American Airlines Flight 2557 turned around after two hours of flying because a passenger called a steward “waiter.” Per the outlet, the flight took off from New York on July 18, 2023, with a destination of Georgetown, Guyana.
According to The New York Post, the passenger, who had been flying business class, asked an attendant to help him put his luggage in an overhead bin because he had recently underwent surgery on his spine. Per the publication, the attendant allegedly replied, “No, I don’t do that. I don’t get paid that kind of money, but if you don’t like it, there is always another airline.”
Per The Post, another flight attendant eventually helped the passenger, identified as Joel Ghansham.
When the beverage service began, the attendant, who had allegedly refused to help Ghansham because of their wages, asked Ghansham if he’d like something to drink. Ghansham told Stabroek News “I didn’t respond because I didn’t want to cause a scene.”
The attendant asked again and Ghansham, speaking to Stabroek News, said that he replied, “No thank you, waiter.”
Per The Post, the attendant told Ghansham that he was not a waiter, adding that he had the power to turn the plane around. The Post reported that Ghansham told the attendant “You must be God, so you do it.”
According to the publication, the pilot announced moments later that the flight would be returning to JFK Airport. According to WECB, Ghansham was removed from the plane at the airport and questioned by a TSA agent before he was allowed to leave.
American Airlines emailed The Post and initially described Ghansham as a “disruptive passenger,” who forced the pilot to turn the plane around.
“Safety and security are our top priorities, and we thank our customers for their understanding and our team members for their professionalism in managing a difficult situation,” an American Airlines spokesperson told The Post.
Ghansham denied being a disruption, however.
“There was not a disruption. I never got up. There was not an argument, there was not a confrontation, nobody touched each other. He was wearing a mask. He wasn’t even loud. It was just his pride,” Ghansham said in the YouTuber interview, per The Post.
According to Stabroek News, Ghansham received an apology from American Airlines two days after the incident and was also provided 10,000 free miles as compensation.
“We are writing to follow up with you about the delay of flight AA2557 on July 18, 2023. We recognize that many of our customers’ important plans were significantly affected, and for that, we are very sorry,” the letter obtained by the outlet read.
Ghansham told Stabroek at the time that he would not accept American’s apology.