American Airlines has apologized to travel writer JT Genter after he claimed a cabin crew booted him off a flight because he moved an attendant’s bag from premium economy to an overhead bin in coach.
Genter’s work has been published in various travel publications across the web. In an AwardWallet blog post shared on June 11, he detailed how a recent travel experience with American Airlines escalated into him being kicked off the flight before takeoff.
Genter explained that he and his wife anticipated traveling together from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport via premium economy seats. After boarding, Genter realized that the overhead bin space in that cabin was already occupied. He tried to rearrange the space in the bin above his seat to fit his and his wife’s belongings, but he mentioned that one bag in particular took up too much space.
He took it upon himself to ask if any other passengers in premium economy owned the oversized bag, but he said no one claimed it. That prompted him to move the big bag into the economy cabin. However, a flight attendant noticed the big bag’s location change, and things escalated. The American Airlines worker explained that Genter moved another flight attendant’s bag. That employee allegedly claimed that workers can place their bags “anywhere” they want.
Genter asserted that he didn’t know it was a flight attendant’s bag he’d moved. In a short time, there was a back-and-forth about whose bag should be moved where, and whose belongings were more entitled to storage above Genter’s seat.
What Else Is There To Know About JT Genter And His American Airlines Incident?
The initial flight attendant, the flight attendant whose bag was moved, and the flight’s purser (the lead cabin crew member) all became involved. Genter claims to have recorded audio of his interaction with the cabin crew.
The purser allegedly claimed that Genter moved a flight attendant’s belongings from “a specific place where his [the flight attendant’s] bag has to be.” That flight attendant allegedly said he wanted Genter off the plane, and Genter ultimately deboarded. An American Airlines supervisor reportedly claimed that, despite her feelings about the incident (which seemed to be on Genter’s side), the flight attendants refused to fly if he reboarded the plane.
“Listening to the recording seemed to confirm her suspicions,” Genter recalled of the supervisor’s reaction. “She explained how she had to remove passengers from aircraft daily, and this was the most unjust removal she had ever had to do.”
Genter was rebooked on the next flight to London, but the initial flight allegedly took off with his checked baggage. He claimed that the flight doing so possibly violated an international aviation safety rule.
How Has The Carrier Responded?
In response to Genter, an American Airlines customer relations representative said in part, “Please accept our sincerest apologies for the experience you had when you were removed from the flight due to a minor misunderstanding. Given that we have standards regarding the customer service our team provides, I can understand your disappointment.”
Additionally, the airline offered the travel writer 5,000 bonus miles “as a tangible apology” in hopes of “restoring” Genter’s confidence in the carrier. Though he eventually made it to his destination, Genter ultimately described the flight crew’s behavior as “disproportionate,” “punitive,” and “personal.”
According to View From The Wing, the male flight attendant whose bag was moved allegedly commented on the incident. Reportedly, he alleged that the reason the flight crew opted for Genter’s removal was because the travel writer “indicated that he did not have to comply with crew member instructions.”
“I think it is reasonable to expect that this defiant and noncompliant behavior would continue after takeoff. That is a problem not only for the security of the flight but also for the financial bottom line of my company,” the flight attendant claimed. “If he chose to remain noncompliant and an incident arose with him in flight, we would have been forced to divert to another airport to remove him there, costing the airline and the passengers money and time. In consultation with the captain and corporate security, we determined that it was prudent to have Mr. Genter removed to avoid disrupting the otherwise normal operation of this flight.”
