Posted on 12/26/2017 5:51:12 PM PST by Liz
Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee said she was targeted by a passenger accusing her of taking her first-class seat “because I was an African American woman”.....the airline said she was not given the seat because she is a congresswoman.
Passenger Jean-Marie Simon accused the airline of giving up her first-class seat on a flight earlier this month from Houston to Washington, D.C., to Jackson Lee, a Democrat, in a report in the Houston Chronicle. “I am disappointed in having to respond to this accusation, but I believe transparency is very important,” Jackson Lee said in a statement posted to her Twitter account on Tuesday.
The longtime Democrat lawmaker said she received her boarding pass for her flight on Dec. 18 and “boarded the plane in the normal process.”
“I did nothing wrong. I asked for nothing exceptional or out of the ordinary and received nothing exceptional or out of the ordinary,” she said. “I proceeded to take my seat and work on legislative issues on my way to Washington.”
She said she then observed a “disruption” from someone walking back and forth in the cabin of the plane. That woman was speaking with a black woman flight attendant, she said. A gate agent went to speak with the passenger before the flight took off, she added.
Jackson Lee said the person “came toward me and took a picture” and that she heard the woman might have said 'I know who she is.'"
“Since this was not any fault of mine, the way the individual continued to act appeared to be, upon reflection, because I was an African American woman, seemingly an easy target along with the African American flight attendant who was very, very nice,” she said.
“This saddens me, especially at this time of year given all of the things we have to work on to help people.” A United Airlines representative told NBC News that Jackson Lee was not given preferential treatment because she is a member of Congress.
The passenger, whose flight was already delayed, canceled her flight using the United app, the representative said. When she arrived at the ticket counter, she had a paper ticket from when she had checked in but that was no longer valid because she canceled her flight, the representative said.
Jackson Lee has global services status with the airline and was given an upgrade, which is common for when there is an open first class seat, the representative said.
She said Jackson Lee’s statement accused her of racism. "I had no idea who was in my seat when I complained at the gate that my seat had been given to someone else.” She said an airline resolution manager called her and personally apologized on Saturday morning, but she wants a formal, written apology from the company.
“Ivanka and Jared fly coach, and they are a quite a few notches up the ladder from Congressthing S.J. Lee.”
In between riding on private jets?
Even if she did cancel her flight, what are the chances
SJL was really first in line for an upgrade to seat 1A?
*************
Does anyone recognize the person sitting next to Jack-Lee?
Isn’t that what Hillary said of Donna Brazille?
I don’t suppose it occurred to Sheila to refuse the special treatment.
I’d triple the bet that they had to ask her to hang up her phone about 5 times.
Shirley you jest?
Lee is as ‘transparent’ as one can get.
If this gal’s district is drawn in such a manner as to give her predominantly minority representation, which would not be the case if it was contiguous as are districts across the United States Of America.
She is not a woman...she is an idiot.
Two lies in just the first sentence.
I am done reading that stuff.
She is not acting.
No Queenie.......it’s because you’re a self-centered, racist idiot, not worth a damn, thinking everyone is beneath you and that you above everyone else should get what you THINK you deserve. You’re a worthless POS and an embarrassment to decent people in Texas!!!
Sheila Jackson Lee is nothing but a loud-mouthed, vicious, entitled hater.
Exactly. She strikes fear with her blackness. F’in win for 2 bit AA hoes everywhere.
I would rather that each state set their members of congress salary, retirement benefits, health insurance, staffing expenses, etc. Hopefully the states would hold them more accountable.
I spent some time on FlyerTalk, and aside from a few posters who completely defend SJL, most everyone understands that this is just how it works.
SJ Lee has had that congressional seat for 30+ years and has an attitude that is terrible. United is much better off to cow tow to SJL than to risk a scene with her.
What gets me is that SJL personally called out the “very, very nice” AA gate agent who helped her out. That tells me that an insider in the IAH that bumps up VIPs outside of normal VIP channels.
Just a silly question for you former federal employees:
I thought that employees are prohibited from accepting anything of value above 25$ and Global Status (and 1k status) is above that by virtue of the free drink coupons alone.
I do not fly United but have over 2 million miles flying all over the US. I can't buy a federal official lunch or leave behind a coffee cup without getting in trouble.
Filthy ghetto racist.
“.....because I was an African American [God, how I despise that term] woman....”
Was? Did she have a sex change, a miraculous racial conversion, or is she speaking from the hereafter?
I’ll take door number three, Monte....
Stole my thunder, you did.
Not even going to elaborate. I just love it when the stupid open their mouths: It exposes them and functions as bait for the rest.
I’ve flown 1st class on United twice since September but after this racist bs I’m not willing to fly United and be forced to deal with their nonsense.
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