A 27-year-year-old Oregon woman was removed from an American Airlines flight Sunday, seemingly with little explanation from airline employees.
Cellphone video uploaded to YouTube captured Tiana Fough’s interaction with a flight attendant as she pleaded to stay on the plane.
"He was so mean to me," Fough is heard saying in the clip, referring to a male flight attendant she said yelled at her while she was boarding the Phoenix-to-Portland flight. "I didn't even do anything."
"I'm sorry," the female flight attendant responds, "I have to have you come off the aircraft."
The ordeal began when Fough was boarding the plane and did not hear a flight attendant's instructions, NBC affiliate KPNX reported.
“I looked over and this flight attendant says ‘I asked you three times to stay right there’ and I was like, oh my gosh,” the mother of two recounts.
Fough told the station that she was approached by the flight attendant who notified her that he “can just kick [her] off this plane” and she can get on the next flight.
U.S. & World
“I asked him what his name was and he said ‘that’s none of your business,” Fough said.
When Fough arrived at her seat, another flight attendant who hadn’t witnessed the interaction tells her she was being removed from the plane.
“This can’t be legal,” Fough tells her.
That is when passenger Bill Byrne, who was sitting in the row behind Fough, pulled out his cell phone and began recording.
"If you don't come off I'm going to have to call the officers," the attendant says as passengers loudly scoff, quickly rallying to Fough's defense.
“That’s the last time I fly American,” a passenger is heard saying followed by a series of boos as Fough exits the plane.
Fough was eventually put on another flight a few hours later. She told KPNX that the airline offered her a $250 voucher — $110 short of the $360 she paid for the fare.
In a statement, American Airlines said: "We are in contact with the passenger and have apologized. We have addressed the issue with our team members to ensure we provide a consistent, quality travel experience for our customers in the future."
