Traumatic is the word both Porscha and Charles Davis used when describing their most recent experience on an American Airlines flight from Miami.
The couple said they were kicked off their flight after a passenger, who is also an alleged American Airlines flight attendant, called Porscha the n-word. The couple claims the passenger/employee was rewarded for her behavior with an upgrade to first class while the couple was humiliated and kicked off the plane.
Charles posted a video on Instagram showing what the couple says is the aftermath of being bullied by a passenger, the passenger then playing the victim by telling flight crews that the Davis’s were the problem, which ultimately led the pilot to return the plane to the gate where Miami police escorted them off the plane.
A reclined seat is what began the altercation, according to the duo. Porscha, who used to be a flight attendant, said she accidentally pressed the button to recline her seat on the 787 aircraft during the boarding process.
“As soon as it reclined, a woman sitting directly behind my husband told me to put my seat back up in a very aggressive manner,” she told Travel Noire. “We just got back from vacation, and I was in a great mood. I turned around and told her, ‘I’m not a child, you need to mind your own business. I didn’t know you worked for the FAA.’”
Porscha says the woman told her that she’s an American Airlines flight attendant and continued to go on a rant even after she put the seat back up.
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“I didn’t know things had escalated between her and my husband because I put back on my headphones,” said Porscha.
According to Charles, the woman was still upset and that’s when he told her, again, to mind her business and that safety wasn’t an issue because they were still boarding the plane.
“That’s when she muttered that I needed to control my ‘n****r wife’ and I told her to never talk to my wife like that again,” he said.
But it wasn’t over.
“A flight attendant came over about three times and every time he came over, he said, ‘Ma’am, you need to calm down and listen,” Porscha recalled. “I had to take my AirPods out because, at this point, I’m watching TV and have no idea what’s happening because my husband didn’t tell me what she said. I was calm but confused about what was happening. They kept saying if I didn’t calm down then we’re going back to the gate.”
That’s when things took a turn for the worst. The couple said the captain announced that the passengers would be returning to the gate before they were escorted off the plane.
The Davis’ who are parents of triplets, were vacationing without their children, and said the incident left them in a bind as they were frantically trying to see if the babysitter could stay longer because they were rebooked for the next flight the following morning.
The couple says they are devastated by the treatment from American Airlines.
After speaking with the Davis family, we followed up with American Airlines. Here is the airline’s statement:
“After learning of the allegation of discrimination on board American Airlines flight 1551 on July 11, we promptly launched an investigation to understand what took place and reached out to the Davises to hear about their experience. Based on eyewitness accounts from customers seated in the area, we have been unable to corroborate that a racial slur was used against Mrs. Davis by another passenger.”
“While the investigation is still ongoing, we believe a verbal altercation between the Davises and an off-duty flight attendant seated behind them began while the aircraft was taxiing out for departure. Mrs. Davis reclined her seat while the aircraft was on an active taxiway, which is a violation of federal aviation safety regulations. The flight attendant reminded them of this requirement, and the Davises became verbally abusive towards the flight attendant and other crew members, which led to them being asked to leave the aircraft. According to witnesses, at no time was a racial slur used or heard during this interaction.”
The airline also wanted to also make mention that the deadheading flight attendant was not upgraded. She was moved to a jumpseat to de-escalate the situation. The Davises were rebooked on a later flight, and American spoke to the family about their experience on July 14.