Family kicked off flight out of Florida

A couple of years ago we had a flight from Gatwick Airport in London, England to Los Angeles. To set the stage, the flight was supposed to take off at (let's say) noon. Our connecting flight brought us to that airport at about 9:00 AM, so we were there in plenty of time. We stopped to have some breakfast in a lounge that was probably two hundred yards from our gate when suddenly I see from the electronic board that our flight is not only loading, but the doors are about to close. What??? It's only 10:30 AM!!!

Needless to say, we grab our stuff and start RUNNING for the gate, and I do mean running. As we get closer, we see that lots of other people are running, too. We arrive at the gate only to find that not only are the doors not about to close, but our plane hadn't even arrived. Several of us stood at the check-in desk to find out what happened. The poor gate agent was at a loss - she apologized for the error and inconvenience while explaining that she had nothing to do with the board, and that obviously whoever entered that information had made a mistake.

One passenger became quite irate, raised his voice and demanded that he be reimbursed for a breakfast that he'd abandoned in a restaurant because of the error. The gate agent explained that he could take it up with the airport and gave him the contact info, but said she was powerless to reimburse him. He became increasingly agitated and unpleasant. The gate agent was quite taken aback and said, "You're going to have to calm down, Sir."

The man snapped back, "I AM calm!"

My husband leaned in to him and said quietly, "Not airport calm, you're not."

The gate agent looked at my husband and mouthed, "Thank you."

Next thing we knew there were two security agents at the desk asking the gate agent if there was a problem. The passenger settled down in a hurry.

Bottom line - yes, there was an error and he probably should have been reimbursed for his abandoned meal, but getting rowdy at an airport over a $15 breakfast could have cost him a whole lot more than that. Temper tantrums in an airport, on a plane or at any kind of public venue will bring out security double quick.
 

Interesting, SS. It's unfortunate how many angry people there are out there. We get to see just how many at high people concentration points like airports. I hope he got his $15.00 back, tho'.

I've also seen some video of people acting up on planes that you know are just mentally ill, terrified and off their meds. Sometimes it's very sad, even when they're violent.
 
You're right, RR. I also think a lot of people have not learned to control their impulses. Add in that life can be very complicated and stressful, and the stage is set for them to respond disproportionately to relatively minor incidents.
 
I have had such an experience and I read later you have the right to complain. The guy behind me was huge and took to seats and was sweating like a rainstorm. The smell was overwhelming but I kept quiet. You have an obligation to others when you are in such close quarters. What would you do is the person next to you passed gas every few minutes?
 
fmdog44 said:
I have had such an experience and I read later you have the right to complain. The guy behind me was huge and took to seats and was sweating like a rainstorm. The smell was overwhelming but I kept quiet. You have an obligation to others when you are in such close quarters. What would you do is the person next to you passed gas every few minutes?
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I feel for you...I would be disgusted, but you can't throw people out of the window. Some things in life have downsides and we have to be able to cope. Somehow.
 
There has been instances where Captains will decide to make emergency landings to deplane unruly passengers. I don’t think people fully understand how dangerous a situation can be when a passenger or passengers become unruly. I have also known a few of our Captains that have had to deal with fist fights among the passengers while the plane was airborne.

These incidents are are now treated differently than before 9-11. In some cases, a Federal Marshal will meet the plane and take the unruly passengers into custody and they will be charged with a Federal crime, if they are over U.S. air space.
 
CeeCee said:
the whole airport experience has become very stressful in the last few years.
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Yes. Over the last decade or so it seems like the airlines, the airports, and the federal government have been working hand in hand to create a breeding ground for these types of problems. The safety of passengers and air crews obviously needs to be the top priority - no question there - but "safety" is now often being used as an excuse to deflect criticism of situations that actually stem from corporate greed and bureaucratic self-interest.

I don't see the situation getting better any time soon. Meanwhile, I'll keep my own counsel and travel by air only as a last resort.
 
Ever since I became a part of the flying public and not getting the perks that I did while I was an active pilot for United is that people in airports are just downright rude, period. Business people especially have the mentality that flying was created especially for them, so that they could visit their prospective customers and clients without delay.

If everyone would just "slow down" and show some courteousness to one another, I believe the whole system would run a whole lot smoother and be less stressful, instead of pushing through lines and acting like they are the most important person in the airport or on the plane.
 
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oldman said:
Ever since I became a part of the flying public and not getting the perks that I did while I was an active pilot for United is that people in airports are just downright rude, period. Business people especially have the mentality that flying was created especially for them, so that they could visit their prospective customers and clients without delay.

If everyone would just "slow down" and show some courteousness to one another, I believe the whole system would run a whole lot smoother and be less stressful, instead of pushing through lines and acting like they are thee most important person in the airport or on the plane.
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Sadly, it's not just airports that are this way now... it's everywhere. Have you noticed the upswing in road rage? People are crazy and hateful.
 
I know that we have rude and discourteous people everywhere we go. I watch people go in and out of doors and most don't even hold the door for the person behind them. It's like, "Every woman and man for their self." Respect and being courteous has pretty much gone away. When my wife and I go away for the evening, I still hold the car door for her and also seat her at the dining table, as well as help her with her coat. I saw my Dad do that for my Mom throughout their marriage, so I guess that I picked up on that. I guess that I am what people refer to as being "old school."

One time, we were in a bit of a hurry getting to a birthday party for our daughter, but my wife forgot to get a card. So, we stopped at the closest drugstore and we both were going to go inside. I walked very quickly and went into the store and went directly to the card section. When I turned around, I didn't see her. I backtracked and she was still standing outside the door. I asked her if something was wrong. She told me "Yes, there is something wrong. You let the door close on me." Oops, sorry about that.

I think I went off topic, so sorry about that.
 
I think there is an underlying sense of chaos in many people's lives at present and it contributes to inappropriate, unacceptable or unseemly behavior. It doesn't make it right, just explainable. Living in a constant state of 'waiting for the other shoe to drop' destroys a person's peace of mind and makes us do things without thought or reason.
 
Passengers have a right to expect a flight that is free from totally obnoxious odors. An airlines would be derelict in its duty to those other passengers, who would be subjected to such unhygenic travelers.
 

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