(HorizonPost.com) – Last month, an American Airlines flight bound for Guyana was forced to return to New York’s JFK Airport after an incident involving a disruptive passenger. But after the passenger kicked up a fuss, the airline apologized and offered him free air miles, the New York Post reported.
Stabroek News in Guyana had reported on July 20 that the flight was turned back after a “misunderstanding” between Guyanese activist Joel Ghansham and one of the flight attendants.
Ghansham, who wears outlandish clothes and makeup, claimed that when he boarded the flight, one of the flight attendants refused his request to help him put his luggage in the overhead compartment.
The flight attendant allegedly told Ghansham that he isn’t paid to do that.
Later, when the beverage service began, the same flight attendant asked Ghansham if he wanted a drink. Ghansham said he didn’t respond because he “didn’t want to cause a scene.” When the flight attendant asked again, Ghansham said, “No thank you, waiter.”
This irritated the flight attendant who told Ghansham that he wasn’t a waiter and could order the plane to turn around. Ghansham took him up on the threat, telling him, “You must be God, so you do it.”
Shortly after the exchange, the pilot announced that the plane was heading back to JFK.
Ghansham said after landing at JFK, he was removed from the flight and questioned by authorities before being released.
In an email statement to the New York Post, a spokesperson for American Airlines said a “disruptive passenger” forced the flight to return to JFK.
But Ghansham denies that he was disruptive, saying in an interview on YouTube that he never left his seat and there was no confrontation or argument with the flight attendant.
Stabroek News reported last week that American Airlines has since apologized to Ghansham and added 10,000 AAdvantage bonus miles to his account.
Ghansham told Stabroek News that he would not accept the offer.
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