Airline sorry after pilot complained about passenger's food

[The Straight Story]

Airline sorry after pilot complained about passenger's food


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- United Airlines says a flight attendant and pilot acted inappropriately when they complained about a Columbus family's kosher meal.

Robert Blum and his family, Orthodox Jews, say a flight attendant told them to throw away their fish dinner after other passengers complained about the smell during a flight from Denver to Columbus.

Blum says the flight attendant and pilot threatened to throw his family off the flight if they didn't get rid of the meal.

Blum calls the incident a case of discrimination and says his family felt humiliated.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OH_AIRPLANE_ODOR_ARGUMENT_OHOL-?SITE=WCMHTV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-21-09-16-13

[SoCalDem]

1. Fish on a plane.. yeeecccch !! We had that happen on the flight home from Tahiti

I was nauseous all the way home... Kosher or not, fish smell in an enclosed stale-air venue, is never a good idea :)

I'm sure there are kosher meals that are NOT fish :)

[AndyTiedye]

5. If It Smelled That Bad, Maybe it Was Spoiled

There were quite a few of us eating fish on my most recent flight,
as it was one of the regular menu choices. Didn't smell.

[Ian David]

2. On the other hand, we know what happened to the passengers who ate the fish

[MADem]

8. Heh, great minds...see downthread! nt

[Bluebear]

17. get out of my head.

[LeftyMom]

3. It's not anti-semitism not to want to smell cooked fish

That shit stinks.

Was this an airline-provided meal or one they brought themselves? I wonder because 1. I can't remember the last time I got an actual meal on a domestic flight 2. Even an absolute moran could figure out that fish in an enclosed space with recycled air is a bad idea. If it was, the airline should devise a kosher meal that doesn't smell up the cabin, though it's not the flyer's fault that was the case and they should be allowed to eat. If the family brought it themselves, it's reasonable to trash can something that's bothering the rest of the cabin, and they ought to have shown enough consideration to bring non-stinky food.

[Bonobo]

4. I was on a flight from L.A. back home and had gotten a reuben at Langer's Deli

After I finished eating it and had to ask all nicely and meekly if the flight attendant could toss it for me. She reluctantly took the sandwich "remains" and curling up her lip, said: "Ewww, that smells DISGUSTING!"

I felt EXACTLY the same. How rude and unprofessional. I guess she felt ENTITLED to saying it.

[MonkeyFunk]

14. Anybody who thinks a good reuben smells bad

shouldn't be out in public among decent people.

[Rosemary2205]

6. For the love of god people!!!!

Obviously the airline crew on the plane handled it badly but I have to be honest, this is a real pet peeve of mine. Why do people think the whole world enjoys their stink in a tight confined space? Being in wheelchair, I fly so seldom (it's just so much work), but it never fails, there's someone nearby on the plane who thinks deoderant is a corporatist plot to kill us all, or there's some person who thinks more is better on the cologne/after shave. I'll suffer through sitting next to someone with that toxic chemo smell, or the colostomy bag that can't be changed until we land - things people can't really help - But for the love of GOD people, spare us your deliberate BO and please, I beg you. If you had garlic and onion anything for lunch and you are sitting next to me, please be decent enough not be a heavy breathing talker RIGHT under my nose.

And this goes double for you cubites at work. Your wonderful new perfume gags me from way across the office, your fancy french vanilla hazelnut creamer stinks to high heavens to the rest of us, and that delicious leftover sardine casserole you brought from home for lunch is just not that appetizing to us.

I don't crab right in your face because I have decent manners. If you smelly folk would just think a moment about the rest of humanity we wouldn't have to start siccing the stewardess on you out of self defense.

:rant:

[pansypoo53219]

12. as someone with a very sensative nose(why do i always smell bad crap better?!?)

HEAR HEAR! god, nothing worse than a overseas flight with people who don't use deoderant.

and travel with kosher fish??? just rude.
but then that is the hallmark of amerikkkans these days. rude.
so glad i do not fly.

[silverojo]

16. Is it too late for YOU to run for president?

:D

[MADem]

7. That's insane. Barbara Billingsley was on a plane where the choices were chicken and fish

...and the fish folk didn't do too well, did they?

http://images.tomshardware.com/2006/07/25/the_jive_dudes_at_comic-con/airplane!.jpg




Who in their right mind makes a meal, KOSHER or OTHERWISE, that one is going to eat in a closed compartment, that stinks like that?

It's discrimination, all right--discriminating between things that stink and things that don't. There's no RULE that requires Jews to eat FISH to eat KOSHER.

Now, if the AIRLINE supplied the kosher meal, that's a horse of a different color altogether, and the airline SHOULD apologize.

But if the family brought it, I think they oughta get a big fat "You rude baaaaastids!" from everyone onboard the plane!

[Dr.Phool]

9. !

[Blue-Jay]

10. never mind.

I misunderstood something.

[Mojorabbit]

11. It depends on how it was done

If they were told in a private way that passengers were complaining that the scent of their wonderful meal was too strong in such a confined space. Could they please put the food in this bag and we will supply you with something to tide you over and tell them what is available so they could choose what would fit with their dietary restrictions, etc ...

or were they rudely and embarrassingly told your food stinks, throw it out?

People skills are seriously lacking these days. I see it everywhere I go.
If the wife cooked this meal for her family I am sure she was at first mortified and her husband upset for her. I am looking at the human aspect of this esp if there was rudeness on the part of the attendant.
There are ways to handle situations like this that can keep everyone reasonably on an even keel even if none of the parties are completely happy with the results. I know when I worked as a nurse I had to do it a gazillion times. It isn't always easy but it can be done.

[madeline_con]

13. flight attendant and pilot threatened to throw his family off the flight

How would they do that?

[burrowowl]

15. Says something about the air exchange

which has gone done. When there were smokers, the fresh air exchange was much higher. It is now down to keeping the passengers alive but not really optimal.