This Morning viewers have slammed the ‘shocking behaviour’ of American Airlines staff after a woman was reprimanded for filming a man ‘punching’ the back of her chair.
Earlier this month, passenger Wendi Williams, from Virginia, filmed the man – who was sitting in a seat behind her that didn’t recline on a flight from New Orleans to Charlotte – and posted a clip of him continually nudging her seat to Twitter.
The video sparked a huge debate on social media about whether it’s ever okay to recline your seat in the first place, but Wendi claims that when she first reclined her seat, the man asked her to put it back up while he ate – and she complied.
She appeared on the show today, where she told how she was issued a passenger behaviour notice despite spending several minutes trying to get the attention of the ‘eye rolling’ flight attendant, who later offered the man a free drink.
Viewers were divided over the issue, but many agreed with Wendi, with one insisting had ‘every right’ to recline her chair, with one branding the actions of the flight attendant ‘appalling.’
This Morning viewers have slammed the ‘shocking behaviour’ of American Airline staff after passenger Wendi Williams (pictured) was reprimanded for filming a man ‘punching’ the back of her chair
She appeared on the show today, where she told how she was issued a passenger behaviour notice despite spending several minutes trying to get the attention of the ‘eye rolling’ flight attendant
Revealing why she never simply moved her chair back up, she said: ‘I was in shock. It wasn’t even something I thought about, I just wanted him to stop.
‘I don’t think it was a battle of wills, it was simply, “I have neck problems and spine problems and that’s why I recline my seat”.
‘You have to imagine being in my shoes, after someone communicated their needs and you obliged, and you recline again and imagine being punched over and over and over again and my only recourse being, “I’m going to video him and he’ll stop”.’
When the air hostess, a woman she called Loretta, did eventually come to their seats, Williams says she not only sided with the man but also gave her a passenger disturbance notice, threatening to arrest her for filming him.
‘It was very clear from the moment I got her attention, she was on his side’, said Wendi.
Many viewers agreed with her, with one insisting that the male’s ‘aggressive’ actions should have been reprimand, while another said she has ‘ever right’ to recline her seat if she wants to
‘I did not raise my voice and her reaction was an eye roll and going back to him, changing personalities and saying “It is tight back here, I’m sorry”. She told me delete the video and I hadn’t.
‘I later found out Loretta, which was her name, offered him a free rum. I asked her, “Is that your policy? Is that American Airlines policy? To give the person whose assaulted me a free drink? Add alcohol into the mix”.
Many viewers agreed with her, with one insisting that the male’s ‘aggressive’ actions should have been reprimand, while another said she has ‘ever right’ to recline her seat if she wants to.
One said: ‘If the seat can recline then she has every right to do so. As an ex flight attendant, I think the airline staff were shocking, the aggressive male passenger should have been given a notice for his behaviour.’
Williams has divided social media after shaming a fellow traveler who she claimed repeatedly punched her seat when she reclined it
Another agreed: ‘It doesn’t matter how long the flight is. If she wanted to recline then she had the right too.’
A third said: ‘I’m with the lady. She was polite and he was the one at fault. If the seat has the ability to recline then your allowed to recline. The actions of the airline staff was appalling.’
Several believed that there could have been a simple solution to the issue, with many arguing that while they wouldn’t personally recline their chairs, they definitely wouldn’t give in to someone punching their chair repeatedly.
‘I wouldn’t recline my seat if the person behind couldn’t recline theirs, but I also wouldn’t be punching the back of someone’s chair if they did recline. Just ask if they could move there chair,’ said one.
However others did feel sympathy for the anonymous man, with one insisting that passengers should ‘never’ use the reclining button
Another agreed: ‘I would need to recline my seat on a long flight due to scoliosis but a short flight like that, there’s no need to recline, especially if asked not to. However, if he started punching my chair like that, there’s no way I’d lift my seat up.’
However others did feel sympathy for the anonymous man, with one insisting that passengers should ‘never’ use the reclining button while another slammed the woman for only thinking of her ‘own comfort’.
‘You never use the reclining button on a plane, it’s bloody obvious. There’s hardly enough leg room for people in the first place,’ said one.
Another agreed: ‘If anyone asked me not to recline my chair I wouldn’t recline. I definitely wouldn’t recline if someone ask me politely. The fella was in a tight space. And this woman was only thinking about her comfort.’
The CEO of Delta also spoke out to say neither of the passengers behaved in a way that was acceptable.
American Airlines said in a statement: ‘We are aware of a customer dispute that transpired on American Eagle flight 4392, operated by Republic Airways on January 31st.
‘The safety and comfort of our customers and team members is our top priority and our team is looking into the issue.’