TikToker blames American Airlines for missing grandad’s funeral, but Internet's not buying it
American Airlines sparked uproar after refusing a Black woman on her flight, an incident she documented in a series of TikTok videos. The first clip has since garnered nearly 4 million views and more than 300,000 likes.
TikToker @jazyrich began the video series with a voice assistant saying, "American Airlines made me miss my grandpa's funeral." When asked why she couldn't board her flight, one American Airlines employee said she didn't answer the airline's security questions. MEAWW previously reported how the airline courted controversy after deplaning a mother and her asthmatic toddler over masks.
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The TikToker said she answered the "one" question she was asked, and requested what other questions the airline had for her. The American Airlines employee reiterates she wouldn't answer questions and asks to see her boarding pass. “But you already saw my boarding pass,” the TikToker replies. “This is the third time, so what other question do you need to answer?”
The employee checks the boarding pass and says she's calling a supervisor to handle the situation. The TikToker then tells her followers that the employee told her she couldn't board because her carry-on luggage didn't fit. “They said my bag didn’t fit into this damn carry-on check, and my bag f***ing fits,” she explains, while placing her bag into the carry-on sizer.
The supervisor arrives shortly after and asks the TikToker about the situation. She tells the supervisor she proved that her carry-on fit in the sizer and consolidated her other bags, but didn't comply with the airline's request to check her luggage. The employee then reiterates to the supervisor that the TikToker refused to answer security questions.
“No, no, no, no, no,” she replies. “Don’t lie on me, ma’am," she adds, before recounting her version of events. The TikToker says she agreed to check her luggage if it was necessary for her to be allowed on the flight. When the supervisor asks her to lower her voice, she refuses. “Excuse me, do not tell me how to react, and don’t control my voice,” she tells him. “Based on the way you’re reacting to me right now, I wouldn’t let you board,” the supervisor says after the TikToker continues to speak loudly. In later videos, however, he agrees to work on getting her a flight for that day.
The TikToker goes on to share a fifth video accusing the airline of trying to "hold up" her money, indicating she had declined the supervisor's offer and demanded a refund instead. “Okay, okay, so now they want to hold up my money,” she says. “They said it’ll return to my card in seven to ten days, and then they said let’s call the police.” The officer is seen in the next video going up to the desk to confirm that the TikToker had been banned. The last video is captioned “PART 10… it’s HA[R]ASSMENT at this point!!” It shows the woman explaining that she's trying to book another flight but the employees keep calling security on her.
On September 15, @jazyrich told her followers that the videos she uploaded of the airport incident were old, but failed to specify exactly how old they were. The following day, she posted a series of videos responding to comments on the original clips. She says she didn't want to check her bag because the flight was to Minneapolis with a connection in Charlotte, and she was getting off at the connection.
This sparked accusations that the TikToker had committed a crime by trying to get off at the connection and not the final destination. The practice is called "hidden city ticketing" and it is a clear violation of American Airlines' conditions of carriage. However, it is unclear whether the airline refused to allow the TikToker to fly because of her booking practice, the Daily Dot reported.