Strangest reasons why passengers are removed from flights
You couldn’t make it up. These are some of the weirdest and wackiest reasons that have gotten people kicked off their flight.
1. Doing mathematical equations
An economics professor from the University of Pennsylvania was removed from an American Airlines flight in May this year after a passenger reported that he was writing threatening notes. What the professor was actually doing was solving a complex mathematical equation. He was escorted off the plane, but once he showed officials that his cryptic scribblings were in fact just high-level maths he was allowed to reboard.
2. Playing Words with Friends
It seems even celebrities aren’t immune to the vagaries of the airline industry. Actor Alec Baldwin was removed from a flight in 2011 after he refused to stop playing Words with Friends on his phone while the plane was waiting to take off from Los Angeles. Alec threw quite a tantrum, locking himself in the bathroom and becoming abusive towards the crew, before he was kicked off.
3. Wearing baggy pants
Another one from the celebrity files – lead singer of American punk rock band Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, was also removed from a flight in 2011. A flight attendant reportedly asked the singer to pull up his baggy pants, to which he replied “don't you have better things to do than worry about that?” The answer to that was apparently “no” because Billie Joe quickly found himself back on the tarmac.
4. Being too tall
Everyone feels cramped in an economy seat, so spare a thought for the six-foot nine-inch man who was made to leave his plane after being unable to fit his legs into the space allowed. A flight attendant repeatedly told him to keep his legs out of the aisle, even though it was physically impossible. Instead of moving him to a roomier seat he was asked to disembark. The airline later apologised and offered him a full refund.
5. Crying too much
Lots of people get a little emotional in the air, whether they’re scared of flying or because they’re undertaking a stressful journey. Two sisters flying in the US found themselves swiftly removed for becoming too emotional, according to the cabin crew. The sisters were travelling to visit their father who had just had a heart attack and one was scared of flying. When they asked for a glass of wine they were told that they had already had enough, despite not having had a single drink.
6. Bringing a strange animal onboard
Legally, service animals are always allowed to fly with their owners, but some people are taking this to ridiculous levels. One woman tried to bring her 35-kilogram support pig onto a recent flight in the US. Passengers reported that the pig was extremely agitated, screaming loudly and defecating on the floor. Even though the pair were travelling with the proper documentation, the crew decided that this was not the day that pigs would fly.
Doesn’t this sound incredible? Do you know of anyone who’s been removed from a flight, and what was the reason behind it happening? Share your story in the comments.
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