American Airlines passenger accused of stealing fellow first class traveler’s seat because hers was broken - New York Post

See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google Well aisle be damned.  An American Airlines passenger was accused by a fellow traveler of taking his first class seat because hers wouldn’t properly recline during a flight from New York City. Justin Escalona made the allegations in a now-viral Instagram video, detailing the sitatuaion that allegedly unfolded aboard AA flight 171 on Monday to Los Angeles. Escalona, 27, said he was sitting in first class for the five-and-a-half-hour flight thanks to an upgrade and was abruptly awoken from a snooze by another passenger. The woman asked to swap seats because hers was apparently broken, he said. “I thought it was because she wanted a better view or something,” Escalona said in the video. “But no, it’s because her seat doesn’t recline.” Escalona later clarified on Instagram that he would have been willing to swap seats with the woman for a sentimental reason or if she possibly wanted a better view, but when he found out “she didn’t like her chair”, he thought “no thank you!” “She didn’t even say please or thank you! Just bolted over to my chair & wouldn’t get up,” he later wrote.  “Even if she was polite about it, maybe I would’ve said whatever, just take it I’m feeling nice. Sadly not the case.” The unidentified woman allegedly told everyone that because Escalona didn’t pay for his seat, he had to move. Escalona said he scored the upgrade to first class because of he’s an AAdvantage Executive Platinum member — the highest publicly available elite status tier within the airline, showing a screenshot of his boarding to back it up. In the now-viral video, which has amassed almost five million views, the woman is seen clutching her forehead, refusing to get out of Escalona’s seat. “She’s like, it’s somehow my fault? And she won’t get out of my seat. She’s just in it. Like what?” The woman let out a sigh and said she is “going to UCLA,” to which Escalona joked, “I went to USC so that makes it even worse.” “You gotta get out of my seat, this is crazy,” the dumbfounded traveler pleaded with the woman. “You are holding up the entire flight,” he added. The traveler told the 27-year-old that his seat was reassigned — which Escalona vehemently disputed.  “My boarding pass says 6A, yours says 3F,” he told the seat hog. Eventually, the woman started to gather her belongings and snarked “you are such a…” before the video cut off.  Escalona was able to return to his seat and the passenger across the aisle quipped to him, “bro you almost got robbed!” The Post reached out to American Airlines for comment.