Posted on 05/12/2008 4:00:10 PM PDT by RDTF
A New York City man is suing JetBlue Airways Corp. for more than $2 million because he says a pilot made him give up his seat to a flight attendant and sit on the toilet for more than three hours on a flight from California.
Gokhan Mutlu, of Manhattan's Inwood section, says in court papers the pilot told him to "go 'hang out' in the bathroom" about 90 minutes into the San Diego to New York flight because the flight attendant complained that the "jump seat" she was assigned was uncomfortable, the lawsuit said.
Mutlu was traveling on a a "buddy pass," a standby travel voucher that JetBlue employees give to friends, from New York to San Diego on Feb. 16, and returned to New York on Feb. 23, the lawsuit said.
Initially, Mutlu was told a flight attendant had taken the last seat on the plane, but then he was advised she would sit in the employee "jump seat," meaning he could have the last seat, the lawsuit said.
The pilot told him 1 1/2 hours into the five-hour flight that he would have to relinquish the seat to the flight attendant, court papers say. But the pilot said that Mutlu could not sit in the jump seat because only JetBlue employees were permitted to sit there, the lawsuit said.
When Mutlu expressed reluctance to go sit in the bathroom, the pilot, who was not named in the lawsuit, told him that "he was the pilot, that this was his plane, under his command that (Mutlu) should be grateful for being on board," the lawsuit said.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at wcbstv.com ...
I smell a BS muzzie lawsuit.
Oh C’mon this can’t be for real......, Really???
He didn’t pay for his seat. He’s entitled to zero.
If the facts are as stated in the story, (Yea, big if) but if they are...
There would also be a BS while christian male baby-boomer lawsuit.
ungrateful dope
hope he loses
BS while christian male = BS white christian male
Man who flys in airplane toilet is bound to get ass in jam.
just doesn’t sound probable. I fly a lot and they are dead serious about the seatbelt.
1. Help muzzie
2. Get sued by muzzie
With a plane that crowded, there should be plenty of witnesses.
Bet the FAA would be interested if he was not sitting down and strapped in when they landed.
Perhaps driving a cab for ten years or so will teach the captain that what he says doesn’t always go.
1. Help muzzie
2. Get sued by muzzie
Oh, I so agree, reeks of B.S.
He has no legal case for damages, since he didn’t pay for his seat.
But both pilot and stew were clearly being jerks.
That explains everything. He paid a fraction of the price for his ticket, than any other passenger. Furthermore, the terms and conditions stipulated on the Buddy Pass specifically state that he may be asked to give up his seat, he can only eat the 'meal' if there are ample meals for the 'revenue generating passengers'. If there is a First Class seat available, he may get a free upgrade to First Class. He is expected to dress 'Business casual' and not to discuss his ticket, what he paid or any other of the perks he is to receive with fellow passengers.
Basically, this piece of work has taken a gift of goodwill, a employee benefit and has decided to sue the company for providing him a substantially reduced fare, because he didn't get to sit in a comfortable seat. Last time I flew, tickets that were normally $425 round trip cost me $75.
The result of this mess may be that no one gets 'Buddy Passes' in the future. BTW, the Buddy Pass states that the person who gave the pass to you is personally responsible for your behavior. In other words, if you act like a jerk - the person who gave you the buddy pass may get disciplinary actions taken against them. So, I'm sure that the employee who decided to give this person one of his (limited) Buddy Passes is truly regretting it now.
Some people should just be kicked out before the plane lands.
...”just doesn’t sound probable. I fly a lot and they are dead serious about the seatbelt...”
Agree. Something sounds fishy. Leave it up to our press to not do their homework. (Heck, they obviously didn’t have to do any in J-school.)
It’s quite possible we have a pilot angling for some flight attendant tail. Under those conditions, anything’s possible.
Doesn’t smell right.....however his BUDDY that works for Jet Blue should be looked into.
He didn’t get a seat, comfortable or not. But I know, he has a funny name.
Actually, once he was given a boarding pass, he was entitled to a SAFE seat, and the bathroom doesn't count.
What would have happened had there been turbulence?
If this turns out to be true, it could be actionable. They did quite possibly put his safety in danger.
Mark
He was given a seat.
However, for reasons the article doesn’t go into; the stewardess was ‘uncomfortable’ with the jump seat. The Captain of the aircraft made the decision that the non-revenue passenger should give up his seat, so that the stewardess could sit down.
We do not know the situation with the stewardess. Was she pregnant? Hip surgery? Car accident?
Was the Captain being a jerk? I don’t know, I wasn’t there.
But, I have flown on a Buddy Pass before, and you are told that the benefits you get by flying on a Buddy Pass (very cheap rates, possible free 1st Class upgrade) include not being able to fly on a flight if it is booked, losing your seat if asked, and no recourse if the flight is canceled or delayed.
I’ve never heard of a man being asked to sit in the toilet, but with the plane landing - I’ll assume the stewardess sat in the jump seat during the landing so that he could be buckled in.
He should sue that he did was denied TV reception in his new seat. That one he might just win.
I guess we’ll find out. But if I’m this guy, and the facts are stated as true, I’m suing too. And heading straight to the FAA while I’m at it. If the stew couldn’t sit in the jumpseat, they should have bumped him from the flight BEFORE it took off.
What a crappy thing to happen!
>>>>it could be actionable. They did quite possibly put his safety in danger.
True, but what are his damamges? Liability without damages is a $1 verdict.
But really, the attendant should have stayed in the jump seat. Period.
Suing over non-rev seating. Well, that will go over really well in court.
Aaahaaa. And there is the probable reason.
DING! DING! We have a winner.
I agree
The real issue is why was the stewardess sitting down at all? Isn’t she supposed to be working the flight?
If something had happened and he had gotten injured from not wearing the seatbelt, the airline would undoubtedly have been held liable. I agree that this reeks of steaming cow maneuver.
I,for one,have no use for Jet Blue anyway.They fly Airbust aircraft exclusively and my attitude is "if it ain't Boeing,I ain't going".
From a safety standpoint, what is the difference in this guy and someone taking a 3 hour dump in the bathroom?
If the Muzzle can afford a lawyer then he should be able to afford a regular seat. I can’t see any Muzzle complaining for being confined in a Muzzle dream room for four hours.
i.e. The pilot is Number 1. This passenger is Number 2 -- hence his accommodations on the flight.
A good friend, out of the goodness of his heart, offered to help a muzzie move a couple years back. It was someone he didn’t know well at all, but he’s just a kind person.
He was unaware of what mussie’s do to kind folks. The muzzie called the cops, filed a complaint against my friend and his brother, accusing them of stealing a bunch of his stuff. The cops were sympathetic to my friend, but a complaint is a complaint.
It took my friend and his brother thousands and thousands to hire an attorney and fight the accusation. They were facing prison time.
They finally got cleared, in part because it was found out that this guy had done this before.
I will NEVER, repeat NEVER allow a muzzie doctor to touch me, or have anything to do with any of my medical stuff.
As they say in Minnesota (where I’m from) “They’re Different”.
Wrong.Regardless if you paid for the ticket or not,you have the same legal rights as a person seating next to you.The moment crew let you board their plane as a passenger,you covered.Same argument can be made after you redeem your miles or, in some cases, have free ticket for your spouse or friend.If this is a true story,FAA will have pilot and Jetblue for breakfast.And I can assure you that Jetblue will settle this case quickly.
The latter is far more likely to sicken his fellow passengers?
I think the attendant needs to be evaluated for requiring a special seat.
“He has no legal case for damages, since he didn’t pay for his seat.”
I dunno, he was given a seat on the airplane. I’m pretty sure the part about maybe having to give up his seat meant before the plane took off, not once the plane was in flight. He had as much right to a seat as any other passenger who got any discount, or someone who walked up to the ticket counter the day of the flight and paid the extortion rate.
But the flip side is at least he didn’t have to stand in line to use the head.
Flying imans.
Then again he might have been a “special buddy”. I though those buddy passes were for people who cohabitated with employees but were not married.
I’d love to see the contract here.....
The pilot should pay more attention to his attitude and less to the tail. ;->
more than $2 million .
Gokhan Mutlu
traveling on a a “buddy pass,”
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