'I plunked down my credit card and bought the last seat': Entitled airline flyer berates customer, not knowing he's actually a pilot

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Apr 14, 2024 5:00 PM EDT

This is your captain speaking… get out of that seat! 

Working as an airline pilot does have that fun perk: the pilot gets to say, "This is your captain speaking," and then they tell you about the weather and how long it'll take to get to your destination. They'll usually mention if there will be turbulence ("We're in for a bumpy ride today, folks!"), and sometimes they get to give the good news that the flight will arrive slightly ahead of time. Plus, pilots don't really have to interact with the public. They just get to chill with their copilot, eat a meal, and apparently they nap a lot while their copilots are keeping things under control. 

One pilot shared that he got to be on the other side of the flying experience at one point in his life. He was heading for a flight as a passenger in order to commute to the airport he had to fly out of for his shift. He managed to get onto the flight with a cushy first-class seat. But unlike his normal days at work, he was subjected to the public, and all of the silliness that can entail. 

After you check out u/snarfleberry's story, read about the kid who had to stop their mom from making a disastrous TikTok recipe. 

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    Cheezburger Image 9909129472
    via Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash
  • 02
    r/r/Entitled People Posted by u/snarfleberry Ը ⑤3 I've Upgraded to First Class Background: Airline Captain, commuting to work, purchased a full fare First Class ticket to get there. Lived in Atlanta at the time, domiciled in Houston and commuted. Normally you could get a jump seat in the cockpit, but on this auspicious day, that was already taken. Pass riding wasn't an option because there were no seats in coach and only one in First. Pass riders can be bumped for fare paying passengers. And I n
    via u/snarfleberry
  • 03
    Boarding has occurred and I am peacefully in my seat, waiting for pushback. Cast of Characters: Me: Commuting pilot EW: Entitled woman FA: Flight Attendant CPT: Captain of the flight I'm on. EW: You are sitting in my seat. You'll need to move right now. Me: (Checks boarding pass) Nope. This is my seat. Not going to happen. Sorry. EW: You're an employee. You're sitting in my seat. Move now. Me: May I see your boarding pass? Clearly there's been some mistake. EW: You may not see my boarding pass.
    via u/snarfleberry
  • 04
    Me: You'll need to resolve this with the flight crew. I'm a passenger. EW stomps off, resembling an irritated Delores Umbridge and returns with FA FA Good morning Captain! May I see your boarding pass? Me: Sure thing. (Shows boarding pass) FA: Ma'am that's his seat. He paid for it. EW: Well then throw him off dear. I've upgraded to First Class and that is now my seat. FA: I'll need to see your boarding pass, ma'am. EW: You will not! I showed it when I boarded. I've upgraded to First Class. FA: H
    via u/snarfleberry
  • 05
    (Someone has called the cockpit and the Captain has left the flight deck to deal with this) CPT: Ma'am I'm Captain Wallaby (not his real name). I've just spoken with the Gate Agent. We certainly apologize for this awkward situation. The Agent has corrected your paperwork, and has a voucher for future travel for you as well. Please go fetch your new boarding pass and your voucher and we'll be on our way. EW: (Departs up the jetway, a triumphant smile on her face) The Captain turns to the FA and s
    via u/snarfleberry
  • 06
    Aceswift007 Really hope other airlines use the "you win, just go get what you want and PSYCH!" strategy, would help them more than security dragging I off the a
    via u/Aceswift007
  • 07
    KatCorgan I have heard of this strategy from this subreddit before. Evidently, it's much easier and less disruptive to flight schedules to just kick them off that way then to bring airport security aboard the plane.
    via u/KatCorgan
  • 08
    H010CRON ALL the time. There is a clause in the fine print, that if you leave the plane after you have already boarded, you are giving up on the flight. It's for security (oops let me go get my backpack I "left" that has my drugs....i mean children's books), but its great for getting off people who think that the world revolves around them. Source: Father is a Captain for AA.
    via u/H010CRON
  • 09
    hicctl oh security will be needed anyway as soon as she finds out she got tricked, but this is now the airports problem
    via u/hicctl
  • 10
    Red_Sparx Did this lady think she could just claim she upgraded to first class and kick somebody out of their seat? Serves her right to have the plane leave without her. 292 Reply Share hyperRed13 Doubly to be her if she had any checked bags already on the plane. Serves her right.
    via u/Red_Sparx
  • 11
    cty_hntr My gut feeling tells me this isn't the first time CPT had to deal with this type of character. If not already, should be in all training manuals. EW refused to show a valid ticket to FA or CPT, and correctly referred EW back to the GA.
    via u/cty_hntr
  • 12
    AH_Edgar This is fu hilarious, though I must admit my first thought after reading was "Oh no, the poor staff back at the airport that will have to deal with the fallout of that woman."
    via u/AH_Edgar
  • 13
    obsolete_filmmaker I NOW DECLARE IM SITTING IN 1ST CLASS!
    via u/obsolete_filmmaker
  • 14
    SpadesAnon I AM MANAGER!
    via u/SpadesAnon
  • 15
    shatteredarm1 If she gets too out of hand, I'm sure they'll refer her to TSA.
    via u/shatteredarm
  • 16
    letmeseeyour If you read it carefully, nothing he said implied that she was getting upgraded, or even that she was staying on that flight. Excellent use of language to say one thing but make them hear another.
    via u/letmeseeyour
  • 17
    glittercatlady "You can't just say you've upgraded to first class and have it be true." Lady: "I didn't say it, I declared it." 15 Reply Share Kristeninmyskin For sure! People hear what they want to hear!
    via u/glittercatlady
  • 18
    alexanderhamilton97 I'm actually reading this at the Houston airport
    via u/alexanderhamilton97
  • 19
    snarfleberry OP For whatever its worth, this happened well before 9/11 and there was no requirement in place to retrieve the luggage of a passenger who was deboarded. The glass she was pounding on was the window of the gate area, not the airplane.
    via u/snarfleberry
  • 20
    Yarokasear1 They say on every flight, at least on American company airlines, that it's required by federal law to obey ALL flight crew instructions. She's lucky she simply got sent off the plane for not complying with an order to show her boarding pass, she could have been arrested. My guess is, because this lady refused to show her pass, that she didn't get an upgrade at all, and was trying to bully someone out of their paid for seat.
    via u/Yarokasear1
  • 21
    Tokio Hot D nice one. But does captain have the authority to do that? XD 10 Reply Share ... pairolegal I believe an aircraft Captain, like a ship's Captain, has pretty much total authority over what happens on the aircraft. 17 Reply Share ... jollybrick. Not if I upgrade myself to captain. Look at me. I'm the captain now.
    via u/TokioHot
  • 22
    Red_Sparx Did this lady think she could just claim she upgraded to first class and kick somebody out of their seat?
    via u/Red_Sparx

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