[bluewhistler@hotmail.com]

I was harassed, interrogated, and racially profiled by a USAir flight attendant on Flight number 3211 on January 19, 2008 from Washington, DC (DCA) to Charlotte, NC (CLT) for being Asian American. Before she came over to talk to me, it was announced the flight was full. She asked whether a vacant seat had a person sitting next to me. I told her someone was sitting there. I thought someone was sitting there because a man had placed luggage in the overhead compartment above my head and I assumed he was sitting next to me. My girlfriend was sitting across from the aisle and saw the flight attendants rolling their eyes as they were interrogating me. When my girlfriend (Kristen Colletti) asked if it was a passenger's responsibility to determine whether the flight was full or not, the flight attendant replied loudly,"That is not the point! Because of him, there is now someone stuck at Dulles airport." She told me she was going to file a report against me because I said the seat was empty. She came back to my seat more than once and continued to badger me. It was very embarrassing and traumatic for myself, my girlfriend and her 6 year old daughter. Being an Asian American, I believe her acts were racially motivated, accusatory and derogatory. She essentially was blaming me for not doing her own job. My girlfriend asked one of the flight attendants for her name and the name of her supervisor. She refused. Throughout the flight her id, which was attached to a lanyard, was in her pocket. She did not want us knowing her name.
At the end of the flight when all passengers deplaned, 2 security officers and other USAirways personnel came on the plane to speak with us. When my girlfriend asked if it was a passenger's responsibility to know if the flight was full, one USAirways employee stated that it was not a passenger's responsibility. When my girlfriend told them that the experience was traumatic for all of us, the security officer replies callously, "I'm sure you will get over it."
The officer asked us if my girlfriend, my daughter and I should be detained. I was literally shocked. The manager at USAirways stated that we stayed on the plane on our own free will. I am extremely upset and felt violated of my rights as a human being and a customer and passenger above a USAirways flight. I am extremely concerned at the USAirways flight crews ability to determine who is supposed to be on the flight and has to ask passengers to verify who is on the flight. This poses a high security risk. My contact info: bluewhistler@hotmail.com and phone number is 703-794-7387. I have also reported this to my congressman/representative in Virgina, MSNBC, Washington Post, Department of Transportation, Transportation Security Agency, Homeland Security, Virgina Representatives and Senators, and the White House.
Stanley Hao

[Silent Bob]

Sir, it sounds like you were pegged as a troublemaker, not because of your race but because you neglected to tell the flight attendent that the seat was empty and probably continued to state the seat was taken after numerous times you were asked about it. (which would make it appear that you wanted a free seat rather than sit next to anyone) What you should have done was say no the seat was free and let them deal with the consequences of their own actions. True it is not your responsibility if the flight is full or not and its not your responsibility to keep track of passengers, but if you hinder with the flight in anyway, well you already know what happens, security waits for you on the other end. But before you contacted all those companies and posted on this site you should have gotten a lawyer first, especially if your gonna cry "Racial profiling". However it doesn't appear to be racially motivated, I'm not sure you understand what racial profile means or exactly how it works, but nothing on your complaint shows inno way shape or form that you were profiled because you are asian, directly or indirectly. but good luck trying to prove you were "profiled" in a court of law.

[bluewhistler@hotmail.com]

How would you know what I was trying to do with my response? Anything could have happened. A person may have been sitting there, maybe yes, maybe not. How do you really know who was sitting in there assigned seat? A customer has to know they should be sitting in the proper seat. As passengers, WHO'S RESPONSIBILITY IS IT TO KNOW???? I don't know, and I don't care. I AM THE CUSTOMER. It is not the passenger!!!

[Silent Bob]

I didn't disagree with you about who's responsible for keeping track of passengers and such, you're right that is not your job, you are the passenger, but due to the end results of the incident (security waiting for you at the other end), one can deduce that you were the cause of the problem. Because to have security and whomever waiting for you at the other end, then something serious went down. But you overkill it with the racial profiling and from your story you're gonna have a hard proving that this all happened because you're asian. Ultimately we only know one side of the story and if security was called as the end result, who do you think the FAA, the DOT, MSNBC, etc are going to believe? Again good luck, let us know how it turns out as this is the best complaint yet.