While passengers suing airlines is pretty common, this has to be one of the most bizarre instances, as reported by PYOK.
EL AL faces business class seat lawsuit
An EL AL customer is suing the Israeli national airline over an incident that happened on October 23, 2022, on a flight from Tel Aviv (TLV) to New York (JFK). According to a lawsuit filed in New York, a “gentleman of advanced age” (as the lawsuit describes it) got stuck in a business class seat and a flight attendant had to pull him free, leading to serious injuries.
Lawyers for the man are arguing that the airline should be held accountable under the Montreal Convention, as flight attendants didn’t properly explain to the passenger how he could safely recline his seat.
According to the lawsuit, the traveler became stuck in the seat as it was being reclined. A flight attendant then had to “forcibly” free him, resulting in an injury that has caused “great pain, agony, and mental anguish.” He has now reportedly had to spend money on medical treatments for the injuries he sustained during the flight.
The Montreal Convention holds airlines responsible for any injuries that passengers sustain, unless it can be proven that it was due to the customer’s negligence.
For context, this flight was operated by an EL AL Boeing 787, featuring fully flat beds in business class with direct aisle access (you can read my review of the product here).
How can you get injured in a business class seat?!
Admittedly business class airline seats can be pretty complex nowadays. They typically cost tens of thousands of dollars to produce (or even more than that), and have several motorized functions that can be complicated to use. It can be easy to get small objects stuck in the seats and then damaged, whether it’s a smartphone or a pair of glasses.
But I can’t wrap my head around this situation. How do you get your body stuck in a business class seat, to the point that you’re seriously injured? It sounds like the passenger was reclining his seat when this happened. Did the passenger have some awful pre-existing injury, and/or how bad were the injuries he sustained on the flight?
The Montreal Convention of course puts the burden on airlines to ensure that passengers don’t get hurt. This should be an interesting case when it comes to deciding where exactly the line is drawn for negligence. Millions of people manage to use airplane seats every single day without injury, so what made this situation so different?
Bottom line
A “gentleman of advanced age” is suing EL AL after he got stuck in a business class seat on a flight from Tel Aviv to New York. A flight attendant allegedly had to “forcibly” free him, leading to injuries that required medical treatment. This whole situation has caused “great pain, agony, and mental anguish.”
There are more questions than answers when it comes to this situation, and I’m curious to see how this case plays out.
What do you make of this EL AL business class seat situation?
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