American Airlines Passenger Claims His Girlfriend Was Booted From Her First-Class Seat so a Pilot Could Sit There Instead
An American Airlines passenger is claiming that his girlfriend was kicked out of her first-class seat so that a pilot could take it instead. The incident was reported on Tuesday in a post by passenger Jake Williams on X. Williams said that a gate agent upgraded the couple to first class, but then told them that the girlfriend’s seat was broken and that she had to move to the back of the plane. Shortly after, Williams says a pilot took the seat that was supposed to be broken.
After sharing his experience on social media, a customer service representative commented on his post, asking to “take a closer look” at his claim. This situation is not unique, as it was reported in August by an industry publication that American Airlines’ deadheading pilots get priority over passengers for upgrades. This is due to the larger and more comfortable seats in first class helping pilots get better rest before operating a passenger plane.
This is not the first time this year that a passenger has been bumped from first class to make space for a pilot. In September, a 78-year-old man flying with Qantas was downgraded to economy because no business-class seats were left. The airline stated that their enterprise agreement dictates that pilots flying to another city to then operate flights are to be given a seat in business class.
American Airlines and Williams did not respond to a request for comment outside of regular working hours. The video shared by Williams shows a man in a pilot’s uniform settling into the seat. The exact date, origin, and destination of the flight remain unclear.