71-Year-Old Grandma Kicked Off Flight, Excuse Leaves People Mad

When a 71-year-old grandma asked a flight attendant one simple question, her inquiry set off an unexpected chain reaction. Before she knew it, she was being kicked off the flight in front of her grandchildren. The airline has since issued an explanation, but it only left people boiling mad. This is terrible.

Ellen Flemming, 71, is a regular traveler who’s flown many times without a problem. So, she never expected the response she received from Air Canada staff during the flight to New Brunswick from Pearson International Airport in Toronto after she asked the flight attendant for one simple favor.

Ellen was traveling with her husband and two grandchildren when she asked the cabin crew for a simple service. It certainly wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

So, she never thought in a million years that the question would set off a chain reaction that would eventually see the plane and her life turned completely around. To her utter shock and horror, she was thrown off the flight and claims she was injured as a result.

Ellen told Inside Edition that the incident began after she noticed wet trash in the seat pocket in front of her. She called the flight attendant over and asked if he could remove it. Instead of helping, he immediately became angry and refused to do it. “He hauled himself up to his full height and said, ‘I’m a flight attendant and I don’t look after garbage,’” Ellen recalled.

The response shocked her, but she remained calm, staying seated and not making a scene. When she saw the food cart come by, she tried to dispose of the trash herself, but things quickly escalated. The flight attendant allegedly swiped her arm away, causing the trash to fly all over Ellen and her husband before hitting the floor, where she swiped it away with her foot.

Ellen was surprised at the response and unjustified reaction, but she thought the situation was finished. Sadly, things would only go from bad to worse when, moments later, she heard the pilot say the plane had to turn around and would be returning to British Columbia due to an incident.

Ellen had no idea at the time that the “incident” was her. But, when the plane landed, she found herself being escorted off the flight by the police and told she would not be allowed to fly Air Canada again. She didn’t understand why. Air Canada’s reason didn’t do much to clarify things for her either.

According to People, the airline alleged in a letter that Ellen “exhibited aggressive behavior toward a crew member; threw garbage on the food trolley; kicked a crew member when requested to wait until the member could come back and pick up the garbage as he was serving food.” But, Ellen says this is far from the truth, and other passengers have come forward in her defense, Fox News reported.

One such traveler is Helen Hollett, who says she sat opposite Ellen and her family throughout the flight. According to Helen, she did not witness the 71-year-old woman acting aggressively at all. Instead, she says it was the flight attendant who was “irate” and “screaming” during the incident, Global News reported. “The thing is most of the passengers on that plane didn’t even know what was happening,” Helen explained. What’s more, the police seem to share the same opinion and saw no reason to proceed with a case against the grandmother, saying no criminal offenses took place.

Let’s be clear. Passengers should respect the crew, but travelers should also be shown respect in return. And, this woman did nothing wrong. Instead, this all started because someone chose to have the “it’s not my job” mindset. Would it have hurt this flight attendant to just take the trash and better this woman’s trip? Furthermore, if it’s not their job to tend to the trash, why do they come around and collect it after passing out drinks on every flight I’ve ever been on?

If this particular flight attendant thinks it’s beneath him to throw away garbage for a passenger, he needs another line of work. He doesn’t sound like he’d make that good of an employee anywhere, though. If you are capable of doing something that makes a customer’s experience more pleasant, you should consider that your job, no matter how menial the task. This could have all been avoided if one employee had displayed that considerate mentality rather than an entitled superiority complex. Sadly, an elderly woman paid the price for his arrogance.

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Dear John - Had to share this with you - as I have flown on many airlines and one of the most ' up themselves' cabin crew I have come across worked for British Airways. Many act as if working with the passenger is beneath them - as if we are a nuisance - and the attitude and arrogance offered by a flying mattress - sorry - flying waitress - er - Oh I know it is hard work and they are there for safety etc. and the training is really intense, but when serving the public many act as if it is condescending for them to do so. Why, - Why do they have such an attitude and I can just imagine the innocent people who are affected because of screwed up people taking it out on the public they are there to serve.

I completely understand dealing with the public is hard, but dealing with air stewards with attitude is a BIG FAT NO NO FOR THE PASSENGER AS WELL. It goes both ways.

Robert M.

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I overheard this is Club Class on a BA flight - L.A. to New York decades ago.

We hadn't taken off yet and were still waiting for our 'slot' on the runway - some 45 minutes -

Steward to very over weight American women and her equally over weight female friend -

Steward:- 'Would you like a cocktail Madam.'

Woman:- 'Vodka Tonic.' ( No please or thankyou...)

Steward:- 'Would you like ice in that Madam'- ( probably a silly question as she is American and they put ice in everything... although maybe if he had offered a scoop of lard in her drink she might have said yes straight away...

Woman:- 'What are you saying ?'

Steward:- 'Ice Madam, would you like ice in your vodka tonic ?'

Woman:- ' What are you saying ?'

Steward ' Ice madam. Ice. Ice in your vodka tonic .'

Woman :- 'WHAT ? - What are you saying I can't understand your accent.'

Turning to her friend she says ' What is this silly little guy asking me, i aint gettin it at all !'

She was very loud and making sure everyone in Club Class could hear her - assuming we backed her up, when we did not.

Steward now a little irritated with this and VERY understandably in a loud and harsh voice

'ICE MADAM - ICE - I.C.E. ( spelling it out for her and then - ) YOU KNOW, FROZEN WATER.'

She then complained he was rude and asked for his senior to complain and we witnessed her having a right go at the senior on the flight - so I went to the toilet and spoke to the senior and told him exactly what we had witnessed as fellow passengers and how he had asked so many times if she wanted the damned ice in her drink and she was just too American, too dumb, too fucking stupid to get what he was saying. What else would he ask her after ordering a Vodka Tonic - ' Do you want to suck my cock - eat my ass - have a cucumber shoved up your fat ass - fly this plane to the fucking moon,'- what else would he be asking ???

But it was beyond her capabilities to listen - comprehend - to actually put 2 and 2 together and get what was being asked, and instead, she just showed us all how dumb she was as ICE is not a difficult word but for this one dumb women, it really was too hard to understand.

The steward was not put on report and the women was explained to her by the Senior that he had followed the exact procedure as a steward and that as a passenger she was expected NOT to make a hard job already hard and that the Stewards job was primarily for SECURITY - and that if she messed with him again in any way they would de plane her - and at that - she shut her big fat mouth and just sat in silence for the rest of the flight. She was not a happy bunny - or heifer - that day.

I had never even heard the expression to 'de plane' someone, and I was a bit shocked but - don't fuck with the crew as they can have you off the flight and arrested on arrival so fast - it is all in motion before you even land.

The steward thanked me later although I wasn't aware he even knew I had spoken to his Senior and we were ploughed with free drinks and all sorts of little extras for the whole journey after that.

As we left the aircraft the Steward did wink and say a big thankyou - as - customers / passengers can be awkward and damned annoying sometimes and these poor cabin crew have to tolerate all sorts of abuse and as in this case, the passenger was in the wrong and just needed to pay attention - and I had to defend the Steward.

JB ______________________________

John: We spoke of this when I was with you a few years ago - and as you asked - I served 6 months in jail for air rage some years ago. I actually tried to open the Emergency Exit mid flight.

High of drugs as I often was in those days. No idea where I was. I just had to get off the plane - NOW - and was handcuffed bound and gagged for the rest of the flight and as we were past half way, I had a 4 hour period with no food, drink or even toilet break. I was - quite literally - duck taped to the chair - I couldn't move. Arrested at Heathrow and put in jail overnight at the airport, - Court a while later and I was jailed for 6 months.

I now know the Emergency Exits cannot be opened when in flight anyway - but the fear I must have stirred up on that flight, I deserved everything I got.

Mark.

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