Woman claims to have been kicked off plane by mad F/A

[SparrowHawk]

I dunno, but I’ve watched a number of things evolve on Twitter, and this one seems to have run out of steam fairly quickly. She has about the same number of followers as me, so maybe we’re not famous enough.

Beyond the first salvo, has this person made any follow-up responses anywhere?

As of an hour ago I've no response to a PM on Flyer Talk. It seems to be a one time blast.

Is it possible that this is all a misunderstanding of the rules? Different rules poorly communicated and even more poorly understood by the customer or is it the result of two power tripping nit wit F/A's.

No doubt in my mind that their was unprofessional conduct, why it escalated into a full fledged pizzing match has me very confused.

 

[john john]

Wanted to add, it's even more confusing when you fly on republic, which has express on the side, but you can't get a bag gate checked like you do on express. Instead they follow ML policy, and extra bags are gate valeted, which use a different bag tag for that.

All 8/9-contract carriers have different operational procurers
Gate checking a standard carryon on RP on a valet tag is controversial as well.

 

[28L_or_10R?]

Google the incident, it's going viral and drama queen or not she is first and foremost a customer.

Like many drama-prone passengers, the poor lady was unable to see that the CRJ has absolutely no room for squat. If there is no room then one must get a gate valet tag on the bag. Almost every airline utilizes a contract carrier with dinky RJs. Nothing new here so get with the program. Welcome to air travel in the United States.

This woman is a train wreck and her thesis on her lack of emotional stability is a testament to this.

 

[SparrowHawk]

Like many drama-prone passengers, the poor lady was unable to see that the CRJ has absolutely no room for squat. If there is no room then one must get a gate valet tag on the bag. Almost every airline utilizes a contract carrier with dinky RJs. Nothing new here so get with the program. Welcome to air travel in the United States.

This woman is a train wreck and her thesis on her lack of emotional stability is a testament to this.

You really need to wander over and read the comments on Flyer Talk asI'm not reading "Drama Queen" into this at all. More accurate a description might be along the lines of the tag line from the movie "Network". "I'm mad as he!! snd I'm not going to take this anymore"

On board I'm non-confrontational as some F/A's blatantly abuse their power and authority for reasons known only to themselves. If what was posted was said to Jeri was said to me, I too would have been off the plane. Difference being I would have left voluntarily rather than be subjected to two mentally unstable individuals charged with my safety. If the story is true as written the two F/A's in question were IMO unfit to fly and frankly should be tested for substance abuse as they were NOT rational.

HOWEVER, if OTOH there is more to the story and there usually is, the issue becomes less clear. Another point is that for whatever reason the FAA is poking around putting F/A's under a microscope at US for all manner of nit picky things & as you point out there are different rules for different carriers.

Having read Jeri Manthey's narrative several times! (I printed it out and took it to the head, ) I think she is about 85% right. I find her to be credible, as I've seen some pretty bizzarre behavior from Regional F/A's in general.

 

[28L_or_10R?]

Having read Jeri Manthey's narrative several times! (I printed it out and took it to the head, ) I think she is about 85% right. I find her to be credible, as I've seen some pretty bizzarre behavior from Regional F/A's in general.

With regards to regional F/As, let me state that if you pay peanuts you will only hire monkeys and elephants.

However, in their defense, you need to realize that over a very long leg one is going to be cursed and treated like a second-class citizen repeatedly by jerks that think they are entitled to service only afforded Christina Aguilera on NetJets. My observation has been that some passengers arrive at the airport just looking for an argument. To compound this attitude, the average person's IQ drops about 20 points as soon as they walk through the sliding doors at the front of the terminal. They may also have had a few drinks before they get there. They will then unleash their inner rage and frustration on every airline employee, TSA agent and concession worker they encounter. It is like a continual beating. BOOM BOOM BOOM! This F/A probably had enough. You can only take so much before you end up like Fred Durst.

I would really like to know how much she paid for her tickets. Does anyone really realize that they are in a pressurized aluminum tube hurtling through the atmosphere? It truly defies the laws of physics that something so heavy can remain in flight for so long but we do it anyways. Then someone pays $300 round-trip from CAK to LAX and expects a fawning welcome and a French chef making their dinner in the galley.

 

[sbtinme]

I would really like to know how much she paid for her tickets.

How would this make a hill of beans difference? If she paid $683.55 for this ticket, should we be more upset than if she paid $122.18? The consumer doesn't set the price, the marketplace does. It's all a balance of supply and demand.

The bottom line must always be this: if the airline sells a pax a ticket, then the pax is entitled to the most basic services that airlines offer these days. That ought to include no attitude from F/As in a crappy mood.

I get it. The F/A job mostly sucks these days. Most would agree. And, yes, they get the short end of the stick on a lot of topics. But, it's the job they've chosen. If it's not working out well for them, they need to quickly move on -- not stick around and be miserable.

But the price paid for air transport should IN NO WAY have any bearing on this thread nor on the issue as reported by this pax.

 

[2clippedwings]

Ya, I think it's probably true, Not going to say why, but it probably is. Now where the F/A confusion is part to blame by PSA and the FAA. The whole carry on fiasco is a change in W&B procedures a few years ago for carry ons. I.E. I've carried this on board before with no problems. Well here is the problem of having so many contract carriers. The change in the FAA W&B is that the smaller jets can agree to not allow the standard carry on's, and they get a break on passenger weights. Though they take a hit on the carry on weight, but overall it's a paperwork weight saving thing for the carrier. Hence why PSA flights, you must gate check anything larger than a pilots flight bag. When they first got the jets, it wasn't like this. Then they started bumping passengers and bags on wx days, and PSA opted to changed their carry on policy to the no carry on, gate checked policy. I think it allows them to carry an extra 2 or 3 people and bags on the 50 seaters.

So the only guidance they give the f/a's is, if it's bigger than a pilots flight bag, it gets yellow tagged. Now you ask 10 different f/a's why they have to, and they come up with 100 different reasons, normally none of them correct.

Bottom line.......blame should be put on Tempe ultimately. Not having a standard across all they contract carriers, in order to provide a seamless product no matter which one you fly on.

Wanted to add, it's even more confusing when you fly on republic, which has express on the side, but you can't get a bag gate checked like you do on express. Instead they follow ML policy, and extra bags are gate valeted, which use a different bag tag for that. Was even more confusing when republic was on the E gates. as outstations would sometimes bring up the yellow tagged bags off those planes, and other stations wouldn't, saying that bags weren't gate checked for those flights..........Clear as mud huh?

Thank you Crzipilot for explaining why this may have happened (along with other mitigating circumstances). The no "Carry On" rule (see above) is true at PSA. Before the passenger made viral this tirade, this information could have been easily found out and explained to her. Don't know if it would have helped soothe her traumatized self but it should have then prevented the PR mess this created.

 

[sharonstoneseat]

One small detail I haven’t shared is that I am a rather well-known television personality from “Survivor.â€￾ People know who I am. Because of this and the fact that everyone recognized me, I was even MORE devastated and embarrassed than your average non-recognized person. I was HUMILIATED. And for no reason whatsoever!

I got off the plane to find a group of people waiting for me as if I were some sort of criminal or terrorist. Most of them had heard over the radio that I was from “Survivorâ€￾ and I felt as though they were waiting to get a glimpse of me.

I dunno, this person is pretty impressed with herself. When she didn't get recognition and special treatment that a rather well-known television personality deserves perhaps she created her own special episode.

The 3300 word complaint letter that reads like a bad Survivor Script intrigues me.
Unfairly voted off the Airplane!! Sounds formulaic to me.

I don't think that being a reality show participant means that everyone will recognize you. I personally had no clue that she was anyone at all unitil she mentions that small detail about her big recognition factor. She is not Sandra Bullock and on my aircraft she would have been another "average non - recognized person", you know, like the rest of us.

Ahhh Publicity..... and everyone knows that the crew's statements about the event will never be published.

 

[hp_fa]

I am not commenting on the alleged facts. However "reality" TV stars seem to they are special because of their fame. An incident with Onarosa at LAS immediately came to mind.

 

[LD3]

One small detail I haven’t shared is that I am a rather well-known television personality from “Survivor.â€￾ People know who I am.

I have never heard of her...

 

[N965VJ]

Thank you Crzipilot for explaining why this may have happened (along with other mitigating circumstances). The no "Carry On" rule (see above) is true at PSA.

Something is not adding up here:

Then, I witnessed a man with a very large briefcase (with wheels), carry his item past her with no issue. I tried to point out that my piece of luggage was much smaller than his and she exclaimed in an irritated and confrontational voice, “I’m helping another person right now, you need to wait.â€￾

The stream of people continued as I stood patiently off to the side in the “kitchenâ€￾ area. Ms. Patrician continued to ignore me as I watched many more larger pieces of carry on baggage go by: a couple of very large backpacks – compartments unzipped, expanded, filled to capacity and more than three times the size of my carry on, and more briefcases - much larger than my piece (MOST with wheels)! It should be noted that all people who boarded took a moment to look over at me as if trying to figure out why I would be standing by, wondering if maybe I had done something wrong and was being punished in some way.

 

[Crzipilot]

Well on her letter, she posted the dimensions of her bag and pictures.....the pictures do make it look small, almost the size of a large briefcase with a computer compartment. Though the dimensions she put up, it comes in just a tad shy of a standard roller board. Not looking to far into it, but the faa doesn't give dimensions on it's AC, just states that for a non carry on bag policy, the item carried on can be a personal item. I.E. purse or briefcase.

Her bag: 13â€￾ X 7.5â€￾ X 17â€￾

Standard carry on: 14â€￾ X 9â€￾ X 22â€￾

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

Up until the "lords name in vain" part, I wasn't seeing anything that doesn't happen every day with divas and drama queens.

I'm with you there. I've seen and heard mighty strange things in this business, but that strains credulity a bit.

I don't watch "Survivor" and had never heard of this woman until now. That she thinks that the crew and other passengers are fans of the show and recognized her is a bit off also.

The real mystery is why no one has some mobile phone video of all this.

(Cop friends of mine say that if there is a commotion and a crowd, they assume that someone is recording it. Sage advise for anyone these days)

 

[tea42]

Google the incident, it's going viral and drama queen or not she is first and foremost a customer.

Thanks for posting this--you beat me to the punch! The problem nowadays is most employee's do not seem to realize or appreciate---the customer---both internal and external!!

P.S.
I have been on both sides of the fence with US