Passenger on plane removed by secuirty after flipping out when attendant said "Merry Christmas"

[davidn3600]

A passenger was tossed off a plane at La Guardia Airport on Tuesday after flipping out — because airline workers wished him a merry Christmas.

The man was waiting to board American Airlines Flight 1140 to Dallas when a cheerful gate agent began welcoming everyone with the Yuletide greeting while checking boarding passes.

The grumpy passenger, who appeared to be traveling alone, barked at the woman, “You shouldn’t say that because not everyone celebrates Christmas.”

The agent replied, “Well, what should I say then?”

“Don’t say, ‘Merry Christmas!’?” the man shouted before brushing past her.

Once on the plane, he was warmly greeted by a flight attendant who also wished him a “merry Christmas.” That was the last straw.

“Don’t say, ‘Merry Christmas!’?” the man raged before lecturing the attendants and the pilot about their faux pas.

https://www.yahoo.com/travel/plane-passenger-tossed-after-flipping-out-over-106144235462.html

The pilot asked the man repeatedly to calm down, but he refused.

Airport security then showed up. Other passengers cheered and applauded as security removed him from the plane.

[chickenfairy]

1. Deserved

Rage on a plane get kicked off

[LiberalElite]

2. A casualty of the faux war on Christmas - but

he should have just calmed down. It isn't worth having security involved.

[Skittles]

3. isn't that pic the planes that recently bumped into each other?

[bobclark86]

4. Way to be an asshole...

(With apologies to who I stole this from about a month ago...)



There are two kinds people who cause scenes on airplanes: Terrorists and assholes. Both are removed for the same reason -- nobody wants to be locked in a giant tin can for six hours with them.

[elehhhhna]

8. drunk p eople also.

[Cha]

10. ExFreakingZactly! Thank you, Bob.

[oberliner]

13. Has anyone ever wished a white person Happy Kwanzaa?

I mean in a not trying to be funny sort of context.

[Ms. Toad]

40. I'm white and I've been wished Happy Kwanzaa. n/t

[niyad]

59. I got wished a happy kwanzaa by an atheist friend--who also wished me merry christmas, happy

holidays, and whatever else I celebrated.

[PoliticAverse]

5. Was his first name Sean?... n/t

[Ramses]

6. would have ignored both completely

and found my seat and put on my headphones

[Bjorn Against]

7. A New York Post article from an anonymous source...

Yeah, I am questioning whether this really happened. The New York Post has about as much credibility as Rush Limbaugh.

[oberliner]

17. People seem to be ignoring this fact

Also, the passenger is not named. No flight attendant is named. No other named passenger quoted. And three reporters listed on the story. So what exactly was their source? How did they come to get this information? Were the reporters at the airport? Did they get it from someone who was in line? From one of the AA employees? Why is no one on record?

Pretty sure the whole thing is made up or at least not what it appears.

[Bjorn Against]

20. Those are all good questions

It looks like exactly the type of story the New York Post would love to run on Christmas and when they don't name a single source that people can cross check it would be very easy for them to make a story like this up.

[oberliner]

27. An entire conversation is transcribed and no one is named

How do these reporters know what was said?

They don't claim to have spoken to anyone present. Not even "on condition of anonymity".

[shaayecanaan]

47. come on man, no one is saying it was you

You don't even live in Dallas, I'm pretty sure.

Probably a bullshit story though. Most cabin crew won't say merry Xmas, they've been trained to be as anodyne as possible. Two in a row sounds unlikely, I will grant you.

Eid Mubarak and a happy new year, you old bastard.

[oberliner]

49. What?

I'm just saying there are elements of the story that seem a little dubious.

I don't understand your response.

[Marr]

52. Yep. The only people I see flipping out are the ones DEMANDING others say

"merry Christmas" rather than "happy holidays".

[Bjorn Against]

53. I have never heard a single person get upset about Merry Christmas either

I have however heard right-wing religious zealots insist that there is a war on Christmas and they insist there are huge numbers of progressives who are trying to ban the words "Merry Christmas". The type of people who believe that crap are the same type of people who read the New York Post, their target audience eats this crap up. Given the New York Post's reputation and their lack of named sources I am pretty sure this story is either completely false or lacking key context.

[joeglow3]

54. It happens. Ask anyone who works retail.

Granted, it was 20 years ago, but I would wish people a merry christmas and i had 2 or 3 people get shitty with me.

[Bjorn Against]

55. Well if it happened the New York Post should provide the recording

If they were able to transcribe that much text without being at the scene then there must be a recording, you can't accurately transcribe an entire conversation based on a second hand source. If the New York Post wants me to believe this they should prove it by releasing audio.

[Mariana]

66. When I worked retail the reverse was much more common.

People would get pissed off if you didn't say Merry Christmas. You didn't even have to say Happy Holidays, if you just said a generic Thank You For Shopping At XYZ Store during the month of December there were people who would snarl Merry CHRISTmas! at you. I have never understood some people's need to have strangers acknowledge their particular holiday.

I do understand how people get annoyed with it. With the Christmas crap and the music and all starting in October now, everyone hears it hundreds of times. Often it's insincere, from people who are made to say it by their employers, and who don't really give a fuck about you and your holiday. It can get old, even for people who do celebrate Christmas.

[AwakeAtLast]

58. As I was reading this,

I thought, "This didn't happen."

I'm with you on this one.

[NaturalHigh]

9. He could have just said "you too" and moved on...

but some people feel compelled to be dickheads.

[cwydro]

11. I wondered if it was a DUer lol.

We had a thread right before Christmas where someone got their knickers all twisted about a retail clerk saying "Merry Christmas" to him/her.

[cstanleytech]

22. Which I have never understood why people get so bent over. I mean ya I have had a horrible year

with my mother dying in June and I didnt even bother putting up a tree this year because I just couldnt get in the mood even though this was her favorite holiday but I dont get bent like this guy allegedly did over it.

[MissDeeds]

26. Same here

My mom died in October and I could not get into the mood this year. My husband put up the tree and we put lights on it - period. We spent the day alone. It was kind of awful. That said, I still enjoyed hearing people saying "Merry Christmas".

So sorry about the loss of your mom, cstanleytech. Hope next year will be better for you.

[cstanleytech]

28. Thank you and the same to you as well. nt

[maced666]

33. Why?

Intolerant asses are more common on the other side.

[Cha]

12. He could have said "bah humbug" and moved on.. but, NOOOOOOOOO.. he had to get himself

thrown off the plane. Merry Christmas idiot.

[oberliner]

14. Story is most likely BS

From the right-wing tabloid NY Post.

[Jesus Malverde]

18. It's such a "cool story bro"

Not naming the passenger is one clue.

[oberliner]

24. Yeah - no one is named at all

How did the three NY Post reporters identified as the writers happen to come across this story, I wonder.

[maced666]

31. Why assume the jackass is left wing?

More likely he was right wing or some anti religion zealot.

[oberliner]

32. Not assuming anything other than the dubious nature of the NY Post

The NY Post is a right wing tabloid rag.

This article has not a single named person cited.

How exactly did these reporters come across this incident?

[Nye Bevan]

37. Fake stories don't generally name the airline, the day and the actual flight number (nt)

[oberliner]

41. How did they come across the story?

Did 3 NY Post reporters happen to be hanging around the American Airlines terminal in the boarding area for a flight to Dallas?

If not, how is it that they came to know the exact words exchanged between these two people - neither the flight attendant nor the passenger is named and nothing in the story indicates that they were interviewed by any of the reporters.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

51. I googled the incident and the NY Post seems to be the only source,

though the story was picked up from the Post by a couple other papers. If it happened, the guy was an asshole; but I'd like to see some confirmation from another source. You'd think other passengers might talk about the incident with other news outlets?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

15. Dumbassery on holiday display

A perennial Christmas favorite. LOL

[Logical]

16. As an atheist, this guy was an idiot. nt

[Takket]

25. Ditto!

[Texasgal]

19. What an idiot.

Fuck him! Get over it.

*not a christian here but just annoyed by this whole "merry christmas issue".

[TheCowsCameHome]

21. He should be grateful he wasn't removed at 25,000 feet.

BTW, Merry Christmas, jackwad...........

[quadrature]

23. the employees of Air Crandall have a dim view of their customers

referring to them as,
self loading freight,
animals
or something similar.

you have been warned.
you will go to jail.
not them

[maced666]

29. Passengers cheered lol

What a wonderful Christmas story! Oh well, maybe he will learn a lesson in tolerance but I doubt it. Miserable people usually look for ways to stay miserable and easily find a way and succeed. Once there, they try to drag others down as well and fail- miserably.

[spanone]

30. where was mr. scrooge headed on christmas day?

[Warpy]

34. What a dumbass thing to flip out over

If it's Christmas, that's what people are going to say. Otherwise, you might get a "Happy Holidays" but don't bet on it.

If I ended up with a pulmonary embolus from being crammed into a cattle class seat behind some jackass who not only reclined, but spent the flight bucking back and forth to get it to recline more, I would be as cranky as being near death would allow me.

A seasonal greeting wouldn't do it.

[HERVEPA]

35. Stupid to flip out (if this really occurred). Also, poor training on part of the airline.

You're in a service business, you don't send a religious wish (yes, it IS a religious holiday), to people who might not be religious, or members of that religion.

[Nye Bevan]

36. Ummm.... "Merry Christmas" is not a "religious wish".

Many people celebrate, and are merry on, Christmas Day, without observing the religious aspect of it.

[HERVEPA]

38. You're wishing people to clebrate and enjoy a holiday

which exists because someone who people think is the son of god (whatever that means) was allegedly born that day.
So, you're wrong, it's religious.

[Nye Bevan]

42. And the origin of Thanksgiving was the Pilgrims thanking God for a bountiful harvest.

So by your logic, Thanksgiving is also a religious holiday and "Happy Thanksgiving" is verboten.

[HERVEPA]

44. I wasn't discusing Thanksgiving.

Nice try. Thanks for playing.

[whathehell]

46. You were discussing a religious holiday,

Thanksgiving -- and thank YOU for playing.

[HERVEPA]

48. Iwas discussing Christmas. I made no mention of how I felt about Thanksgiving, which has a much

religious connection.
Genug. I'm done with this.
Sorry for my part in the War on Christmas.

[whathehell]

57. Fine, then WE were discussing Thanksgiving

which while having a lesser religious implication, still contains a religious reference.

Apology accepted, by the way.

[Ykcutnek]

45. I think the onus is on the perpetually offended to remove the stick from their ass.

I'm an atheist and welcome all religious wishes of goodwill.

I also celebrate Christmas. It's actually a pretty secular holiday compared to other religious observances. I've been celebrating for two days with family and didn't hear "Jesus" one time.

[ProfessorGAC]

62. You'd Be Right If This Were 1920

But it's not and you're just being obstinate.

[blackspade]

39. What an asshole....

[Ykcutnek]

43. I'm glad assholes like him will remain forever in the minority.

Jesus.

[Zorra]

50. I was at a meeting last week where two republicans flipped out when

another republican kindly and respectfully wished everyone "Happy Holidays". They got all upset and said "oh, no, the heck with that, MERRY CHRISTMAS!".

Happy Solstice

[Marrah_G]

56. I am not a Christian

I don't care what holiday someone wishes me well on..... the well wishes and kind thoughts are the point.

When I was young I used to get far more upset over things I just live with now.

[Orrex]

60. Oh, that zany Richard Dawkins. Won't he ever learn?

[ProfessorGAC]

61. What A Tool!

Ruining other people's travel just to be a jerk in public. He could have just harrumphed.

[dilby]

63. I had a lot of people greet me with Merry Christmas yesterday, as a Jew I replied

Merry Christmas right back at them. I also sent some of my good friends who are Christian and Mormon text messages yesterday wishing them and their families a Merry Christmas. It doesn't hurt to respect others and be kind to them when they are trying to be kind to you. These flight attendants were not wishing Merry Christmas to this guy because they wanted to make him mad, they did it to be nice.

[randome]

64. Jesus, Santa, next time just take a dramaine like you did last year.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[yuiyoshida]

65. Passenger Identified...