Gay Couple Bumped From Airline Seats To Make Room For Straight Couple

[appalachiablue]

Source: NBC News

When gay businessman David Cooley boarded Alaska Airlines flight 1407 from Los Angeles to New York this past weekend, he expected to enjoy the airline's top-rated service and the amenities that accompanied his Premium Class ticket. Instead, however, he said he and his travel companion were subjected to "humiliation" instead.

"I have never been so discriminated against while traveling before," Cooley, owner of iconic Los Angeles gay bar The Abbey, wrote in a public Facebook post. He said he and his travel companion were "removed" from their flight "to give preferential treatment to a straight couple."

"After my traveling companion and I had been seated in our assigned seats for a while, we were approached by the flight attendant and my companion was asked to move from his premium seat to coach, so a couple could sit together," Cooley wrote. "I explained that we were a couple and wanted to sit together. He was given a choice to either give up the premium seat and move to coach or get off the plane."

Cooley and his travel companion decided they "could not bear the feeling of humiliation for an entire cross-country flight," and so they deplaned...




Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gay-couple-bumped-from-airline-seats-to-make-room-for-straight-couple/ar-BBLhlCd?li=BBnbcA1

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Tweet: David Cooley on Sunday. I have never been so discriminated against while traveling before. I was removed from an Alaska Airlines flight # 1407 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to LAX to give preferential treatment to a straight couple. After my traveling companion and I had been seated in our assigned seats for a while, we were approached by the flight attendant and my companion was asked to move from his premium seat to coach, so a couple could sit together. I explained that we were a co...See more...

[Glorfindel]

1. Well, if it were the other way around, the straight couple could sue the airline

and maybe bankrupt them. The gay couple has no recourse except to "suck it up." I have never flown on Alaska Airlines, and now I never will. Withholding my patronage is the only way I can fight back. Except for voting, of course.

[LisaM]

3. Alaska has strong ties to the LGBT community. I don't think this represents the airline's stance.

They flew families of the Pulse massacre to Orlando. They didn't just offer assistance, they offered free flights, and made a sizeable contribution to the OneOrlando fund: https://blog.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/alaskacares/alaska-airlines-stands-with-orlando/

Here's their page about travel to different Pride events: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/gay-travel

They also are the major sponsor of the Seattle Men's Chorus here in Seattle.

I'm going to withhold judgement on this story until I learn who paid what for what seat.

[msongs]

4. if it happens on their planes it is their "stance" nt

[California_Republic]

38. I'm with you Lisa. Let's see

[SoCalNative]

6. And why doesn't the gay couple have any recourse?

They were flying from NYC to LA. Both states and cities have anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBT individuals from discrimination. And if the gay couple is married (nothing in the article denotes that the stright couplde was either) they'd have even more fuel for a lawsuit.

[cab67]

2. If you want to travel as a couple, buy seats next to each other.

(I'm referring to the straight couple here.)

There's obviously a discrimination problem here, but requests to move to accommodate a couple - any couple - should be treated as requests and not instructions.

I travel alone a lot. Frequently, I board to find someone else in my seat, asking if I'd take his/her seat so he/she can fly with his/her companion. I usually request an aisle seat - I get leg cramps - and the seat they want me to take is invariably further back and in the middle.

I've actually started declining.

And you know what? If you have to book travel at the last minute and adjacent seats are no longer available, you'll survive.

(I understand there are exceptions. My mother used to fly with my grandfather when his Alzheimer's started getting bad, and I know people who travel with people on the autism spectrum. But I'm speaking of generalities here.)

[appalachiablue]

8. As I read the piece, the businessman & his companion

had paid, Premier seats that were assigned- both of them.

So his companion was asked to move from Premium seating to Coach class, to accommodate the other 2 passengers. That's a financial downgrade as well as a dodgy 'request' by the airline, from what I see so far.

[appalachiablue]

11. More Info.- CBS: Alaska Airlines apologized for booking

2 people in one seat, and is investigating. AA also said the gate attendants didn't realize they were a couple...

I'm unable to copy & paste this article for some reason.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alaska-airlines-gay-couple-separated-seats-given-to-straight-couple/

[lunasun]

25. Even after they told the airlines?

Cooley wrote. "I explained that we were a couple and wanted to sit together. He was given a choice to either give up the premium seat and move to coach or get off the plane."

[appalachiablue]

31. Very strange. Others here think there could have been

an issue that someone, likely the second couple, had paid full fare for premium seats, vs. an 'upgraded' seat assigned to the first couple, based on mileage awards, rather than money paid.

In the article, the businessman emphasized that he and his companion both had Premium seats and assignments; and the second news article I posted here states that the Airline double booked, apologized, etc.

I've no familiarity with this stuff since we never relied on mileage program points, upgrades, etc. when flying.

[SFnomad]

10. I'm guessing that the person booked coach, had elite status and got him and his companion upgraded

When the airline tried to accommodate the straight couple, they revoked the upgrade to the companion.

I have elite status with another airline and if I book a pair of seats on the same itinerary, that other person can get upgraded with me. If there is only one seat left available for upgrade, I have the option of taking the upgrade myself (and leaving my companion is coach), or letting it pass to the next person in the upgrade line.

The article doesn't say that is what happened, but it sounds like there is information that is missing. If the couple paid for those Premium Class seats (not upgraded), them bumping someone back to Coach would come with a large voucher for their trouble. And nothing was mentioned about anything like that either. I'm curious as to what the entire story is.

[Ananda62]

17. Me too

I usued to travel solo frequently for work. I need an aisle seat due to leg issues. I was often asked to move seats and I decline unless the new seat is an aisle. I know I made some people mad, but I’m too old to care anymore.

[xor]

5. So he airline screwed up and assigned two people the same seat?

Seems like it should have been the first person to arrive should be able to keep the seat. Unless there is more to this story or I am misunderstanding the situation, I think someone is going to be fired.

[OneBro]

7. I was gonna make the same point.

A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told NBC News the incident is currently being investigated, claiming the situation arose after "a couple was mistakenly assigned the same seats as another couple in Premium Class."

If that's truly the case, why bump the people who got there first? Maybe they have a "first to book" policy.

[appalachiablue]

9. They should have mentioned the 'first book' policy, IF double

booking was truly the problem and their error. Also, the airlines should have offered some compensation, gratuity to him immediately. This man's expression and manner conveys a lot, no question.

[Chemisse]

20. They may have assumed the men were single and wouldn't mind as much as the married couple.

Which might explain the initial request, provided they were compensated. It doesn't explain why the airline personnel persisted.

[LisaL]

21. Anybody would mind if asked to move from first class to coach.

[Chemisse]

23. I agree. The benefit would have to be pretty substantial for me to be okay with it. n/t

[Jake Stern]

12. Considering their long standing support for the LGBT community

I'm thinking this is less a case of discrimination and more likely a poorly handled SNAFU.

[bitterross]

13. I'm Single (and gay) Why the hell should I give up my seat for a couple?

Not to be uncaring, but if you've issued me a boarding pass and I'm sitting down, then you better be telling me the plane is on fire if you want me to give up my seat.

What exactly is so special about being a couple that I need to move for your convenience?

[LuvNewcastle]

24. Same here.

Couples and families get preferential treatment over singles all the time and it bullshit. If you aren’t part of a couple or traveling with your family, you often get treated like your incomplete or have something wrong with you.

[Jake Stern]

30. Not necessarily

Tell my totally blind partner that it's bullshit that she, our 2 year old son and I ask to sit together.

[LuvNewcastle]

33. I didn't say always.

Often.

[Raster]

34. When you book, you should specify your conditions...

...to rely on the "kindness of strangers" as the main arrow in your quiver IS WRONG. Yes, you may have extenuating circumstances, but so do others.

[cab67]

39. Remember those worthless gateside security checks they did in the years following 9-11?

I was a male, in my 30's, and nearly always traveling alone. On some trips, I was being pulled out for a "random" gateside check on each flight. People flying in family groups seemed to never get pulled out. Men between around 20 and 50 flying by themselves seemed overrepresented, at least to my eyes.

So I actually ran the statistics on it. Based on a simple t-test out of about 2 years' worth of flights, I was able to reject the null that I was being selected randomly. I didn't test whether young adult males in general were being preferentially selected - only whether I was - but the p-value was something like 0.0005.

[edbermac]

14. Sounds like a booking screwup.

How’d they know they were gay and the other couple was straight? Am I missing something?

[TexasBushwhacker]

37. How'd they know the other couple was straight?

Seriously? Because they were a man and a woman.

[AllyCat]

15. Horrible treatment. Do other airlines (foreign) have this problem?

It seems is is always a US airline this kind of crap happens to. Gay, minority, women with children. WTF?

[James48]

16. How about this:

Very likely that one of the two lbgt couple was upgraded based on points or miles.

Then other couple paid full premium fares.

The airlines usually give the benefit to those who pay, rather than just an upgrade.

Airline says sorry- I’d want the full story, but I’d accept if that was the case.

Let’s find out the whole story.

[McCamy Taylor]

18. Why did the second couple allow this to happen? I would have declined the preferential treatment.

[Lithos]

19. Many reasons

Selfish
Self-centered
Bigoted
Unaware

[Chemisse]

22. Probably unaware.

They would have been back in coach (I assume?) while this scene played out in first class.

[Lithos]

29. Barring new information

That is all I can assume.

The airline, on the other hand, is full of crap.

[regnaD kciN]

26. Maybe because they had paid full-boat...

...whereas the gay couple (or at least one of them) had relied upon upgrades based on miles?

[Raster]

35. white. straight. couple....

...answer your question?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

27. The simple story that the gay couple was booted for a straight couple

is clearly leaving out some information. Like who had paid for premium and who'd been upgraded. The person who paid for the premium seat will always take preference over the upgraded passenger.

Some years back I'd bought first class seats on a pair of flights across country. My first flight ran late, so I just made it to the gate for the second flight right before they were going to close the doors. They'd upgraded someone from coach to my seat, and I insisted I get the seat I'd paid for. They wanted me to take a coach seat and apply for a refund, and I was pretty sure (former airline employee, I understand how seats are priced) I'd be lucky to get twenty bucks back. I wasn't obnoxious, didn't pitch a fit, but I was insistent. However, the passenger who'd been upgraded and then sent back would have a different take on this. But I'll repeat, I paid for first class to begin with. I didn't rely on miles. Honestly, I have never ever gotten a free ticket or even an upgrade based on miles, so I think, well, what I think about that doesn't matter. The point is, I'd paid for that seat, and I was going to be insistent that I get it.

Somehow, I suspect that something along those lines happened here.

[Stonepounder]

32. I agree that there is information missing.

I don't fly at all any more, but I used to be a real road warrior. My frequent flyer card with my airline of choice is embossed "Two Million Miles" and I have top tier status for life. However, I haven't flown in over 10 years.

But I did use my frequent flyer miles quite often to upgrade my status from coach to first. Not once in all that time was I asked to 'downgrade' because of a late arriving passenger who had paid full-fare.

Something else is going on here and I would really be interested in hearing the ultimate outcome if this story.

[Raster]

36. And so would I...

...when I lived in the PacNorWest, I flew Alaska exclusively, and in and out of SeaTac quite a bit. I most certainly want to know the circumstances.

And you know, I don't care how many Prides they may have flight deals for, or how many ads in the local Gay newspaper they may have placed, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN ADVERTISING or words.

Further circumstances, please. Now.