Although airplane travel is quicker than other forms of transportation, there are several disadvantages to flying. Although it’s not common, lost luggage and disruptive passengers are always a worry when flying.
Passengers on American Airlines flight 1228 from Miami to Los Angeles encountered a problem. It was a full flight. When everyone was on board the plane and it was about to take off, a “situation” prevented departure for an additional two hours.
The delay was not caused by any sort of mechanical issue or weather conditions. The delay was caused by a passenger who, according to a flight attendant, wouldn’t buckle his seatbelt and appeared sick.
American Airlines issued an explanation for the event in a released statement: “American Airlines flight 1228, with service from Miami (MIA) to Los Angeles (LAX), returned to the gate before takeoff due to a customer failing to follow crew member instruction and refusing to fasten their seatbelt. The customer was removed and the flight redeparted at 10:54a.m. local time.”
The customer in question was NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. His attorney, Daniel Davillier, stated: “At no time was Mr. Beckham disruptive or combative.” Davillier continued, “He was willing to comply with the seatbelt requirement, but the flight attendant wanted to prove that he had the authority to have Mr. Beckham removed from the flight.”
In an American Airlines statement, “At approximately 9:30a.m., officers from the Miami-Dade Police Department, were dispatched to a medical emergency at an American Airlines flight. The flight crew was concerned for a passenger (Mr. Odell Beckham), as they tried to wake him to fasten his seat belt, he appeared to be coming in and out of consciousness, prior to their departure. Fearing that Mr. Beckham was seriously ill, and that his condition would worsen through the expected 5 hour flight, the attendants called for police and fire rescue. Upon the officers arrival, the flight crew asked Mr. Beckham several times to exit the aircraft, which he refused. The aircraft was deplaned, at which time Mr. Beckham was asked by the officers to exit the plane, and did so without incident. Mr. Beckham was escorted to the non-secure area of the terminal by the officers where he made other arrangements.”
Completely disagreeing with the actions of the flight attendant, Davillier stated that Beckham was only sleeping and wasn’t ill.
Do you think the flight attendant believed Beckham was sick and needed medical attention, or were they just trying to get rid of him?
