Have we discussed Jet blue family removed over cake

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AAGK

AAGK

#1
Aug 28, 2015
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#1
I apologize if this has already been mentioned. Apparently a family en route from JFK to Vegas thought that the overhead bin was the appropriate spot to store a birthday cake. The family became confused when a FA told them to remove it and the father then asked the FA if she was drunk.
It seems in this family, only drunk people ask you to remove cakes from a place designated for pax luggage.

There is a video that I have not watched bc I support JB here. This family not only inconvenienced pax by taking up valuable storage with their cake but they delayed the flight significantly. There are allegations re: other misguided storage attempts but the overhead bin was enough for me.

I selected the TMZ link over the Washington Post bc it has a funnier headline.

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.tmz.com/2017/05/14/jetblue-passengers-removed-birthday-cake
 
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VoR61

VoR61

#2
Jan 6, 2015
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#2
So it was hard to find but according to the TSA cakes are permitted "could require additional screening". Nothing said about packing, but other links speak to that.


And yes, it's the right link even though it says "cranberries" ...

BTW, I can't resist this: Shouldn't the headline be "Cakes on a Plane"
 
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K

Kahhss

#3
Nov 14, 2016
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#3
AAGK said:
There is a video that I have not watched bc I support JB here.
Click to expand...
With all due respect, if you're not going to actually look at the evidence before making conclusions it's difficult to give your opinion any weight. It's not a matter of which side someone inherently supports (your affinity for Jet Blue is noted), it's a matter of what the facts and evidence on this particular case suggest.

The video doesn't show the family being difficult, loud or refusing orders when the police show up. In fact the father is exceptionally calm and cool, other pax aren't filming and there doesn't seem to be a huge commotion which all suggest there was not some large incident or inconvenience. Usually if there is a big blow up there's someone else filming. The demeanor of the father is not one that gives any inkling of being an overly emotional, belligerent or entitled passenger. That in itself lends more power to their story.

It will be interesting to see if there is any other video that supports the claim of either side.
 
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JVillegirl541

JVillegirl541

Verified Member
#4
Nov 21, 2014
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#4
I watched the Video and all I saw was a very calm Dad, a crying 8ish year old and a confused family. The police telling them calmly that they did nothing wrong. This video appears contradict the "reported" demeanor of this family.
 
VoR61

VoR61

#5
Jan 6, 2015
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#5
I have read several articles about the incident and similar information emerged:
  • The cake is not the issue. It was stored in with safety equipment and so a crewmember asked for it to be moved, then moved again, then placed under the seat.
  • The family claims they moved it each time, but the airlines says they did not comply
  • The father asked the FA is she had been drinking
  • The captain made the decision to have them removed
  • Recording begins when officers arrive
For travelers the lesson once again is: if you verbally abuse a crewmember, you will be removed. The he said-she said about compliance will play out in the days to come.
 
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M

Michael Anthony

#6
Oct 6, 2016
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#6
"Taking up valuable storage space" I can see needing to move it if is in a bin where they keep equipment, but to me, a cake is no different than a piece of luggage. Using valuable storage space is when someone lays out their winter coat, to keep it from getting wrinkled. Sorry, but coats can remain with a pax, when bins space is tight.
 
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Neil Maley

Neil Maley

Moderator
Staff Member
Advocate
#7
Dec 27, 2014
11,989
12,233
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New York
www.promalvacations.com
#7
Michael Anthony said:
"Taking up valuable storage space" I can see needing to move it if is in a bin where they keep equipment, but to me, a cake is no different than a piece of luggage. Using valuable storage space is when someone lays out their winter coat, to keep it from getting wrinkled. Sorry, but coats can remain with a pax, when bins space is tight.
Click to expand...
We had a woman with a Burberry coat scream when we moved her coat in a stuffed overhead bin to put a carry on in.

My wife says " your coat doesn't belong in the overhead bin" . The woman yelled "I know but" , my wife said "you know it doesn't belong there yet you make excuses". When she kept going on, I quietly whispered some choice words and she finally sat down and shut up, but complained about us to a flight attendant when we got off the plane.
 
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M

Michael Anthony

#8
Oct 6, 2016
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#8
Neil said:
We had a woman with a Burberry coat scream when we moved her coat in a stuffed overhead bin to put a carry on in.

My wife says " your coat doesn't belong in the overhead bin" . The woman yelled "I know but" , my wife said "you know it doesn't belong there yet you make excuses". When she kept going on, I quietly whispered some choice words and she finally sat down and shut up, but complained about us to a flight attendant when we got off the plane.
Click to expand...
I feel for you! We all know how space is tight, but you also know you have to share. And on those rare times there is plenty of space, the by all means, put your coat up. But wait until everyone is onboard. It's a good thing the FA didn't come after you! Perhaps she heard some of it and knew you were in the right.

I know the list of things carriers should do is long, but I absolutely wish they enforced the carryon rules. If they did, we'd all breathe easier. As long as I'm not in the bulkhead or exit row, I always put my messenger bag under the seat in front. It frees up some overhead room, plus easy access for Me.
 
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T

TropicalRichmond

#12
Jan 23, 2015
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#12
Cake could go under the seat. Or, alternatively, arrange to buy a nice cake at the destination. I was on a flight yesterday where people were putting coats and small bags/purses in the overhead bins and it was chaos, very hard for the FAs to get the bigger bags stowed.
If the family improperly stored their carry on, it should have been moved, regardless whether it is a cake, backpack, etc.
 
jsn55

jsn55

Verified Member
#13
Dec 26, 2014
6,396
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San Francisco
#13
This story is so full of holes ... bringing a birthday cake on an airplane bound for Vegas, where it's easy to buy a birthday cake, makes no sense. Putting the thing in an overhead bin makes even less sense. I don't watch videos, but if the interaction with the crew wasn't filmed, it's pretty hard to believe that the family was not obnoxious. Who accuses an FA of being drunk under any circumstances? The children "were traumatized" over this incident ... really? What kind of trauma did they experience? Call me cynical, but it strikes me as yet another attempt at 15 minutes of fame on the internet.
 
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VoR61

VoR61

#14
Jan 6, 2015
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#14
The issue here for the benefit of our readers is the "take away". Cakes are permitted (see the link I posted above). The larger issue is yet another passenger became verbally abusive with a crewmember.

As advisors to consumers who come here, it's a critical message to them that crewmembers are to be obeyed and spoken to courteously.

Follow their instructions and appeal/complain afterwards ...
 
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Neil Maley

Neil Maley

Moderator
Staff Member
Advocate
#15
Dec 27, 2014
11,989
12,233
113
New York
www.promalvacations.com
#15
ADM said:
If she could afford the coat she should have bought it its own seat!
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That's what my wife said.

The FA actually came and told the woman to remove the coat so the FA was on our side.

The woman wasn't just a b. When we landed she called whoever was supposed to pick her up and berated them when they told her they hadn't left and were waiting for her to call. So she was just st a very unhappy person regardless of anything anyone would say or do.
 
AAGK

AAGK

#17
Aug 28, 2015
3,729
2,896
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New York
#17
I just want my plane to leave on time. I stipulate that the dad appeared calm and reasonable in the video and the FAs may have been hysterical and unreasonable. I also do not even believe the cake was a security risk although it may have been, I don't know the rules in detail.

When I open the bin above my seat and see a cake where my bag should go I will have a FA remove it. In fact I have done this, but it involved a row of straw hats. The man was rude to ask the FA whether she has been drinking. The FA should've had a thicker skin and blown off the nasty remark, loaded the plane and checked if there was a place to stick the cake, assuming it was allowed. If not, they toss it. Big deal. Im most bothered by the escalation.

Also, I would not want a cake stored with dirty luggage and bed bugs in the overhead bin.
 
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VoR61

VoR61

#18
Jan 6, 2015
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#18
AAGK said:
I just want my plane to leave on time. I stipulate that the dad appeared calm and reasonable in the video and the FAs may have been hysterical and unreasonable. I also do not even believe the cake was a security risk although it may have been, I don't know the rules in detail.

When I open the bin above my seat and see a cake where my bag should go I will have a FA remove it. In fact I have done this, but it involved a row of straw hats. The man was rude to ask the FA whether she has been drinking. The FA should've had a thicker skin and blown off the nasty remark, loaded the plane and checked if there was a place to stick the cake, assuming it was allowed. If not, they toss it. Big deal. Im most bothered by the escalation.

Also, I would not want a cake stored with dirty luggage and bed bugs in the overhead bin.
Click to expand...
See my post (#5) above. We cannot tell from the video what transpired before they were asked to leave. The cake was initially placed was in an area reserved for safety equipment, and moved twice according to the passenger. JetBlue says otherwise.

Even if they moved the cake they were removed from the plane because of his insinuation (insult) that the FA was drinking. And given that they (the FAs) face this multiple times a day, every day, a thicker skin is not reasonable in my opinion.

So I say again, comply and fight the battle later. Get where you need to be and then address your concerns. Better that than to face the whirlwind ...
 
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