![]() ![]() There were whispers throughout the business class and Economy Plus cabins as I made the walk of shame down the aisle.Īgain, I was asked to step off the aircraft and said, “Just as soon as I get my coat back.” The only FA who knew which coat was mine was still hiding somewhere, so she had to be found in order to retrieve my coat. I walked back to my seat, opened the overhead bin, and retrieved my garment bag and rollerboard. I looked at the GS rep and shook my head. With that, he turned and retreated back into the flight deck, with the female first officer looking on. Captain, may I have one of your business cards?Ĭaptain: I don’t have any, but United will have no trouble finding me. I’d advise you to get off this plane now. Me: Why are you threatening me? Your FA is lying-I did not disobey any crewmember instruction.Ĭaptain: Look, we’re already late. You can make this easy or make this difficult. I did try to explain to her why I was taking pictures-I am a travel writer. She told me stop taking pictures and I stopped. He would not look me in the eyes as we spoke.Ĭaptain: Sir, you are not flying on this flight.Ĭaptain: My FA tells me she told you to stop taking pictures and you continued to take pictures. He stepped into the cockpit for a few minutes and a few minutes later the captain emerged. The GS rep would not let me approach the flight deck but offered to talk to the captain on my behalf. I asked to speak to the captain-surely this was a ridiculous misunderstanding. She leaned forward, our eyes briefly meant, then she quickly hid herself again. The GS rep stepped into the galley, around the corner, and asked the FA to verify it was me. My first thought was that they had the wrong passenger-they must have wanted the passenger who was arguing. ![]() You’ll need to gather your things and we’ll find another way to get you to Istanbul.” I was flabbergasted. He was direct-”The captain is not comfortable with you on this flight. As I walked up front, I noticed the FA who had reprimanded me earlier ducked into the front galley and out of sight. ![]() I again emphasize, I took no more pictures.Ī few minutes later a Global Services rep came onboard and asked to have a word with me, motioning for me to follow him. She took my jacket but refused to take my business card saying, “No, that’s okay,” then saying, “I did not know that” after I explained my reason for taking pictures. I write about United Airlines on an almost-daily basis and the folks at United in Chicago are even aware of my blog.” I hope you didn’t think I was a terrorist. “I want you to understand why I was taking pictures. ![]() I signaled for her to come back and asked her to hang my coat. Naturally, the FA’s warning bothered me and I felt the need to explain myself. This passenger had a lively discussion with the FA, though I did not hear the resolution. Meanwhile, another passenger was taking pictures behind the curtain and the FA ran over to him and demanded that he stop as well. To be clear, I did not take any more pictures-not a single one. I looked at the FA, smiled, but said nothing, putting my iPhone away. She referenced this section of the Hemispheres magazine: When I held the phone at forehead level to take the picture below, a flight attendant came running over and told me that I could not take any pictures of the cabin. Naturally, I wanted to provide a review for you.Īs I settled into my seat, I pulled out my iPhone to take a few pictures of the seat. It was my first time on this reconfigured aircraft and my first longhaul in the Continental BusinessFirst seat. The 767-300 was outfitted in a two-cabin configuration, staffed by a legacy United crew, and I had been upgraded to business class. Last Thursday I was scheduled to fly from Newark to Istanbul on United’s direct flight. But frankly, the more I replay the incident in my mind, the more certain I become that I was wronged. The situation was both traumatizing and highly embarrassing and I wanted to ensure that I had ample time to consider what transpired before hurling any accusations or failing to understand the other side. Live and Let’s Fly has been silent the last three days as I weighed how I wanted to cover what happened to me on a United Airlines flight from Newark to Istanbul last week. ![]()
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