It’s one thing to overreact to someone doing something stupid like joking about having a bomb or a gun while boarding a passenger jet.
It’s quite another thing to try to turn petty irritation into retribution, then dress it all up as a security concern, which is what happened to an America West passenger who jokingly asked flight attendants if the pilots were sober — this a week after two America West pilots were arrested and fired for flying drunk.
The woman who made the joke was yanked from the plane. She was later put on a different flight.
[AW spokesperson] Nowack said the crew decided to take the woman off the aircraft after determining that her remarks constituted a potential security problem.
“While this passenger may have been joking it is difficult to determine if someone is joking or serious. We take any comment regarding safety seriously,” she said.
And how the frell were this woman’s remarks a security problem?
Not only is this crappy customer service, but it makes (in Instapundit’s words) “a mockery of security and anti-terrorism.”
Jerks.
(I’ve sent a note to America West asking why I should spend my travel dollars with a company that would engage in this sort of abuse. I’ll be curious to see what sort of form letter I get back.)
UPDATE: Blogatelle takes it upon herself to help AW figure out when people are joking. With visuals.
(Via Instapundit)