[Dawn]

On Feb. 22 eleven of us returned from our Carnival Cruise, after having a glorious week of fun in the sun we arrived for our US Airways 7:05 flight out of Fort Lauderdale. Two of our group were in wheel chairs and already boarded with their children/immediate family. Myself, husband, and 11 year old son were standing at the gate agents desk as we have many many times before to get a tag for the 4lb wooden boat packaged appropriately in cardboard, since it was too big for overhead comp. and too fragile for baggage. We expected to get a tag and be on our merry way as usual. Much to our surprise, we were told by the gate agent that she was tired of people like us trying to do this and we would have to check it as regular baggage and they never allow things like that to be tagged. I pleaded with her to no avail. We still had about 15 minutes so I went two gates down to the customer service desk and asked if something like tagging the boat was acceptable. In which I was told that she didn't see why not. She asked which gate it was. When I told her, she glanced at her co-worker and said that there wasn't anything she could do because that would be counteracting the judgement of her other coworker whom had much more seniority than her. So she then referred me to her supervisor who was at the time busy with a drunk passenger, getting her to change flights and so on. But i was told to go to my gate and he would be over shortly. I went back to the gate and by then they were announcing that the flight was overbooked and were taking volunteers, blah blah.At that time we were asked if we would volunteer and take a later flight the next day. We kindly declined because of the rest of our friends/family already aboard and my son had already missed a week of school. I then asked one more time if they could tag the boat like a "stroller" and was rudely told no way. I had to check it as baggage/sign the breakage waiver, I did, having no other choice since the superviser never came over.
The three of us walked down the gangway, and were stopped at the entrance of the plane and were told that all the overhead compartments were full so our roller boards had to be tagged like a "stroller" and taken below, just like I asked them to do with the 4 lb boat.
We boarded the plane, got to our assigned seats and low and behold there were three empty seats and four people standing. The male flight attendant told us to take our seats immediately, because we were holding up the flight. Now either I missed the humor in his sarcasm or he couldn't count as well as my eleven year old whom understood the situation. After kindly asking him what we were supposed to do, he replied "take your assigned seats immediately" Very frustrated by now, I handed him our boarding passes and said ok please figure this out for us, tell us exactly where to sit.
He proceeded to try and make the last three rows stand up and shuffle their seats to where they were supposed to be sitting, as if three seats were going to magically turn into four! All the time giving us sarcasm because he actually couldn't figure out that there were not enough seats.
Finally after he told my husband that we were trouble makers, MY HUSBAND HAD ENOUGH. He called him a F****** idiot.
Yes, my husband was asked to leave the plane, which he did willingly because he knew he should not have let the F bomb fly, but he got off as gracefully as one can after doing something like that.
The flight attendant told my son and me that the sheriff's had been called and would deal with him.
My son started crying hysterically and I realized I had all of our money, id's and so on. I notified the flight attendant that I needed to deplane the aircraft. He told me I couldn't to sit down or he would call the deputy on me. I told him to do what he needed to do and stood up gathered my and sons things together and told him to get out of my way I was leaving the aircraft. He then told me to hurry up and get off of his plane, berating me the whole time. We probally made it past four rows going down the ailse and my son's back pack slipped off his shoulder so I stopped to put it back on since he was in front of me. The male flight attendant then shoved me in the back and told me to get moving, well when he did that my son fell because i was shoved into him. I then told the male flight attendant to never touch me again. And he best never shove me again. His reply was, "Honey I never touched you" Keep moving.
When we reached the door way of the aircraft I turned to him and asked what his name was so I could report him and he laughed and told me it was his word against mine, good luck honey, let me guess, your gonna get me fired right? Turned and walked away.
In the waiting area of the gate, as promised there was my husband, and two sheriff's deputy's.
The very rude gate agent and the superviser whom I was waiting for in the beginning of this whole mess were telling the deputy's that we were trouble makers and were asking for trouble from the beginning. Last time I checked my son and I had done nothing. I asked the deputy if I could speak to him about what happened and he told me to shut up and sit down or I would be arrested. My son by then was more hysterical than I had ever seen him in my life was having what i would call a adult panic attack, couldn't breath and told me he was going to throw up. So I being a mother, got up and went over to the small waste basket to give it to him to vomit in and the deputy yelled " I told you to take a seat now lady this is your last warning, I'm gonna arrest all of you. Needless to say my son vomited all over the floor. The gate agent told the deputy " see, I told you they were touble makers" and all the while the supervisor went along with it agreeing. Never once was I or my husband or son aloud to state the facts as to what had transpired over the last fifteen minutes.
Finally, we were asked for ID, showed it, and were told to leave the premises. I tried to ask if they were going to reschedule us or what were our options? The gate agent told us that was our problem, and again the deputy told us to leave immidiately or we would be arrested.
So there we are left high and dry in Fort Lauderdale. Had to get a hotel, which is not cheap in Lauderdale. Got to hotel and called us airways and they said we were "Blacklisted" so I had to pay for three one way tickets on Continental Airlines, at 700and some odd dollars apiece for three tickets. I have yet to hear back from US Airways after filing two complaints. I still have no idea where my baggage is. I filed a complaint against the Broward County Sheriff's Dept. Deputy's What else can I do? Do I have a leg to stand on? And please no comments about my husband he knows he deserved to be thrown off of the plane, that was never a gripe. But what about my son and I who did nothing wrong? Shouldn't they have tried to help us make some kind of arrangements, not just tell us tough, we are on our own? Please someone give me advice, good or bad, I'm a grown woman who can handle alot but not if I don't know what my rights are. I do not want to look like an idiot for no reason again!

[countrynewsman]

Originally Posted by Dawn

When we reached the door way of the aircraft I turned to him and asked what his name was so I could report him and he laughed and told me it was his word against mine, good luck honey, let me guess, your gonna get me fired right? Turned and walked away.

I'm having a bit of a problem with this post. If he indeed did say it was his word against yours, that couldn't be true. There was a plane full of people and I'm sure if you were shoved by the flight attendant, there were more than just one passenger who witnessed it . I'm thinking there's more to this story.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Under the circumstances you described US Airways should give you a refund which reflects the cost of your return transportation. You may need to take US Airways to small claims court to get them to pay. For the purpose of a refund, the circumstances surrounding your not being allowed to use your return flight are irrelevant as to what prompted US Airways decision to deny you transportation. Whether you'll see the entire amount you paid Continental remains to be seen. Does Amtrak have a station reasonably near your home? If a US Airways representative shows-up in court expect him to have the Amtrak fares in hand. If Amtrak would have cost you less than Continental, you may only see the Amtrak fare. The flight attendant's comment, as you left the plane, was very revealing. His statements, in effect, say there is, almost, no sort of bad behavior a US Airways flight attendant can expect consequences for. As to the incident that sparked this situation: In the future if you don't have the time, and/or money, to visit a "UPS Store," or similiar type of service, then don't buy an item which will not withstand travel in checked baggage. I know, for a fact, Fort Lauderdale has a few UPS Stores. I've patronized one or two. As to the cop: Don't expect anything but a self-righteous defense of the Deputy's actions from the Broward Sheriff's Office. Finally, being banned, by US Airways, is kind of like the ruler of Darfur telling you you're not welcome there! Still, I trust your husband now sees the value of adopting the personality of a masochist when travelling with US-based airlines. Expect to see a heap of posts, following this one, by airline people calling you names and saying that flight attendant, and the gate agent, are the next thing to Mother Theresa!

[ChrisH]

Regardless of what your husband did, you were treated VERY poorly, and it truly angers me at USAirways, and the Sheriff's department.

My suggestion would be to write a letter, detailing everything, to the DOT, and also send a copy to the FAA. At this point, USAirways has probably documented your reservation, with their side of the story, which doesn't go in your favor, as far as dealing with their customer service department, about this incident.

[countrynewsman]

Again I will say that there were a planeload of passengers who obviously witnessed what happened. You could take this to an attorney and perhaps these people could be contacted. Something just doesn't seem right to me. Maybe I'm missing something.

[Dawn]

Originally Posted by countrynewsman

I'm having a bit of a problem with this post. If he indeed did say it was his word against yours, that couldn't be true. There was a plane full of people and I'm sure if you were shoved by the flight attendant, there were more than just one passenger who witnessed it . I'm thinking there's more to this story.

One good thing is that remember there were a total of eleven of us and indeed they all witnessed it. with the exception of my husband who was already off the plane. At the time, I don't believe the flight attendant knew we were all in the same area of the incident.
They are willing to speak out, but again, we were never given a chance yet.

[countrynewsman]

Originally Posted by Dawn

One good thing is that remember there were a total of eleven of us and indeed they all witnessed it. with the exception of my husband who was already off the plane.

I'm actually talking about the other passengers on the plane. It was full, and you were walking up the aisle from the rear when the flight attendant shoved you. There was probably already a commotion and people were paying attention to what was going on. If you are describing this incident correctly, there were other passengers (strangers) who no doubt got a good view of what happened.

[Dawn]

I agree again, and thank you for pointing that out. My whole point of persuing this is to make a point that I/other passengers are affraid to point out wrongful things for fear of being thrown off the plane, after this incident our friends/family did not utter one word because of the speach that was given to all the passengers after we were off the plane. They felt that the flight attendant would consider it "confrontational".

[countrynewsman]

What was the speech given to all passengers?

[Dawn]

Something to the effect that they will not tolerate undermining of their orders under any circumstances of their judgement as they are in control of the cabin at all times, and if at any time anything is questionable it is up to their descression to deal with it as they deem necessary to maintain control of the cabin. They appologised to the passengers for our not understanding what "take your seats immediately" meant.
Which if you remember, unless my son sat on my lap, was quite impossible.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

As a long-term goal the government (the US Dept. of Transportation—the “DOT”) should consider setting-up “consumer” desks in select concourses at major airports. These desks should include inspectors with the power to issue violation notices to airlines. On a similar note this incident is a good argument for the licensing, by the DOT, of cabin crew with a requirement that an identifying license number be worn by all crew and be clearly visible to all passengers. Again we have a situation where it is obvious that cabin crew have been given the message by their superiors—intentionally, or otherwise—that bad behavior carries no consequences. As evidence I present the quote (provided by the customer) from the flight attendant:

I turned to him and asked what his name was so I could report him and he laughed and told me it was his word against mine, good luck honey, let me guess, your gonna get me fired right? Turned and walked away.

To expand on a comment from another poster: The problem with cabin and ground crew misbehavior is compounded when you have what, in law enforcement, is called the “blue wall of silence”—co-workers, of staff and crew, who will lie, or deny witnessing events, in a conspiracy to cover the facts. Air Marshalls can not be seen as a solution to this problem. To do their job effectively Air Marshalls must be able to count on the cooperation of the crew. Thus there is a strong incentive for an Air Marshall to passively, or even actively, be part of any “blue wall of silence.”

I’m not suggesting that bad behavior is common to the majority of US-based airline staff and crew. However, the postings on this board appear to suggest there is a significant minority who see nothing wrong with abusing customers. Responsible crew and staff can either begin to speak-up about this situation, or wait until the government has to intervene and perhaps make life miserable for ALL crew and staff.

[countrynewsman]

I guess I can't say much about U.S. Airways since I've flown them only two or three times...before and after their "marriage" with America West. Nothing memorable about those flights...good or bad. Still, I feel we're missing some important part in this. If you have described this incident correctly, I can't imagine the rest of the passengers on a full airplane not coming forward about this incident.

[Dawn]

Thank you for this posting, the "blue wall of silence" has already been confirmed to me by my brother who is a police officer. I phoned him this morning and told him what happened. And though I know he cares deeply for me he responded like a hardened police officer would. " the flight attendant had no intent to harm your child" " you should have passively sat there until the situation was over" " you are a big baby who needs to get over it, you walked away without anything happening to the three of you and you are home now. Consider it all good and walk away" " The flight attendant would have only gotten a 100 dollar summary offense and it wasn't worth writing the report over"
Truthfully, we have been flying all over the world for the last 20 years, and this is honestly the first time anyone has ever been rude, or even unhelpful. We travel enough to know stuff happens and we always roll with it. Maybe we were just due for some bad luck. Also thank you to everyone else who posted. Sometimes you cannot see how important or not important things are until you actually read what other people's opinions are. All is helpful!

[countrynewsman]

Originally Posted by Butch Cassidy Slept Here

I’m not suggesting that bad behavior is common to the majority of US-based airline staff and crew. However, the postings on this board appear to suggest there is a significant minority who see nothing wrong with abusing customers. Responsible crew and staff can either begin to speak-up about this situation, or wait until the government has to intervene and perhaps make life miserable for ALL crew and staff.

I am not saying that abusing customers is OK. What I am saying is that there was a full 737 (I looked up the equipment on their web site) and that those passengers couldn't have helped but see the problem. These passengers should be questioned...subpeonaed...whatever...in what seems to me would be a very good legal case against that carrier if what I am reading is a true account of the incident. If the same thing, as she described, happened to me, you can damn well bet I would seek an attorney immediately and insist the passengers on that flight be questioned as to what happened. We are hearing only one side of the story and I feel there are pieces to that side that are missing.

[Dawn]

I already contacted my attorney, since I live in Pennsylvania, he asked me how far I wanted to go with this. His best advice currently is to see what transpires from my complaint to US Airways and also Broward County Sheriff's Dept. And warned me that it was going to cost me thousands of dollars to prove a point. I am not crying wolf and saying that my life will never be the same because I was shoved by a flight attendant. I truthfully am just very embarassed, and want reimbursed for what I had to spend to get home. And I want my luggage that they cannot seem to find. Also if this can happen to someone as passive and calm as I am, what's next?

[jimworcs]

I think court will be far too costly for little reward. Bad publicity is much better. Get the names of witnesses who are prepared to testify and send a detailed complaint to US Airways and to the DOT, with witness statements. Complain specifically about the abuse of power and see what happens. Sometimes, courts are not the best resort, because it will harden positions and proving it can be difficult.

[Dawn]

I am beginning to believe that is probally my best bet also, as my attorney already reminded me that "The good old boy system is still alive and well in Florida" especially in the airport. They are so used to beligerant people, drunk passengers, and so on that most airline and deputy's really don't care what happened just as long as you are no longer their problem anymore. Most people want to stay out of it. Especially if it doesn't involve them.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

You said you live in Pa. If you're reasonably near Trenton, NJ; 30th Street Station in Philadelphia; or Wilmington, Amtrak might be a good alternative if you're headed to Florida again or anyplace else where there's a station. I've used them occasionally. I even took a long-distance trip--30th Street to Spokane, Wash. Compared to the airlines, the only restriction with carry-ons is whether the item is so bulky that it impedes the movement of others in the given car. Also, the train crew is a hell of a lot more civilized than your average airline cabin crew. Amtrak people are, of course, paid substantially better than their airline counterparts. Checked baggage service is available at 30th St. provided your destination station ALSO handles checked baggage. Sleeping accomodations are available for some extra bucks.

[countrynewsman]

Yeah...probably true. Some TV news stations have an "...on your side" segment. Maybe one of them would be interested.

[Dawn]

Here is the reply I received from US Airways after all of the detailed complaints, This doesn't even address the problem. Do they even read the complaints???

Dear Mrs. Alton:

Than you for contaacting Customer Relations at US Airways. We are sorry you were unable to take your originally scheduled flight. We are in receipt of your explanation and concern regarding the situation on Flight 1105.

Through our investigation and from internal reports of the incident you described, it appears our personnel view this encounter from a different perspective. When there is any question as to a passenger's behavior, the Captain has the authority to deny travel. We have an obligation to all our customers to provide them with professional service carried out in a safe, secure environment.

Our reports indicate the Captain of Flight supported the recommendation, and we uphold that decision.

Again, thank you for contacting US Airways. We appreciate your giving us the opportunity to explain our position. Thank you for understanding.

Sincerely,

Beatriz Pondevie
Customer Relations
Corporate Office

[Silent Bob]

I'm gonna agree with country on this one as things had gone to such an extreme that the sherriff's county officer told you to be quiet. secomdly there was a lot of pushing, yelling, and obviously swearing that with a plane full of people you have a hand full of witnesses who can back you up. However your family was onboard that flight (11 in total including the ousted party), why didn't anyone else intervene? Iknow the wheelchaired passengers would not, but what about the others?

[jimworcs]

I think I would put this down to experience and just avoid US Airways in future... it will be a "he said, she said" scenario and I think it is going no-where....