A few years prior, one flier was banned from American Airlines for good after allegedly reclining his seat. The only thing is, he had no idea about it until this year. In February 2022, the man tried to make a reservation with American Airlines and found that he was banned.
After learning this, the San Diego man is suing American Airlines because he believes that his being banned is linked to the incident in 2019. Since there was no official warning or notice of the ban, the passenger, David Klein has taken matters into his own hands. The lawsuit outlines Klein’s story and requests of the airline. According to One Mile At A Time, American Airlines allegedly refused to explain why the passenger was banned.
San Diego Man Is Suing American Airlines:
The Incident:
In March 2019, Klein and his wife boarded a flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles. According to the lawsuit, a flight attendant approached Klein and asked that he put his seat in an upright position, the suit states. Once Klein had adjusted his reclined seat, the flight attendant leaned over him and began to press the seat adjustment buttons under his arm rest, the suit states.
According to the suit, Klein reacted in shock: “Surprised at having a stranger make physical contact with him, plaintiff moved the flight attendant’s arm away and told her that he would adjust his seat himself, which he immediately did.”
Following this, the flight attendant allegedly left and there were no further interactions. Klein states that another flight attendant apologized on behalf of her colleague and mentioned that she was “having a bad day”.
The Aftermath:
This year, Klein and his wife were checking their bags in for a flight to Saint Marteen at LAX when “to their surprise and horror” they realized that Klein was not allowed to fly with the airline.
American Airlines allegedly refused to provide insight into why Klein was banned from flying. In the lawsuit, Klein explains that he believes it was the flight attendant who “solely out of spite filed a report with the airline that falsely accused the plaintiff of refusing to follow safety instructions.”
David Klein’s Los Angeles Superior Court negligence suit seeks compensatory damages as well as a court order allowing him to fly on American Airlines again.
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