US Airways forced me off flight for being quiet
My fiancee and I were originally supposed to fly from Ft. Myers to Philadelphia but a US Airways delay in DCA caused me to call US Airways and, after more than three hours on hold, rebook us out of Orlando. On a full flight from Orlando to Philadelphia yesterday, I closed my eyes and put in earplugs before takeoff, as I was seated between a rowdy spring break group chanting obscenities and a squirming family of five. When a flight attendant tapped me on the shoulder, I gave a thumbs up and said "I'm okay." The next event was the plane returning to the gate and Orlando Police removing me (I left without complaint or argument) for being "unresponsive to crew." My fiancee, seated elsewhere, was also removed for inquiring what was happening.
When she was finally rebooked (I was not), she arrived sick and exhausted in Philadelphia, where the baggage services clerk threatened to call the police when she requested help standing and moving her suitcase. It is clear to this long-time US Airways customer that the company has lost any interest in respecting human dignity or their own commitment to paying customers as they turn their staff into raving fascistic bureaucrats and ignore massive service failures. They now supplement this with the criminal behavior of "making an example" of my compliant fiancee and I in order to calm a cabin that the crew had lost control of.
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