Being rude sometimes pays off because you get what you want when a person is just not in the mood or in a position to be able to argue. But you never know if the Starbucks barista didn’t spit in your coffee or if you are actually talking to the general manager who won’t be disrespected.
This Karen thought that she was the most important person on the plane because she upgraded to first class and the situation escalated to the point where the captain had to sort it out and he simply kicked her off the plane.
More info: Reddit
Just because you want something, it doesn't mean you can get it by being rude, and this entitled woman got even less than that
Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual image)
The story is told by a former airline captain who was commuting and bought a first class ticket as it was the last seat available
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual image)
A woman who was upgraded to first class wanted him to move because he was in her seat, but the captain paid for it so he remained in place
Image credits: Kelly (not the actual image)
The situation escalated and the captain of the flight had to intervene
Image credits: u/snarfleberry
He falsely promised the woman her first-class seat and a voucher, but she was actually escorted out of the plane
About 40 years ago, the Original Poster (OP) was an airline captain and has flown 727, 737, A-300 and DC-10 airplanes in his career. At the time of the story, he was living in Atlanta, but commuted to Houston and usually he would get a jump seat in the cockpit, which was free.
But on this particular day, the jump seat was already taken and the only available seat was in first class. The OP had to get to work, so he bought it and was calmly waiting for the journey to start.
This is when Entitled Woman enters the scene and incites a conflict as she was upgraded from first class and the OP was sitting in her seat.
Then another character appears: the flight attendant, who tried to resolve the issue, which there appeared to be none because the OP was right where he was supposed to be. At the same time, Entitled Woman was not cooperating and was avoiding showing her boarding pass.
That is when the final character of the play shows up, and that is the captain of the flight, who deescalated the situation by promising Entitled Woman that she would have her seat and even a voucher for the next flight.
Although that was a big fat lie, because the OP saw Entitled Woman pounding the window of the gate area, which meant she was kicked off the flight. Many people called the OP a liar himself because it would be a hassle to kick off a passenger because of luggage, so the story must be fake.
Well, the former pilot explained in a comment, “For whatever it's worth, this happened well before 9/11 and there was no requirement in place to retrieve the luggage of a passenger who was deboarded.”
They also found it weird that there was no room for a colleague and he had to buy a ticket, in first class, no less. But others confirmed that it happens a lot even to this day, not to mention back then.
Image credits: Kelly (not the actual image)
The Redditor has more stories about flights on his account and one of them includes a woman bringing a bullhorn and announcing that the captain, a.k.a. the OP, would lead the passengers in prayer to have a safe flight.
Which just shows that there was little control over what people could bring on the plane or how things worked, because people in the comments were convinced that now a bullhorn would raise an eyebrow at security.
Most of the security requirements were changed as a response to terrorist attacks, but the biggest ones appeared after the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001. Some of our readers will not even remember how it all looked before, but according to NPR, you could arrive at the airport just minutes before your flight, nobody would check your baggage, you didn’t need to take off your coat or shoes, and you didn’t even need an ID.
Jeff Price, who was assistant security director at Denver International Airport on Sept. 11, 2001, and is now an aviation security expert at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said, “Before 9/11, security was almost invisible, and it was really designed to be that way. It was designed to be something in the background that really wasn't that noticeable and definitely did not interfere with aircraft or airport operations."
So the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, was created and there was a requirement instated for all baggage without exceptions to be screened by X-rays. In 2003, TSA started training flight staff to use firearms if needed.
Then, in 2006, after British authorities managed to prevent a terrorist attack that included liquid explosives, the TSA banned liquids, gels and aerosols from passenger carry-on luggage, although they amended the rule a month later by setting a 3.4 ounce limit.
In 2008, airports started using dogs to detect bombs and in 2009, full-body scanners were installed when a terrorist was hiding explosives in their pants.
Since then, the security technology has been regularly updated and airports react to any advancements in bomb making. So you can blame terrorists for the long lines and for having to wake up in the middle of the night when your flight is only in the morning.
There has been no other similar plane hijacking since 9/11, and it’s probably safe to say that it’s because of the precautions and not because humanity is getting better, as there were many attacks that were prevented.
But one thing didn’t change and that is if the flight captain sees it necessary, they can kick a passenger off the plane, which people would like to see happen more often because it’s the worst when you are locked in a tight space thousands of feet above ground with an annoying person.
Do you think the captain made a good decision? Do you think the situation could have been solved in a different way as the woman probably had somewhere to be? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Readers were amused by the story and believed the woman got what she deserved, but they also felt sorry for the airport staff that had to handle her
