04/04/2024
Uodate: American Airlines did contact Mom and apologized sincerely. They stressed customer service is a priority. Nick was identified and will be facing retraining.
……
Intrusive, disrespectful, a lack of empathy and clear bias was not something Mom, Marshal Jim, and Pax expected on the last leg of their flight last night. Mistakes were made by an employee.
After a long day of flights with American Airlines and layovers Pax, Mom and Marshal boarded the last flight home. It appeared all boarding was complete and Mom and Marshal Jim were relieved to think the extra seat of the 3 in their row was empty- so they could spread out and let Pax comfortably rest between them, instead of smooshing under the seat - which he can do but, it’s not super comfortable.
A kind flight attendant told us the other passenger, an elderly man, had accidentally walked by the seat and was coming back. Marshal Jim moved back over. The flight attendant then noticed Pax, lying under Mom and Marshal Jim’s legs, tucked under the seat. She brought over another, seemingly superior flight attendant named Nick and told him there were additional seats toward the back and wondered if they could ask the passenger to change seats to the back - (we discovered later on the flight his wife was actually in row 20 and he would have preferred to move).
Nick gave Pax a side glance, and said, “He doesn’t look bothered,” and walked away. The kind flight attendant looked at Mom apologetically, but also walked away. Mom should have been prepared for the disdain Nick displayed toward Pax - she’s an expert in reading body language, and she’d seen his expression when they boarded but chose to let it go. She was tired.
The change of seats, would have given Pax an extra foot to stretch out and the other passenger a chance to be by his wife.
The change:
Asked for: No
Would have been nice: Yes
Good customer service: Yes
Could have been possible: Yes
Compassionate: Yes
Preferred by the other passenger if asked: Yes
After take off Marshal Jim went to the restroom. Nick came by to hand out cookies - which Mom and Marshal Jim can’t have because they have gluten in them. Mom declined. Nick pointed to the seat where Marshal Jim had been and very condescendingly said, “Where is he?” Mom thought it was an odd question but replied, “He went to the restroom.” Nick became indignant and said loudly and dramatically- “Did he go to the front (pointing to first class),” or the “back?” Mom said, “I don’t know.” Nick pursed his lips in disapproval and began to look for Marshal Jim who was stuck behind the beverage cart (coming up from the back). Mom thought, would he have done that with any other passenger? It was odd and very directed , targeted at Mom and Marshal Jim. Nick pointed to Marshal Jim and addressed the other flight attendant and again very loudly and condescendingly said, “He needs to get back to his seat,” pointing first at Marshal Jim then at the seat. His tone made it sound like Marshal Jim had done something wrong.
This demeanor continued throughout the flight with passing smirks, pursed lips, and eye rolls. The interaction was unnecessary and made Mom very uncomfortable.
Bottom line:
If you don’t like service animals and people with disabilities who need them you should not be in the transportation and service industry. It was clear Nick liked neither.
One person’s thoughtfulness (the first flight attendant) could have made a big difference for a working service dog. Instead, one persons lack of compassion, and snide attitude, made the flight long, and tiring, and made Mom upset.
To be honest, American Airlines had done a great job throughout their travels - until then. If this happens to Mom, a disability advocate, then it undoubtedly happens to others who don’t have a voice to raise awareness - to help fix a problem. We expect to contact us to discuss how they’ll address it so others aren’t faced with it when traveling.
To my successor Pax - welcome to the world of disability advocacy. It is a job we take seriously. Remember our motto: Just do the next right thing.
Don’t be a Nick!
