Another passenger rips American Airlines over crammed flight amid coronavirus
It was another American Airlines flight-mare.
A Connecticut woman is the latest passenger to blast the carrier for what she described as a “packed” flight amid the coronavirus pandemic — despite assurances that all middle seats would be left empty, according to reports and video she posted of the ordeal.
Krissy Maloney of Stamford arrived at the airport on Tuesday to find the gate crammed, with people packed together as they waited to board, she said in a since-deleted post on Facebook, according to the Daily Mail.
“The seating area at the gate was packed, no indication there was a pandemic at all,” she wrote.
“Everyone was wearing a mask, though many had them under their chin with mouth and nose exposed or it just covered their mouth and there (sic) nose was completely open,” she wrote.
She said she was told that the airline blocked all center seats from being occupied on the Airbus A321.
“Absolutely not the case!” she said, adding that “every single seat on this plane was filled!”
Maloney posted a short video showing the crowded conditions aboard while the flight attendants were giving the flight safety briefing.
“While I understand the need to make the flight worth the cost, I just don’t understand how the airline gets away with this while a restaurant owner is charged with a misdemeanor for serving a single person at a bar, or drones can monitor us and our distance from each other and the airline just lies that they are taking precautions,” she said.
“No one said anything to anyone about distancing or even to pull your mask from under your chin,” said Maloney, who flew to South Carolina to be with her pregnant daughter Meg, the Daily Mail reported.
“If my grandson wasn’t coming any time now I would not have flown and if I knew the airline was going to completely lie about taking precautions than (sic) I would have driven.”
American Airlines denied Maloney’s claims, saying in a statement to The Post: “The flight was not full, and not every seat was occupied.”
“Additionally, that aircraft does not have over 220 seats,” an airline rep added, refuting Maloney’s claim that 220 passengers were aboard.
“Our policy, which we have publicly stated, was complied with on this flight from New York’s LaGuardia airport,” it added.
The airline said it is limiting the number of passengers on all its flights until May 31, with 50 percent of the middle seats restricted from use unless “necessary.”
“Gate agents will also continue to reassign seats to create more space between customers or to accommodate families who need to be seated together,” the company added.
Last week, the company announced a series of safety measures, including the requirement that all flight attendants wear face coverings on flights. That order will be extended to all passengers beginning Monday.
“The American Airlines team continues to prioritize the safety of our customers and team members, and requiring a face covering is one more way we can protect those on our aircraft,” senior VP of customer experience Kurt Stache said, according to the Daily Mail.
“We ask customers to bring their own masks or face coverings they’re comfortable with when they travel. American is working to procure face masks and hand sanitizer as a supplement,” he added.
American Airlines also made headlines last month when a Manhattan woman described that her flight from Miami to LaGuardia was packed, saying about half the passengers did not wear masks.
A few days later, a Miami man said his American Airlines flight to Mexico City was full, with the majority of the passengers not wearing masks.