American Airlines is under scrutiny after a Jewish passenger accused a flight attendant of wearing a pro-Palestinian pin, sparking a heated confrontation on a flight from Miami.
The pin, shaped like a watermelon—a symbol historically linked to Palestinian solidarity—violated the airline’s uniform policies, which prohibit unauthorized pins.
The incident escalated when the passenger, who felt the pin supported terrorism and antisemitism, began recording the interaction. The flight attendants demanded he delete the footage, citing U.S. aviation regulations against filming crew members. When he refused, attendants accused him of pushing one of them, prompting police intervention.
The passenger, escorted off the plane by law enforcement, later shared his account online, accusing the airline of mistreating him. "The flight attendants locked me in and would not let me off the plane until I deleted the video. Of course, I refused and asked the police to intervene. When the officers arrived, they informed the attendants that I had broken no laws and told them they were in the wrong for holding me on the plane. The officers were frustrated with the situation and escorted me off. Being treated like a criminal was infuriating."
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American Airlines responded to inquiries from Ynet, saying, "We want every customer flying with us to have a positive travel experience. A member of our team has reached out to the customer to learn more about his experience."
In an unrelated incident on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Manila, a business-class passenger urinated on another passenger, Jerome Gutierrez, while he was asleep. Gutierrez, drenched in urine, had to endure the remainder of the eight-hour flight in wet clothing.
Gutierrez’s stepdaughter recounted the event, explaining that it occurred four hours into the flight. “He was in complete shock and thought he was dreaming. When he realized what had happened, he saw he was soaked in urine from his stomach down to his feet,” she said.
Flight attendants prevented Gutierrez from confronting the offender, citing safety concerns, and police met the plane upon landing. The responsible passenger was banned from United Airlines and issued an apology, though Gutierrez’s family criticized the airline’s response, calling the incident a “biohazard” and accusing the crew of prioritizing convenience over passenger safety.