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Over the more than 2 million miles I've flown across almost 1,200 logged flights, I've seen and experienced a lot — from rejected takeoffs to medical emergencies and even an emergency landing. However, this week, I experienced the most absurd situation I've ever seen on a flight, and it led to my removal from an international flight.
Here's what happened and how American Airlines responded.
The Situation
On Monday, June 9, my wife and I boarded American Airlines flight AA106 from New York (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR). My traditional boarding door selfie reflected just how excited I was to board the flight.
When we got to our seats in the last row of premium economy, we found the overhead bin space in the premium economy cabin was already full — with the bin above my seat already closed. I opened this bin to find two rollerboards already taking up the entire bin. Both were lying flat on their backs, taking up far more space than if they had been standing up. So, I rotated the bags to be vertical to fit our bags. However, one bag was far too oversized for the overhead bin to close while being vertical.
With no flight attendants in the premium economy cabin — or in sight in nearby cabins — I asked the premium economy passengers around the area if this was their bag. None of the passengers claimed the bag, so I moved the bag to the economy cabin to make space for premium economy passenger bags. After all, this overhead bin has a placard clearly stating “Reserved for Premium Economy”:
When the crew was making their final cabin checks, they discovered that the oversized bag wouldn't fit in the economy bins. A non-revenue passenger in premium economy quickly outed me for moving the bag, and a flight attendant asked me if I had moved it, which I confirmed. That's when I flipped on my audio recorder.
The flight attendant returned and asked: “You put yours up there? You took down the crew member's [bag] and put yours up there.”
This was the first indication that the bag was a crew member's bag, as the bag wasn't identified with anything that would indicate it was such. I explained that I'd asked the cabin if it was anyone's bag and assumed it was an economy passenger's bag since no one claimed it. So, I moved the bag from the dedicated premium economy bins.
The flight attendant responded that the bins were “first come, first served. We don't have a specific place. We can put it anywhere we want to.” Again, I explained that I wasn't aware that it was a crew member's bag as it wasn't identified as such.
I was then instructed to place my bag — which has all of my electronics, medications, and way too many credit cards and currencies — in an overhead bin many rows up in business class. I insisted that I needed to have my bag nearby and suggested that they should place the crew member's bag in the business class overhead bin instead. The flight attendant headed into business class, and I assumed the situation would be resolved shortly.
Crew (Over)reaction
Instead, that flight attendant returned 45 seconds later with another flight attendant.
Female FA: “Is this your bag? Is this suitcase yours?”
Male FA: “Did somebody move my suitcase?”
Me: “I asked if anyone here had this bag… This is for premium economy only, is that correct?”
Male FA: “You moved my suitcase. You touched my suitcase and you moved it.”
Then he leaned and wagged a finger inches from my face as he barked at me: “You're outta here.” Then, he spun and hurried back toward the front of the aircraft.
A minute later, the male flight attendant returned with another male flight attendant, who would later identify himself as the purser.
Male FA: “It was him.”
Purser: “OK. Do we know who moved this? Who moved the bag?
Me: “I did. I…” [cut off]
Purser: “Why did you move the bag?”
I calmly explained the situation yet again.
Purser: “It's a shared space. He's got a specific place where his bag has to be, and you moved that. You moved another person's bag, which is a crew member's bag, which is not allowed. So go ahead and find another place for your bag.”
I've since asked several American Airlines flight attendants if crew are assigned to place their bags in a specific bin — such as the one above 18J/L. All have denied that's the case. So, it seems the purser made up the part about the crew bag needing to be in this bin.
Male FA: “No, you know what, Tim. I'll take it up front.”
Purser: “Put it in my closet.”
Male FA: “But I want you to go to bat for me.”
Purser: “You never… you never… you never move anybody's bag. Ever.”
Male FA: “You touched my bag!”
Purser: “You moved a bag. You did something wrong. You know what? I'm going to go tell the captain.”
Male FA: “I want him outta here.”
The purser barked at me to retrieve my boarding pass. As I did, the American Airlines app froze. So, he gave up and stormed off.
Removal From Aircraft
Now more than 20 minutes into this situation, an American Airlines supervisor boarded the aircraft and approached my seat. She asked me to follow her. I clarified with her that I didn't need to bring my bags or passport, and she confirmed that I could leave all of my stuff at my seat. After leading me off the aircraft and onto the jet bridge, she asked me to explain what happened from my perspective. I shared the story and informed her that I had an audio recording of the confrontation that I'd be happy to share.
Dumbfounded that she was having to get involved in this minor situation, she told me that I would not be removed from the flight for this minor misunderstanding: “My intention is not to remove you from this aircraft. Honestly speaking, and I spoke to the captain before I come to speak to you, it was an honest mistake.”
Then, she boarded the aircraft to speak with the flight crew to confirm this decision. During this discussion, my wife watched as a non-revenue passenger quickly moved into my seat.
When the gate supervisor returned, she looked exasperated. She explained that the flight attendants would refuse to fly if I weren't removed from the flight. Understanding the situation's absurdity, she assured me: “I will take care of you. I will take care of you. Because… forget about this. I get you on the next flight. I got you.”
The supervisor reboarded the flight to retrieve my bag. Then, I got the unique front-row view as the aircraft door was closed.
True to her word, the supervisor rebooked me on the next American Airlines flight to London immediately after we returned to the gate.
When I arrived at the gate for the next flight, this supervisor happily greeted me as her “friend” and apologized again about the situation. I asked if she wanted to listen to the audio recording, and we stepped aside from the gate so I could play it for her without bothering the queued passengers.
Listening to the recording seemed to confirm her suspicions. She explained how she had to remove passengers from aircraft daily, and this was the most unjust removal she had ever had to do. She offered me a seat in Flagship First Class on this next flight — with the caveat that the seat didn't recline. I politely declined and stuck with my premium economy seat.
Did American Airlines Violate International Aviation Safety Law?
Once the crew removed me and my carry-on from the flight, they were in a hurry to depart as close to on-time as possible. So the airline didn't bother to remove my checked bag from the aircraft. American Airlines representatives at the gate and baggage services confirmed that flight AA106 flew to London with my unaccompanied luggage. And when I retrieved my luggage at my final destination, no other baggage tag had been applied.
I'm certainly not an expert in international aviation law. However, International Civil Aviation Organization Annex 17 Standard 4.5.3 is clear:
4.5.3 Each Contracting State shall ensure that commercial air transport operators do not transport the baggage of persons who are not on board the aircraft unless that baggage is identified as unaccompanied and subjected to appropriate screening.
Considering the airline's rushed removal from the aircraft, the airline certainly didn't have time to subject my bag to appropriate screening. So, it appears American Airlines violated this aviation safety rule.
American Airlines has refused to comment on this, making it seem that it realizes it was in the wrong. I'll happily welcome input from anyone who's more knowledgeable on the topic.
Response from American Airlines
Shortly after being removed from the flight, I reached out to American Airlines Corporate Communications to alert them that this story would be coming and asked for comment. American Airlines representatives asked for me to delay publishing this story so that the airline could investigate the matter. However, I heard back this afternoon that American Airlines would not be commenting on this story.
I also reached out to American Airlines Customer Relations to share my complaint about this situation. I received the following response:
Please accept our sincerest apologies for the experience you had when you were removed from the flight due to a minor misunderstanding. Given that we have standards regarding the customer service our team provides, I can understand your disappointment. That's never the kind of experience we want you to have when traveling with us, and I am very sorry that we didn't provide you with a better customer service experience this time around. Please know that we take your feedback very seriously, and we appreciate the time you've taken to share your comments with us.
For compensation, American Airlines offered 5,000 bonus miles “as a tangible apology, and in hopes of restoring your confidence in us.”
Final Thoughts
After quite literally flying millions of miles, I've seen and experienced a lot of crazy situations. But this incident — being removed from an international flight for relocating an unclaimed, unmarked bag to make space in the overhead bin in my cabin — tops the list for sheer absurdity.
The reaction by the flight crew wasn’t just disproportionate — it was punitive and personal. The gate supervisor and on-duty manager made it clear that the American Airlines flight attendants and purser overreacted to this situation. I wasn't removed for breaking a rule but because a crew member took the situation personally and insisted on my removal.
In the end, I got where I needed to go. Because my original itinerary included a long layover in London, I even made my original connecting flight. But, if there was any lingering doubt about my decision to stop chasing AAdvantage elite status, this incident eliminated it.
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