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Subscribe to RSSAlec Baldwin apologized to fellow fliers after he was kicked off an American Airlines plane, but continued a war of words with the airline. NBC's Jeff Rossen reports.
Bad boy actor Alec Baldwin, already known for his colorful personality, got himself kicked off an American Airlines flight Tuesday for ignoring flight attendant requests to power off his iPad.
Baldwin (who was apparently playing the popular game Words with Friends when asked to turn off his iPad) joins a list of other celebrities, including actor Josh Duhamel, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and diva crooner Whitney Houston, who have had in-flight kerfuffles in the past year.
Related: Alec Baldwin apologizes to fellow passengers
Are these incidents a sign of a toxic celebrity entitlement culture or an understandable reaction to the stressful nature of travel these days?
“I think especially the first-class passengers feel entitled,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com and a frequent flier. “They expect more than the airlines, at least the domestic ones, are prepared to provide. I see bad behavior all the time, especially in first class. People don’t say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ I flew from Los Angeles to New York yesterday and the guy sitting next to me, when attendants told people to shut off their electronic devices, just put it in his pocket and didn’t shut it off. I see it all the time — flight attendants must ask three or four times, ‘Oh please, sir, put it away.’ It’s like dealing with children.”
American Airlines posted a statement about the Baldwin incident on its Facebook page, asserting that “when the door is closed for departure and the seat belt light is turned on, all cell phones and electronic devices must be turned off for taxi-out and take-off. This passenger declined to turn off his cell phone when asked to do so at the appropriate time. The passenger ultimately stood up (with the seat belt light still on for departure) and took his phone into the plane's lavatory. He slammed the lavatory door so hard, the cockpit crew heard it and became alarmed, even with the cockpit door closed and locked.”
Related: Baldwin shutters Twitter account, airline speaks out
For his part, Baldwin tweeted after the incident, “Flt attendant on AA reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat @ gate, not moving.”
The FAA did not comment specifically on the incident, but spokeswoman Alison Duquette did say, “Our rules and expectations are that passengers abide by the directions given by the cabin crew.”
Travel psychologist Michael Brein of Bainbridge Island, Wash., cautioned that the exact details of the incident aren’t clear and that there are always two sides to such stories. Travel personnel sometimes ramp up inappropriately, too, he said.
Actor Alec Baldwin was thrown off an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York because he wouldn't turn off his iPad. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
And everyone is tense, because flying isn’t exactly a lot of fun these days, from pat-downs by the Transportation Security Administration to crowded flights and struggles with heavy carry-on baggage.
“Take it with a grain of salt,” Brein said. “That sense of entitlement works two ways. We think that celebrities are acting out of a sense of entitlement because we think that’s what celebrities do. But the level of frustration (for travelers) begins with the TSA. Our level of discomfort and anxiety is higher than it used to be because of this. Flight personnel, because of the power of the TSA and their increased power of deciding who is flying and who doesn’t, have a sense of entitlement as well.”
And that’s led to increasing rudeness on the part of both passengers and airline employees, he said. “Maybe Alec Baldwin boarded that plane having a bad experience through the TSA, and that ratchets up his discomfort and anger…(and) the person on working on the aircraft are asking things a little inappropriately because of their levels of frustration.”
The solution? Listen to your mother and use your party manners when traveling.
“It’s just an effort everyone is going to have to make,” Brein said. “Be conscious of and make more of effort to be polite.”
More on Overhead Bin
- 3 women kicked off plane say they're not to blame
- Too old to travel alone? Companies provide escorts
- Another elderly flier claims TSA strip-search at JFK
Elaine Porterfield is an msnbc.com contributor.
Leave a Comment:
Well, Dr. Brein, my bet is on the celebrity. There is your sense of entitlement.
That entire family is dysfunctional. they have to be one of the biggest jokes in the business. Most of them are totally without talent.
Maybe his ex-wife was the normal one.
I wouldn't blame Baldwin in particular. Seems every day we get another story of bad behavior on airplanes, just the nature of the beast these days. At least he wasn't drunk or violent.
I love him!
What did the author say...the flight attendants are exhibiting more of a sense of self-entitlement? What a misguided load of poo. Not only must they follow company policy, they must also comply with the guidelines set forth by the FAA. The flight crew couldn't give two turds who hitches a ride on their airplane. Celebs on a flight are a dime a dozen. Rules and regs are in place for a reason.
As for Mr. Baldwin's tweets about the flight attendant who repeatedly asked him to turn off his phone, they show what a jerk is really is. He likened her to a 1950's gym teacher. Really, Alec? How odd that you would include a gym reference in your insults. With all that extra weight you're toting around, I would think you would avoid references that draw attention to your short-comings.
The bottom line? Turn off the damn phone, and while you're at it, turn off your damn 'tude, Porky.
The other passengers that were interviewed said he wasn't causing a disturbance. I don't know, I wasn't there, but I have dealt with these little nazis that work for the airlines before, and my sympathy is with him. American Airlines is one of the worst. They have the worst record for being on time, the worst customer service and their employees are sullen, rude, and arrogant. I wonder why they just filed for bankruptcy.
Airlines should think twice about alienating the passengers that actually pay for the seats in the first and business class cabins rather that filling them with people who only got the seats through upgrades. They make up a chunk of revenue for every flight. The problem is that paying passengers in those cabins can actually demand a level of service that the US carriers have sadly all but completely abandoned in the coach cabin.
Abysmal service is a no-go for people with money when there are other carriers actually offering comfort and service. Sadly Baldwin is right in that you're almost restricted to international carriers in order to get that.
Airlines suck welcome to Nazi Airlines, horrible service and it's a pain in the ASS to fly these days.
The TSA can go screw themselves 8)
How is that 1st class working out for you 8)
Here is what I did when a rick spoiled blond witch refused to turn off her iPAD sitting next to me in business class after 3 kindly requests.
The flight was full. Not a single empty seat. She was asked to turn off her iPAD and she just put it away. I asked her to maybe be best to turn it off. She ignored me. So I just sat next to her on the 8 hour flight, loudly farting (bad ones too), eating egg salad sandwiches heavy in garlic and chewing bubble gum with my mouth open, . . . the entire trip. She complained and I ignored her.
I actually enjoyed that flight.
Bill, that says more about you than it does her. LOL
Bill do you mean to say you wouldn't have farted loudly, but still farted, had this not happened? Just want clarification. :)
Bill, I just gotta tell ya: hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!
It's possible you could actually get a job with an airline as a designated farter whose main purpose is to offend really crappy passengers. I know several flight attendants that would pay you out of their own pockets.
Why don't these actors just get together and share a private plane? Combining their assets I be they could afford it. I would much rather do that than fly commercial! Too bad I can't even come close to affording it. :-(
The violations on our Rights committed by the TSA has caused me to cut my business travel by well over 50% this year. The TSA must be abolished before it leaves our aviation industry in ruins.
While a bad experience there does not entitle you to rude behavior elsewhere, it does set the tone for your travel experience.
Wish others concerned with their "Rights" would follow your lead. That would ease the crowding considerably.
Hollywood Elitism!! They thing they can do what EVER they want!
Airline elitism! THEY think that they can order anybody around anytime they want.
I have also cut back my flying by 50% or more because my body belongs to me, not to some molesting thug in a blue uniform with a plastic badge. I decide who looks at my naked body. I decide who rubs my genitals and breasts. The TSA can go feel each other up and strip search each other in the back room all they like, just leave me out of it.
I've really enjoyed my travels on Amtrak. And as for you whiners wishing for less crowding on airplanes - air travel is already down considerably this year from last year because of the unwelcome sexual abuse. The airlines cancelled flights and cut back their schedules to keep planes full because they make more money that way. But since you don't respect your body or yourself, have fun at the airport.
Everyone always wants to complain about something, either the rules are "too strict" and you have your feelings hurt, or the rules are "too lax" and bad things happen to good people like on 9/11 when everyone wondered where the security was. If you don't want to follow the rules, then don't fly... It's that simple. You don't have "rights" (in the way you're probably trying to describe them when describing how the TSA bullies you) when it comes to flying. You are subject to the rules like everyone else. Do you go to 7/11 topless and barefoot and complain that the "No shirt, no shoes, no service" violates your rights?
You sure have it nailed Wish there were more like you to answer the old farts who conflate inconvenience or TSA/FA rudeness with depriving them of their sacred Rights. People really need to get a life.
I sat through Thanksgiving with my relatives comparing stories and bitching about how they had to dump out some liquids or spend a extra couple minutes for a screening. What's the alternative, allow "safe" people to breeze through without a second glance? It makes me a feel a little better that the screenings are not predictable, and err on the onerous (yet reasonable) side. I really don't want my plane to blow up, so please TSA, keep a close eye.
As for Alec, I like the guy alright, but cry me a river over your iPad and WWF! Flight attendants and pilots have a job to do, and you're mad over cutting your scrabble game short...
you can't treat even some low level STAR like all the little people on the plane
Hey baldwin...Grow up....play your game when you get home....BABY........
Celebrities are not exempt from following FAA guidelines designed to protect the safety of all passengers. Baldwin's tweet shows he wasn't listening to the flight attendant charged with enforcing one of those guidelines. I think the right phrase is "self-absorbed."
Why Kbabe turned this incident into a TSA diatribe is anyone's guess.
Where is home for Baldwin these days? He said he would move to Canada if Bush was elected president.
Baldwin is a pompous arse. It's all about Alec ...... just ask him, his kids, his flight attendents, etc, etc, etc.
“Flt attendant on AA reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS..."
No, dip$hit, you got "reamed" out for not doing what you were told. Doesn't matter what stupid game you're playing, you're on her airplane and she has that authority.
Sigh..Celebrities think the world revolves around them. Turn off your electronics when you're told just like everyone else so you don't cause delays and piss off the rest of the people waiting. What erks me the most is that he went on twitter and complained making it sound like he was unjustly treated by the airline :( boohoo. Good job American Airlines!! Kudos to you.
And just a few weeks ago a teenager did pretty much the same thing and everyone seemed to think it was just teenager angst.
Make up your minds, folks, and don't say there's a difference, because they both did exactly the same thing. Yes, Baldwin is older...old enough to know that A) the plane was parked and B) there has never, ever been a recorded problem due to passenger electronics.
Rules are rules, doesn't matter if Alec has a billion frequent flyer miles or he has a black AMEX card, it doesn't entitle him to do whatever he wants and be a pompous prick. If he doesn't want to put his precious little game away, the next time fly he can fly on his own Lear Jet. Crybaby.
Your only "rights" when you fly are those you agree to when you purchase your ticket. That represents a contract you have entered into with the airline. You agree to abide by all their rules, which includes TSA security as they see fit to enforce it, rules about electronic devices, etc. We Americans (celebrities and the rest of us alike) seem to have completely forgotten that life isn't all about ME, it isn't about the precious individual all the time. Other people must be considered, too. I was on a flight that was delayed 20 min once in stifling heat, with a baby screaming, because some idiot kid refused to turn off his laptop and chose to argue about it with the flight attendant instead. I'm glad she stood up for the rest of us - what about my right to not be delayed by a selfish idiot? What about my right to not have my flight's electronic system potentially impaired by his laptop? Baldwin seemed to think that it was up to him as to when he was supposed to turn off his iPad. Why would he have the right to decide that? .... When are we all going to stop thinking it's all about ourselves??
Have to agree with most all the comments. If you DON'T like the rule, find another carrier or alternative, however the RULE is meant for safety and a purpose. Hate to tell you this Mr. Baldwin but your CRAP does stink!
I'm sure the flight attendant did not ramp up the situation ....
yeah, right... /sarcasm
The flight attendant has a job to do and rules to follow for all the passengers. All Baldwin had to do was obey the rules. Is that so hard?
This jacka$$ gives ny and Long Island a bad name.. What jerk.. Tell you the truth I'm surprised he can play the game more than 10 seconds.. Have another drink you moron...
I don't get it. Did Baldwin feel that the rule about securing the electronics when the cabin door closes simply doesn't apply to him? Everyone else yes...but him...not so much. So this 53 year old insisted on continuing to play GAMES for crying out loud. Grow up already!
Flight crews "starting" to get rude ? they have been rude for forever. Now, the passengers are just dishing it back. and don't bother complaining. You'll just get a form letter that tells you "we are sure this is an isolated incident". I quit flying regularly and do so only when no other option is available. I especially hate American Airlines. I find their flight attendants and tickets agents to be the rudest of all of them. Gate agents and pilots, I've never had any problems with those folks. Just ticket agents and flight attendants. blah!
Maybe if you weren't such a "boogerbrain" when you traveled you'd have no trouble with these people. The only time I see people have trouble TSA, ticket agents and flight attendants is when they cause it themselves.
I fly frequently and very seldom encounter a flight attendant who is rude. My biggest complaint is with my fellow passengers who can be rude, inconsiderate idiots.
I used to work for AA so i got the nice treatment since they know who is an employee on the manifest. it was what i witnessed how they treated paying passengers. after i left, i got that same treatment. Out of all the airlines I've flown on in this country, I suggest Southwest. Far and above superior service in all aspects. Once AA figures out how to get their flight attendant union to understand customer service, they might be financially viable again.
Yet another air nazi. Who gives a @!$%# if an ipad is on? I never turn off my cell phone. Just put it on silent. And if you think that my turned on device is gonna make the airplane fall out of the skies than you are a bigger tool then these air nazis.
Any person with half a brain realizes that there's no difference between an on and off ipad when it comes to airline "security".
Another clown with a airline ticket. You going to die if you don't have a electronic game for 20 minutes?"
Akujin: It's not about airline security, but the accuracy of on-board navigation systems. Cell phones have been shown to affect the readouts of these systems. Do you want to send false signals to the cockpit on final approach in blizzard conditions? I hope you're never on any plane with me. Your attitude is dangerous and selfish. Turn your phone off, for crying out loud. Can't you go a few hours without it?
Let's see. 140-300 passengers. Each one probably has a cell phone. How much you wanna bet they are all off? How much are you willing to bet that phones from outside the plane aren't having just as much interference? Plus laptops and ipads with wifi/cell service in them.
Some of us actually understand how the radio spectrum works and realize that interference from outside of the plane is infinitely more powerful then any device I can bring on the plane.
On top of that. Having a device simply be on in airplane mode will turn off all the broadcasts that could potentially interfere.
Phones these days are actually portable computers that can play music and let you read books. Not that it matters. I don't expect old heads to understand.
If my attitude was actually dangerous planes would be falling out of skies left and right. I can remember countless times of myself actually following their instructions and turning off my phone but than turning my head and seeing many people not doing so. So why make a big deal out of it? Oh that's right cause you have nothing better to do.
Apparently you don't know as much as you think you do. Ever heard of the inverse square law? EM radiation loses energy very, very quickly as you move away from the source. Signals from within the plane will be far more powerful. While 99% of the time you may be sitting in a seat that isn't right next to part of the navigation system, that one time in a hundred or thousand could be enough kill someone or cause a near miss.
You sound very entitled. "My phone is all right. Never killed anyone yet. The rules don't apply to me, just like Alec Baldwin." And apparently you don't have anything better to do either.
Akujin, please take a train if you're not willing to follow the laws that are intended to protect us all while flying.
I hate to inject some logic here, but why do they need navigation while sitting at the gate? If the "turn off your electronics or make the plane crash" scenario was valid, they should be far more concerned about people using them in the air, which doesn't seem to bother them in the least.
Or is that just WAYYYYYYYY too logical?
It's WAYYYY too logical because we're talking about someone who doesn't turn off his cell phone in flight, not Alec Baldwin and this particular article.
Not sure I would want to fly on a plane that can be brought down by an Ipad. The whole thing sounds a little far-fetched.
I guess flying IS hard enough already with the Capitol One Venture card
old fashioned manners....sometimes they are the only thing that distinguish us from the apes
From strip down searches, to overpriced tickets, to nickel and dime this and that, to overbooking, to long delays, to bad food and no water, to narrow seats and everything else why would you subject yourself to that? Beats me.
can some body tell me what the hell does a Ipad or cell phone has any interference with a plane whose electrical system is hard wired and runs on hydraulic lines and electric solenoids all operated from hard wired systems? The only thing it would affect is the tower communication but playing Words with Friends shouldn't affect voice communication anyways.
You obviously know nothing of what controls a modern airliner. Even my motorcycle has systems that can be interfered with by a cellphone too close to the control module.
Maybe it doesn't do a thing. Maybe it does. Who cares. Turn the f'ing thing off for the 20 minutes it takes to climb to cruising altitude.
LOL I agree...rules are rules and 20 mins is really stupid of Alex
Each of the zillion wires that run above and below the passenger cabin is a receiving antenna that can pick up and carry signals from your cell phone and laptop to electronic equipment throughout the aircraft. If you want to bet your life that your cell phone won't interfere with the aircraft, please don't fly on the same plane as me.
Can't wait to hear a story of a plane crash caused by a cell phone. Sounds a bit stupid. If an Ipad could bring down an airplane then I'm sure they would be banned from them.
And HE wants to be Mayor of NYC! OMG! and they think Newt is unfit for office! BS! this guy is the poster boy for Hollywood 1% elitist hypocrites.
Hey, Alec, sit down and shut up.
comment #2...requests to turn off electronics make me wonder: Are airplane instruments so sensitive that some non-coforming individual could actually interfere with the operation of the airplane?...terrorists must love this...electronics can be concealed & left on...poof, a mess on the runway...something weird about this idea
Mythbusters had a go at this. They put a cell phone right next to a navigation instrument and yes, it did affect it. Now the average passenger isn't going to have his phone in the cockpit, but he could have it near some wire carrying the signal. Guess it's enough of a risk to have everyone turn it off.
But they were SITTING AT THE GATE! If you're worried about interference, you should be worrying after reaching cruising altitude.
You need to read more carefully. This thread is about whether electronics can affect aircraft in flight. That's what Sylvia was asking and I was answering. We weren't talking about Alec Baldwin and his gate games.
I'm not going to apologize for staying on topic.