention and money.
Why would she have to ask .the others was served..did they ask ..no ..they were served their meal..regardless how she was dressed.as some say ..that has nothing to do with it ..it was complete racism .. the airlines nor the staff addressed it ..so yea..this was done purposely..and with this racist WH ..it's happening more everyday ..period..
I refuse to fly American Airlines because they are the most inept airline and their customer service is terrible! While it is possible that racism played a part I think it is more likely yet another poorly treated customer by American Airlines. They are the absolute worst!
so true flew them again after 12 years and they screwed up.. SO never again,,
I think this is a case of a disgruntled airline worker that when she saw a chance to throw her airline under the bus she acted upon that desire. There is zero chance that the flight attendant was unaware that there was not enough meals to go around. She did the math she knew who the last person in first class was, and then calculatedin her head and realize hey there’s an opportunity here to...
I think this is a case of a disgruntled airline worker that when she saw a chance to throw her airline under the bus she acted upon that desire. There is zero chance that the flight attendant was unaware that there was not enough meals to go around. She did the math she knew who the last person in first class was, and then calculatedin her head and realize hey there’s an opportunity here to make management look like morons. A sensitive flight attendant who cared about their airline would have taken the appropriate steps to mitigate the adverse repercussions that would otherwise come from ignoring or pretending otherwise like what happened in this case. There is no other plausible explanation. With all of the sensitivity training that these people go through to do their jobs, it’s hard to arrive at any other conclusion as to what happened here.
Sure sounds like just another black person playing the race card for their 5 minutes of fame. All she had to do was ask the FA.
God bless you. You said it perfectly well. I am a black male BTW…
Wow man, do you hate the color of your skin? Your statement garnered no love from the opposite race, let me assure you of that!
Channeling my main man Mike Wilbon:
"More than one thing can be true."
She can be a dummy influencer altering the story. She can be the victim of legit discrimination. She could have been overlooked completely by accident.
I've had these things happen and chalked it up to my appearance (I am dark skinned and do not fit the profile of an F traveler domestically). Not just domestically but on CX, BA,...
Channeling my main man Mike Wilbon:
"More than one thing can be true."
She can be a dummy influencer altering the story. She can be the victim of legit discrimination. She could have been overlooked completely by accident.
I've had these things happen and chalked it up to my appearance (I am dark skinned and do not fit the profile of an F traveler domestically). Not just domestically but on CX, BA, LH in J. I asked every time because ignorance is poison to a good life. In nearly every case, the FAs were horrified. People slip up. Mistakes happen. I never let it ruin my day.
It's one thing when I get stopped at the grocery store for shoplifting at self-checkout (>10 times in two years) and another when someone just forgets to ask me if I want some nuked chicken and rice.
These comments are why things cannot get better. Mistakes do happen but as a FA I can tell you that irrespective of why the pax had no meal, a polite conversation should have been had. Ignoring a problem NEVER makes it go away. First class should be a great experience and no matter what happened a heartfelt apology and some form of restitution should be the top priorities. As much as we walk up and down the aisle I am not sure how her missing meal was not noticed.
she lied???? Been there many times, this doesnt add up
At the very least they could have offered her a cheese plate or other items from Economy.
Was it Jussie Smollett’s impersonator?
Pure ignorance. The Flight Attendant should have asked her if there's something else that she could do to give her a meal. I believe The Flight Attendant was absolutely irresponsible. It should not have a job.
I'm a caucation Jew and was flying and am airline ran out of a meal for me...they gave me points
Not sure how this person ever influenced me or what an influencer is beyond suggesting something to someone ..I guess the whole world is influencers...
If this has been a pandemic of African American influencers being denied a meal I'm sure we all would have heard about this ..
Except for perhaps a couple...
I'm a caucation Jew and was flying and am airline ran out of a meal for me...they gave me points
Not sure how this person ever influenced me or what an influencer is beyond suggesting something to someone ..I guess the whole world is influencers...
If this has been a pandemic of African American influencers being denied a meal I'm sure we all would have heard about this ..
Except for perhaps a couple of first class airlines Singapore jal etiad I never knew anyone starving them selves in anticipation of most airplane meals ..
Exaggerated perception of 'racism'.
Ah Lucky...praising Trumpsters one day and fake outrage the next. The worst kind of American.
Just proves that notoriety does not guarantee intelligence.
The piece of information that is missing is whether she hit that call button and asked for a meal.
I was recently overlooked for meal ordering, and then not served a meal, in Qantas first class. I was (coincidentally?) the only female in that cabin that night. I hit the button and got a meal, albeit late. Was it intentional? An oversight? Who knows.
Mistakes happen all the time. I make them. People...
The piece of information that is missing is whether she hit that call button and asked for a meal.
I was recently overlooked for meal ordering, and then not served a meal, in Qantas first class. I was (coincidentally?) the only female in that cabin that night. I hit the button and got a meal, albeit late. Was it intentional? An oversight? Who knows.
Mistakes happen all the time. I make them. People call me out and I fix it. But I am white, so I know I do not experience the world the same as this passenger. It would not be the first time ANY airline treated someone differently based on skin color.
Don’t believe this for one minute. Look at all the holes in the stories…..she is an influencer, her suggestive clothing, her ‘seated in the last row’, etc. This is pretend……
Jussie Smollett aviation edition
Several years ago my wife, who is blind was kicked off an American Airlines flight when she made them aware that her Seeing Eye guide dog was not able to fit in the tight bulkhead seat they gave us. A compassionate young man offered to exchange his first class seat with her, but that didn't fly with the pilot.
Maybe this didnt happen the way a social media person said??
This sounds ridiculous and typical "Everything is racist" if it it is a black person. They very well could have ran out of a meal, why the FA didnt say anything is beyond me! If they offered her drinks, surely the meal issue would have come up at some point?????
Also, why couldn't they offer her a snack box or something from the economy menu? I've seen it happen numerous times on United, when a...
This sounds ridiculous and typical "Everything is racist" if it it is a black person. They very well could have ran out of a meal, why the FA didnt say anything is beyond me! If they offered her drinks, surely the meal issue would have come up at some point?????
Also, why couldn't they offer her a snack box or something from the economy menu? I've seen it happen numerous times on United, when a pax doesn't want the meal, but prefers a snack box or whatever and they get it.
The pax absolutely should have inquired to the FA about the meal. And then, not reporting it after the fact? How about the survey that usually comes out? It sounds very bizarre and fishy....
I find this story hard to believe, and let's stop and think for a second, it's coming from a "content creator" who thought she was going to get "treated to a nice meal" on American Airlines... something is wrong.
The hot, young, Afro-American chick, ignored my ugly fat-arse middle-age self when i was flying American Spirit in the worse, worser, or most worst cabin, though i cannot remember which one now.
Much like Joe Biden a gentleman with NOT a racial bone in his non-“colored,” body his words I might add; you all pretty people be racist to us not cause we are not undesirable unlike myself, but because we are AMERICAN and...
The hot, young, Afro-American chick, ignored my ugly fat-arse middle-age self when i was flying American Spirit in the worse, worser, or most worst cabin, though i cannot remember which one now.
Much like Joe Biden a gentleman with NOT a racial bone in his non-“colored,” body his words I might add; you all pretty people be racist to us not cause we are not undesirable unlike myself, but because we are AMERICAN and you have a bone to pick, be it chicken, fish, or beef.
I say consider the source.
Is a tofu nothing burger special meal still available at the legacies, cause that is about all this article is worth.
Doesn't surprise me. RACIST AMERICA. I am Chinese, 50 years old, grey and partly bald, and while in Moab, Utah, I was denied from being able to buy 2 bottles of wine from the State Liquor Store. The middle aged white woman cashier said my Ontario Driver's license isn't good enough. I need to prove citizenship of being Canadian. WTF. I told this to a colleague at home who is South Indian, and she said...
Doesn't surprise me. RACIST AMERICA. I am Chinese, 50 years old, grey and partly bald, and while in Moab, Utah, I was denied from being able to buy 2 bottles of wine from the State Liquor Store. The middle aged white woman cashier said my Ontario Driver's license isn't good enough. I need to prove citizenship of being Canadian. WTF. I told this to a colleague at home who is South Indian, and she said it didn't surprise her either. RACIST AMERICA!!! Why would we vacation in the USA?!?!?! Get humiliated, put down. If I had voice any concerns, I'll probably get beaten or shot by the local deputy or sheriff and put in an American jail or worse El Salvador max prison.
That wasn’t necessarily racism. That’s just Utah and their ridiculous liquor laws. The employees at those State Liquor Stores are essentially there as gatekeepers to NOT sell anyone liquor. As stupid as it is, it’s even on their own website that shows it has to be a valid US drivers license. In this case it appears that you would have had to show your Canadian passport. I love visiting Utah for skiing and summer rec,...
That wasn’t necessarily racism. That’s just Utah and their ridiculous liquor laws. The employees at those State Liquor Stores are essentially there as gatekeepers to NOT sell anyone liquor. As stupid as it is, it’s even on their own website that shows it has to be a valid US drivers license. In this case it appears that you would have had to show your Canadian passport. I love visiting Utah for skiing and summer rec, but it is a strange place. You just have to figure out their strange laws but not be so quick to judge that middle aged white lady as a racist.
https://abs.utah.gov/faq/
Surely this has to be trolling parody post.
God I hate those "influencers" society going to s***. Everyone wants to be a victim because credits on social media and karma on reddit...
Her credibility came into question with: "She didn’t eat anything all day because she 'looked forward to this,' thinking she would eat on the plane." Looking forward to an AA domestic F meal?
Ben, not saying it may not have happened, but it is so pathetic that your headline and post are based on an unverified racism claim from a dubious claimant. A textbook example of woke victimization: Creating racism where it doesn’t exist.
Question for you, what was the flight attendant’s race?
Ben, you're better than this. This is VFTW level dreck.
You missed - or willfully left out - the 3rd and most obvious answer. This "influencer" made it up or contrived the whole thing to get those clicks/views. And was wildly successful.
Don't believe everything you read on the Internet folks.
Made up for clicks was my thought. The story just doesn’t ring true.
A white American cannot imagine what it is like, unless they travel to countries where they are a minority.
Check Mohammed Ali's statement when he refused the draft in 1968. He said his enemies were in his own country not in Vietnam.
Has it changed much?
From American CEO and his employees, it has not.
Shame on American and its employees, shareholders.
Get over it.
I’m a minority x2.
This is a fake claim, and you’re a gullible snowflake.
How do know the background of all the other passengers and crew ? This is BS. What if the other passengers were Asian and black, the crew were the the same ? always claiming discrimination to claim compensation. And most Jewish people are white so your statement is BS.
Your post is just the ranting of a racist person. Shame on you.
White people are a minority in the vast majority of countries on this planet. I have lived in a couple of them. I am gay & in an interracial marriage. Do you know what I didn't do? Cry discrimination every time something was messed up or unfair. The vast majority of people, even if they hold certain views about another group, are decent in person & just want to get on with life.
Happened to me and my girlfriend on Lufthansa BC. The main difference is that we are not influencers - we didn’t bother about likes, views etc. we could get from this situation so we just asked for the meal. And, oh the horror, we received it (they didn’t apologise for the mistake btw). When I read about such problems I am really confused what is real racism and what are the things which “normal people”...
Happened to me and my girlfriend on Lufthansa BC. The main difference is that we are not influencers - we didn’t bother about likes, views etc. we could get from this situation so we just asked for the meal. And, oh the horror, we received it (they didn’t apologise for the mistake btw). When I read about such problems I am really confused what is real racism and what are the things which “normal people” (of any race) cope on the daily basis (as this is what we call life).
Do not believe a single word she uttered.
Dialect sounds like Haitian or Nigerian.
They are the most “Trustworthy “ people! lol!
BEN OR TIFFANY BAN THIS COMMENTER IMMEDIATELY
You need to take your racist ass head out of your shitty ass.
Lmao, the snowflake fake lawyer really got triggered that he brought two more profiles
Every POC in structurally racist white privileged America read the headline of this post ("Huh?!?") and immediately thought "yeah something like this definitely could have happened, and white people are confused and/or completely oblivious to the idea that something like this could happen."
AA's incompetence and customer unfriendliness are secondary here.
Black, Brown, Asian and other marginalized communities in American life routinely face instances of discrimination that white people play off as (1) not possible,...
Every POC in structurally racist white privileged America read the headline of this post ("Huh?!?") and immediately thought "yeah something like this definitely could have happened, and white people are confused and/or completely oblivious to the idea that something like this could happen."
AA's incompetence and customer unfriendliness are secondary here.
Black, Brown, Asian and other marginalized communities in American life routinely face instances of discrimination that white people play off as (1) not possible, (2) didn't happen, (3) innocent explanation, or all kinds of aggravating excuses. The woman in this incident was discriminated against, plain and simple.
Dollars to donuts had this been a White man in the seat, AA flight attendants--who are generally nowhere near as bad as frontline AA staff on the ground--would have apologized profusely and said a catering mixup meant there isn't any meal, but would you like more mixed nuts? Another drink? Anything else I can do to make your flight more comfortable? Please accept our sincere apologies and 10,000 AA points are on your way into your account.
Black women, like other POCs, get the silent treatment and that's discrimination and I will not hear it any other way.
Chip, meet shoulder.
A copy and paste comment got 11 likes, not suspicious at all just like this incident.
Thank you for confirming you have two separate accounts here. Your Long racist rant is disgusting. You are a troll.
Here comes the victim mentality. Sorry, but the vast majority of incidents that some think are “racism” - forget that most can’t properly define the word, eg prejudice and bigotry are not the same thing as racist - are are assuredly not. Some just immediately see the world through their victim hood and assign “racism” as the cause in a knee jerk fashion.
The only “dinner” flight I see between BOS/MIA, is AAL 1397. If she “avoided” eating all day this must have been the flight she was on. The only problem is -1397 is operated using an A321 and her video shows she is on a B737. It would be nice to have more facts to determine what the truth really is.
YAWN
Tired already, racist whitey?
I am Caucasian, 6'1" and generally quiet in public. About 18 months ago I was in F on an AA flight and this exact same thing happened to me. Except I was seated in 2A. Granted, it was a late night flight and the lights were not at max. The FA kept walking past my row several times with tray after tray of food for everyone else. I waited to speak up to see how...
I am Caucasian, 6'1" and generally quiet in public. About 18 months ago I was in F on an AA flight and this exact same thing happened to me. Except I was seated in 2A. Granted, it was a late night flight and the lights were not at max. The FA kept walking past my row several times with tray after tray of food for everyone else. I waited to speak up to see how long it would take her to notice but she never did. I went to the forward lav & I kindly pointed out in private that she skipped me. She was effusively apologetic and quickly delivered my meal once I was seated.
Honestly, when someone in customer service doesn't apologize or explain when they obviously made a mistake, I chalk it up to one thing... they are simply embarrassed & want it to go away. That infuriates me like I am sure it does almost everyone. But it's human nature.
So, it is not always racism, ma'am.
Timo. Im sure you don't know that ot isn't. I can tell you dont know any black people are you wouldn't say something so stupid.
Ben FYI
I was on a flight - but British Airways told me I wasn't
3 hours ago
Catherine Snowdon
BBC News
BBC A woman with blonde hair in a blue and white striped shirt stands smiling in front of green leafy bushes.BBC
Catherine Snowdon is still puzzled by her experience on a trip to Madrid
An extraordinary thing happened to me on a recent flight to Madrid: I...
Ben FYI
I was on a flight - but British Airways told me I wasn't
3 hours ago
Catherine Snowdon
BBC News
BBC A woman with blonde hair in a blue and white striped shirt stands smiling in front of green leafy bushes.BBC
Catherine Snowdon is still puzzled by her experience on a trip to Madrid
An extraordinary thing happened to me on a recent flight to Madrid: I unwittingly travelled under the wrong identity, becoming a potential security issue, and no one realised.
I was packing for a short business trip to make a film for the BBC when I attempted to check-in online. It didn't work, so I headed to London Heathrow Airport to do it in-person.
Upon arrival there, I tried once again to check myself in, this time at a self-service booth. Again I was denied, the machine flashing up an error code: "Assistance required."
I ended up at a check-in desk and after checking in my bag, a British Airways staff member handed me a boarding pass. Admittedly I didn't read the pass in any detail, but headed off to get processed in the security area as normal.
At the gate, I was among the first passengers to board flight BA7055 departing at 10:50 on 23 April, operated by BA's Spanish partner carrier Iberia, as I was in row six.
Dutifully, I handed my passport and boarding pass to a member of BA ground crew, who glanced at them both and waved me through.
Once on board I realised my seat was in business class. I assumed this must have been a free upgrade, because I would of course usually have been in economy; we had chosen this flight because it was the most cost-effective option with all our filming equipment.
No sooner were we off the tarmac and at cruising altitude than the delicious baked cod and chickpea stew lunch was served. Tiramisu for dessert, too. No complimentary alcohol for me though; it was a work trip.
It was on arrival in the Spanish capital when things started to go wrong.
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A boarding pass mystery
As soon as I gained mobile signal on the ground, an email popped up: my return flight had been cancelled.
I asked the BBC's travel provider what had happened and what the plan was for getting me home?
In response, the travel company said it had been cancelled because I was a no-show on the outbound flight.
I explained that I was in fact very much in Madrid and waiting - endlessly, it seemed - to collect my checked luggage from the baggage belt.
After some no doubt confusing conversations between our travel team and BA, I received a further message to say the airline was adamant I had not travelled and that the boarding pass in my possession did not display the correct details.
This was when I realised that the name on my boarding pass was not mine, it was a man called Huw H. The BBC is not using Huw H's full name, which was printed on the pass.
His name was also printed on my luggage tags.
BA claimed there was no way I could have travelled using that document as security checks wouldn't allow it - but I did. My colleague, who was seated a few rows behind me, can vouch for me being on that plane.
The airline was so sure that I was not in Madrid that the BBC had to book me another seat on the flight home I was originally booked onto, at great expense. BA has since offered a £500 goodwill voucher as well as refunding the cost of the extra ticket.
The security protocol for passengers boarding flights is relatively simple: ground crew must check the name on the boarding pass matches that on the passport presented.
This process appears to have broken down in my case - with no one at check-in or the boarding gate identifying the discrepancy between the name on the boarding pass and my passport.
So what went wrong, and who is Huw H? I tried to find out.
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An 'unusual' case
Some internet sleuthing brought limited proof of Huw H's existence. I made a few attempts to contact accounts using his full name via various social media channels, to no avail. It's made me fear that he might not even exist.
I did manage to get in touch with someone with a similar name - Jonathan Huw H - who, it turns out, flew on a BA flight on 24 April, a day after mine, landing at Heathrow, so is it possible his name was somehow floating around in the BA system? "It's really worrying," Jonathan told me.
My married name, which was on my booking confirmation and passport, begins with the letter H - though is very different to Huw H's surname. Could this have factored in?
It's impossible to know, and BA cannot confirm anything for privacy reasons.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent at the Independent, said it was to be expected that mistakes will sometimes happen "in the high-pressure, deadline-strewn world of aviation".
But he added: "This case is unusual in that the error wasn't picked up at the departure gate, where it could have been easily rectified.
"The airline needs urgently to investigate and make amends."
Aviation security and operations expert Julian Bray added: "There is a security issue here, in that the plane took off with an incorrect passenger manifest.
"It is wrong and shouldn't have happened. The passenger manifest should be correct as it is an important document that shows who is travelling and where. That said, as the name on the baggage tag matched the one on the boarding pass and the correct number of people were on board when the plane took off, I can see how it happened."
A British Airways plane parked at a gate at Madrid airport, with green mountains and blue sky seen in the distance.
Catherine's plane home from Madrid - which she was relieved to eventually get on
Others would argue that it was not a security risk, though, because both myself and my luggage went through all the usual security checks.
A spokesperson for BA, which managed my ticket as well as the Heathrow ground crew in my case, said: "We've contacted our customer to apologise for this genuine human error. While incidents like this are extremely rare, we've taken proactive steps to ensure it doesn't happen again."
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority has told me it has launched an investigation into what happened.
Heathrow Airport said in response to a request for comment that it was not responsible for the ground crew or anything else in my case, and security screening went ahead as normal.
Iberia, whose only involvement in my journey was operating the outbound plane and cabin crew, has not responded to a request for comment. As is nothing out of the ordinary, my passport and boarding pass were not manually checked on the plane.
Apologies and investigations aside, the question remains how this was ever possible in this day and age of high security.
On social media there are threads about this type of thing happening around the world in the past, but the mistake was rectified before take-off as there were two people trying to sit in the same seat.
What happened to me appears to be different as my name was seemingly replaced with someone who seemingly wasn't travelling to Spain that day.
I'm not sure I'll ever really know what happened, but one thing is for sure - I won't ever walk away from a check-in desk without reading every detail printed on my boarding pass in future.
Moral of story... humans are NOT infallible.
What was the point of the editorialization?
Slow news day....
Sounds like bulls**t to me
Fascinating that all the racist trolls come out of the woodwork on a post like this!
How do you know the ethnicity of all the other passengers and crew ? Americans always love playing the race card if there’s a service failure.
As usual some DYKWIA social media influencer.
Yes something went wrong and she happens to be black. Do you think a Caucasian person will go online and say the same thing if they weren’t served a meal. Unlikely.
Seems like you’re the racist here. Just saying.
This is so silly. There's a 99.999% chance the FA did not say "im not going to serve this person a meal bc I don't like their race". Racism exists but no one is this blatant or stupid. Clearly it was some combination of a mistake + negligence of the part of the flight crew (assuming all the details are true). Pretending things like this happen all the time as if we are in the...
This is so silly. There's a 99.999% chance the FA did not say "im not going to serve this person a meal bc I don't like their race". Racism exists but no one is this blatant or stupid. Clearly it was some combination of a mistake + negligence of the part of the flight crew (assuming all the details are true). Pretending things like this happen all the time as if we are in the 1960's does no favor for race relations. In fact, it sets back the progress that can & should be made.
I don’t do American as a matter of principle, but this does seem fishy.
“principle”?
Some of the comments on this blog show a lot of unresolved anger and hostility. The world is changing, and it’s time to come to terms with that. Influencers and individuals who document their lives are a part of today’s culture—including your spouses your kids, whether you like it or not it just part of today’s world.
Also, judging someone’s experience with race is rarely useful , especially if you’ve never lived as a...
Some of the comments on this blog show a lot of unresolved anger and hostility. The world is changing, and it’s time to come to terms with that. Influencers and individuals who document their lives are a part of today’s culture—including your spouses your kids, whether you like it or not it just part of today’s world.
Also, judging someone’s experience with race is rarely useful , especially if you’ve never lived as a racial minority just so you know. unconscious bias exists, and dismissing it doesn’t make it go away.
No, none of my spouse of kids are “influencers.” In fact, I made the middle schooler remove instagram the other day from his phone. I won’t them into the toxicity that is social media and I’ve basically dropped it all myself. It’s a dumpster fire. As such, influencers may be a thing and they deserve all the condemnation and derision they get. Existing doesn’t mean it has to be accepted.
The bigoted to ridiculous posts of some of you are fascinating.
Ben, a travel influencer, recently relayed what he thought was a bad experience with AA. Most of you were falling over yourselves to commiserate with him over his bad treatment going so far as to claim he is one of the nicest person ever yada yada yada and how dare this happen to him, to send the agent to the guillotine immediately coz the...
The bigoted to ridiculous posts of some of you are fascinating.
Ben, a travel influencer, recently relayed what he thought was a bad experience with AA. Most of you were falling over yourselves to commiserate with him over his bad treatment going so far as to claim he is one of the nicest person ever yada yada yada and how dare this happen to him, to send the agent to the guillotine immediately coz the incident occurred exactly as stated.
Nary a modicum of the same courtesy is extended to this individual. You people... SMDH
Because over time we have gotten to know and trust Ben. Her story simply seems fishy and told from only one side by an "influencer" no one knows. She didn't speak up because her brain went haywire? There is simply more to the story than she's telling.
That's so weird. Dude, unless you have met Ben and spent time with him, you do not know Ben.
Is there a reason why she is half-nude in presenting her story and thinks she "is all that," while giving her spiel? Ugh. Ghetto, at best. I'm not siding with AA, because I don't know the whole story, but surely they offered a meal, albeit, not the First Class one. And if they didn't, why didn't she speak to the flight attendant in First Class about it to get a meal? She's looking for attention with full-on boobs hanging out! Yuk!
Yuk is right!!
Bad days happen to everyone. Cannot understand why , after * looking forward* to this meal one would wait to complain? It would seem it's an influencer duty to immediately get the story out.
It's all fake. Everyone knows it. The 'victim' isn't real because the story isn't real. A pathetic attempt to win free money / travel. Low-class professional victim.
I just travelled first class on American and the flight attendant went to every seat in First class to confirm meal choices or to ask what meal passengers wanted.
If this lady felt she was skipped over why did she not press the attendant button and ask for a meal? The whole story sounds sketchy.
On my connecting flight in first class no food was being served but the gentleman seated across from...
I just travelled first class on American and the flight attendant went to every seat in First class to confirm meal choices or to ask what meal passengers wanted.
If this lady felt she was skipped over why did she not press the attendant button and ask for a meal? The whole story sounds sketchy.
On my connecting flight in first class no food was being served but the gentleman seated across from me asked the attendant if she had any snacks available when she brought him a drink. She immediately said yes and asked if he would like some chips with his drink. She later came around with a basket of snacks for first class and told this man to take as many as he needed.
Why is it the customer's fault here?
There are fair baseline expectations for "first class service".
I can't say whether racism was involved without knowing the full story, but AA failing to serve a passenger like this is AA's fault.
Yolo, it’s obviously not the passengers “responsibility” to request service, but it’s also not inappropriate to use your voice to advocate for yourself at the time.
why is it assumed that anything she said was true? If you pick the last row, like i always do we don't get many choices.... if they run out of food they offer snacks, not a race thing! Social media to get hits and make money, welcome to the new media.....doesn't have to be real, just has to make the headline and get traffic so you get paid.
Not sure why Ben assumes what she said is true? Rule is trust but verify!
An "influencer", eh? Maybe looking for more social media subscribers? Was it a male flight attendant who didn't want to be accused of peering at her upper torso?
She is an influencer, i.e. a parasite of society.
Regarding not being served food, I don't believe a word she says, next...
This: She didn’t report it or call the airline, because she was baffled, and her “brain couldn’t comprehend that this happened”.
LOL
Maybe it did not happen. Had she addressed at the spot it could have been solved (e.g. by a meal from coach). Sounds fishy.
'Her brain couldnt comprehend what happened', what brain?
Sounds fishy to me. Lets hear from the flight attendant and maybe other passengers. She is silent on the plane for some flimsy excuse, but goes to social media with the "poor me I was a subject of racism". People all over the world are subject to much worse treatment.
"She didn’t eat anything all day because she “looked forward to this,” thinking she would eat on the plane"... Looked Forward to Airplane Food? Nuff Said!
She clearly thought she was getting steak and lobster!
We are not hearing the whole story, I’ve been in flights that ran out of food for 1st class passengers I expect she was offered something, didn’t like it, and played the race card. We see it all the time.
Waaa Waaaa.
black fatigue is a real thing.
Not as much as your racism is.
So she's an influencer, so she's supposedly savvy - but she thinks one airline meal makes for a day's eating? and that domestic airline food, even in first class, is something to look forward to, something special? She doesn't understand how things work for airline travel - but she's an influencer? I thought the influencer was supposed to bring a little something to the game. Does she have some sort of influencer history out there?...
So she's an influencer, so she's supposedly savvy - but she thinks one airline meal makes for a day's eating? and that domestic airline food, even in first class, is something to look forward to, something special? She doesn't understand how things work for airline travel - but she's an influencer? I thought the influencer was supposed to bring a little something to the game. Does she have some sort of influencer history out there? I'm not saying there might not have been a service screw up somewhere at the beginning of this tale but everything else just doesn't add up.
Like @GM mentioned, I bet the pilots still got their meals.
as they should have.
If all meals had run out in First Class then the flight crew should have simply apologized for the inconvience and at least offered her a meal from Economy Class. She should be fully compensated for this unbelievable situation
You're right, it's an unbelievable situation, as in, not true
what meal in economy class... oh, I guess you are not from the US, they rarely exist on domestic flights in economy
You guys in America are quite something.
I'm Black something bad happened to me, it's racism.
I mean I'm White and I wasn't impressed by Kenya Airways' service and I wouldn't assume that's racism...
This is why racism still is a problem...you don't understand a bit of racism and yet always claim racism didn't exist. If you were discriminated every day then yes you will start feeling like it is racism when they don't give you a good explanation...
I don't think we've met before so I'm not sure how you can claim I never experienced racism nor understand it. All I'm saying is that not everything is racism
It’s not the problem to the degree that it is claimed. In many cases it’s plainly obvious from information presented that it’s not racism and usually not discrimination or prejudice (the three are not the same). In this case is it possible? Technically, yes, but the story isn’t credible, not least due it being from an “influencer” who benefits from social attention, good or bad.
This never happened. Totally fake.
As usual, a sta-rong bu-lack wuh-min claims to be the world’s biggest victim because of an innocent mix-up.
On a Singapore Airlines flight a few months ago, from BKK-SIN in J class, i was not served any drink. The FA did serve me my pre-ordered meal. Never took my drink order. Came with the drink trolley down the aisle about 45 minutes later after i had finished my meal. And skipped me.
Now you hear great things about Singapore Airlines and their service. So i though honest double mistake, so when i made...
On a Singapore Airlines flight a few months ago, from BKK-SIN in J class, i was not served any drink. The FA did serve me my pre-ordered meal. Never took my drink order. Came with the drink trolley down the aisle about 45 minutes later after i had finished my meal. And skipped me.
Now you hear great things about Singapore Airlines and their service. So i though honest double mistake, so when i made them realize I had not been served a drink, that FA still did not seem to be apologetic. She was trying to pass it off as nothing happened and with exasperation asked me what drink did i want.
No, I was never married to her. So these things happen even in airlines which are generally considered to be great.
You had me at ‘influencer’ - story fabricated or exaggerated to create social content (which was clearly successful). Any genuine pax would have raised it at the time. Seems totally scripted.
I was not served a meal once. Air France. Business class. I was sitting in the last seat on the right hand side of the plane. Everyone had been served.
The flight attendant came back around and realized that I hadn’t been served. I told her in French it was OK that I would just sit there and starve to death. I said that with a laugh. She said absolutely not on my watch!!
She...
I was not served a meal once. Air France. Business class. I was sitting in the last seat on the right hand side of the plane. Everyone had been served.
The flight attendant came back around and realized that I hadn’t been served. I told her in French it was OK that I would just sit there and starve to death. I said that with a laugh. She said absolutely not on my watch!!
She immediately came back with my meal. She checked on me throughout the flight. I would have to say it was some of the best service I’ve ever had on an airplane. And it all started with a mistake.
She was absolutely excellent.
I am white. She was black.
JohnB, you have just reminded me of my late businessman father. He loved people who complained, after such, he would move heaven and earth to ensure the complete satisfaction of the customer. Repeat business was assured and new business obtained by word of mouth from his satisfied customers. Advertising his company was totally unnecessary.
Thank you for reminding of one of life’s real Gentlemen.
Tawana Brawley overtones?
Just missing the feces, I hope ! ... lol
And I though I was the only one who could remember that escapade ...
There are more with the memory.
Even if a first class meal was not available, was there no box lunch substitute from the main cabin? As others have commented, let's wait for the entire story. Racism is real but something seems off.
Anything that starts with "A Boston-based influencer recently shared a video on social media" immediately makes my bullshit alarm immediately go off. There is generally more to it, and it is generally a clicks and eyeballs motive.
Yeah again another “influencer” needs more followers and press attention to bolster her numbers! Let’s see how this develops once all sides of the story comes to light!
Agreed 100%. Smells like BS.
Totally agree… once I read “ influencer “‘the red flags went up!
F'ing influences make me sick.... Especially ones that dress like hookers!!
Our world is focused on the wrong thing.
Interesting that it’s always on American Airlines that’s these problems happen. A few more occurrences and the airline will truly have people boycotting. AA better get it together
Typo - *the demand for* racist incidents far exceeds the supply
The supply of racist incidents far exceeds the supply... even if this does not turn out to be a hoax, there is an evolving "boy cried wolf" issue here.
"A Boston-based influencer..."
Sorry, you lost me right there. Nobody should give a shite about anything some "influencer" says.
there was a comment on the original tiktok video from a flight attendant that worked the cabin and they claimed that this 'influencer' repeatedly denied wanting a meal multiple times. the attendant's were also poc.
i tried looking for the comment again but it dissapeared now, i feel like that gives it more credibility lol.
How convenient for you the original comment “disappeared”.
No that's more convenient for you. You got to play the race card and you jumped on it.
Nah, not really. People who use the phrase “playing the race card” tend to be racists themselves, though.
@Aaron
Nah, not really. People who classify everyone he/she gets mad at tend to be asinine, though.
We get it. Everyone's a racist except you white boy.
i have no horse in this race, i'm neither american nor white lmao. just stating what i've observed
Definitely could be due to seat number and legit miscounted on meals. But what isn't clear is if she spoke up and asked why.
It seems like “excuse me, could I have a meal?” at the time would have at least gotten her an explanation. She stated she was offered drinks, so the cabin crew clearly wasn’t totally ignoring her. Should one have to ask? No. But as my old boss said, “if you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
Poor girl.... If she couldn't 'wrap her brain around' what was happening and didn't communicate with AA, she's gonna have a lot more problems/issues confronting her in life.
And not eating all day, to anticipate a US airline's first class meal ? ... LOL ... Probably a good thing she would have been more disappointed when she tasted the 'quality' of the food being served.
But, hey, it makes for click-baits !
The FA almost certainly explained the situation to the “influencer” and she brushed it off as racism anyways. Assuming otherwise is crazy work. Who knows, maybe she even got a meal and just wanted clicks and comps anyways.
Smells fishy...
Total BS. AA always loads full seat count meals for First. However, if she did not pre order they may have not had her choice when her order was taken. And by the looks this woman dresses the only thing she could make influence me is to tell her that the look is usually reserved for ladies of the night.
I’m going to guess that the lead didn’t count the meals beforehand or she messed up the last meal left. However, this flight probably had meals for the pilots. The lead should have told the pilots and asked if it’s ok to give her one of the crew meals. Not a good look for AA….
Every POC in structurally racist white privileged America read the headline of this post ("Huh?!?") and immediately thought "yeah something like this definitely could have happened, and white people are confused and/or completely oblivious to the idea that something like this could happen."
AA's incompetence and customer unfriendliness are secondary here.
Black, Brown, Asian and other marginalized communities in American life routinely face instances of discrimination that white people play off as (1) not possible,...
Every POC in structurally racist white privileged America read the headline of this post ("Huh?!?") and immediately thought "yeah something like this definitely could have happened, and white people are confused and/or completely oblivious to the idea that something like this could happen."
AA's incompetence and customer unfriendliness are secondary here.
Black, Brown, Asian and other marginalized communities in American life routinely face instances of discrimination that white people play off as (1) not possible, (2) didn't happen, (3) innocent explanation, or all kinds of aggravating excuses. The woman in this incident was discriminated against, plain and simple.
Dollars to donuts had this been a White man in the seat, AA flight attendants--who are generally nowhere near as bad as frontline AA staff on the ground--would have apologized profusely and said a catering mixup meant there isn't any meal, but would you like more mixed nuts? Another drink? Anything else I can do to make your flight more comfortable? Please accept our sincere apologies and 10,000 AA points are on your way into your account.
Black women, like other POCs, get the silent treatment and that's discrimination and I will not hear it any other way.
You might want to remember how frequently discriminate Asians, which hit the max when the Covid pandemic broke out.
Even before that, why were the Koreans in LA forced to protect themselves from blacks when the riot happened, when both of them are the "minorities"?
Of course, you're acting blinded when the minorities (in fact, blacks aren't even a minority in these days) are the bad...
You might want to remember how frequently discriminate Asians, which hit the max when the Covid pandemic broke out.
Even before that, why were the Koreans in LA forced to protect themselves from blacks when the riot happened, when both of them are the "minorities"?
Of course, you're acting blinded when the minorities (in fact, blacks aren't even a minority in these days) are the bad ones.
Victimization at its finest.
Race doesn’t mean the presence or lack of marginalization. Asians outperform “white people” when it comes to education and income.
Also, taking anyone at their word isn’t smart or noble, it’s quite the contrary.
@Sel, D.
I've never said that Asians don't outperform white people when it comes to education and income.
Also, taking anyone at their word wasn't to make it smart or noble, it's sure is quite the contrary.
Wouldn't you want to make it clear as to which part are you talking about?
@Arps
Let's use your logic of "won't happen if it was ***" again.
"If a white woman was not served a meal by a black white flight attendant, it won't happen to be a racism, although the discrimination against the white by blacks are definitely there, while minor."
Agreed?
"The woman in this incident was discriminated against, plain and simple."
So if an American Airlines did attempt to correct the meal issue in any manner, you would be willing to donate $1000 to the Republican Party or the Daughter of Confederacy. since you are so certain her accounts are 100% accurate?
Waaa Waaaa.
Thanks Arps, your comment really stands out. Thanks for sharing!
Arps Skadden does really stand out with stupidity.
What a an idiot.
@Ben - I am just curious... do you and Gary at VFTW (and to some extent, Matthew from LALF) co-ordinate what you guys are going to write about and when? I am surprised by often I see the same articles published on all three websites around same time. It's like reading three versions of the same travel magazine, only with different font, color scheme, layout and pop-up ads!
They all have similar sources that they check frequently, as any professional blog writer would do. By the time these stories gain traction or make their way onto those sources, Ben, Gary, and Matthew more often than not immediately start writing about them if they choose to cover those stories. They are all trying to publish ASAP, and that is why they don't have much time between each person posting their article. They are all...
They all have similar sources that they check frequently, as any professional blog writer would do. By the time these stories gain traction or make their way onto those sources, Ben, Gary, and Matthew more often than not immediately start writing about them if they choose to cover those stories. They are all trying to publish ASAP, and that is why they don't have much time between each person posting their article. They are all blog writers who own their platform, so they don't have any proofreaders or editorial steps to follow either (which takes up a lot of time for writers in corporate news companies).
I think Gary, Matthew and Ben’s takes on what they cover are often dramatically different though. Ben’s tone is also much more human; I enjoy reading his articles much better than Gary/Matthew’s which oven feel as though I am reading a high school debate club paper.
Likely because they were HS Debate Team folk... they have both mentioned it in the past.
@GSHLGB I did not know that but that’s the least surprising thing I’ve ever read. Their writing is overly prescriptive, formulaic, and often quite aggressive. I appreciate Ben’s writing style hewing more toward informational and less as an attempt to convince of a viewpoint.
@DMoney I think that is perfectly normal. It is like the media reporting something like an accident or a new discovery. They may also report the same thing on the same day. It is not usually like ABC News reports it on one day and CBS News reports it three days later. Also, they have preset time for news reporting such as the ten o’clock news so they would all be reporting the same news...
@DMoney I think that is perfectly normal. It is like the media reporting something like an accident or a new discovery. They may also report the same thing on the same day. It is not usually like ABC News reports it on one day and CBS News reports it three days later. Also, they have preset time for news reporting such as the ten o’clock news so they would all be reporting the same news around the same time. So, why do you have an issue with OMATT, VFTW, and LALF reporting something around the same time?
I seriously have black fatugue, like most of America.
No, you seriously have racism.
that just means he's been paying attention.
To being racist?
Same!!!
I wonde why such things always happen to “influencers”…
Her seat number would answer the question.
facts don't matter.
Isn't it strange how influencers seem to always have these problems on airplanes? It's always an interesting coincidence.
So are you saying this did not happen to this pax and it is all a made up incident?
I’ll go there. Yes I think it’s made up. Absolutely.
I agree - BS - JUST LOOKING FOR ATTENTION
@justin dev
Sure as hell seems like it.
Just like Ben was looking for attention with his recent interactions with the agent at LGA?
Yes. Always the race card. Perhaps all the other passengers were black or Asian. Did anyone consider that ?
The incident probably happened but not necessarily for the reason she assumed.