Lawyer is refused boarding on La Guardia flight after revolving-door mix-up

Abtahi says the reason he was given was that the captain and crew did not feel comfortable with him on the flight

NEW YORK: A prominent Texas lawyer was not allowed to board a Virgin America flight home from New York on Monday because of an encounter with a crew member at La Guardia Airport in Queens, he and the airline said.

The lawyer, Robert B Abtahi, the vice chairman of the Dallas Plan Commission, the official body that makes planning and zoning recommendations to the City Council, said he was trying to board Virgin America Flight 885 to Dallas before its scheduled departure at 3:50pm, when he was told that he would not be allowed onto the plane.



Mr Abtahi, who goes by “Bobby,” said the reason he was given was that the captain and crew did not feel comfortable with him on the flight. When he pressed for specifics, a gate agent told him that he had cut off a crew member in a revolving door while arriving at the airport, he said. He was forced to cancel the ticket and rebook on another airline.
https://twitter.com/BobbyAbtahi/status/671490680334721024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Virgin America said in a statement sent by email that airline officials had reviewed the incident and believed it was “the result of a misunderstanding.” David Arnold, a spokesman, said the airline was reaching out to apologize to Mr Abtahi for his experience, and added that it was his understanding that it had unfolded as Mr Abtahi described.



“As an airline that prides itself on our award-winning guest service, we take issues like this very seriously,” he said. “We are sorry Mr. Abtahi had this experience today, as it was not representative of the guest service for which we are known.”

The airline offered Mr Abtahi reimbursement for the cost of the flight as well as two free flights in the future. Mr Abtahi said he accepted the apology, but directed the airline to give the free flights to the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, a Dallas charity that helps refugees fleeing abuse.

Mr Abtahi said he wanted the airline to tighten policies giving flight crew members broad discretion to decide whether to allow a passenger on board. “We have all these regulations around flying and safety, and that seems the most subjective one,” he said. “I have PreCheck and Global Entry and I’m not acting crazy; I haven’t been drinking. I’m just standing.”

Mr Abtahi said that the incident, reported online on Monday evening by The Dallas Morning News, happened in one of the airport’s revolving doors when a woman got behind him in the same stall. In response to a reporter’s inquiry, he wrote on Twitter that they “both fumbled to get in,” and he “didn’t know she was crew.”

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Mr Abtahi said he did not think anything of the encounter until a gate agent told him he had cut someone off. He offered to apologize, he said, but was still kept off the plane. He was allowed to cancel the ticket without paying a penalty fee and booked an American Airlines flight leaving around the same time.

Mr Abtahi had been returning from Bermuda, where he had been celebrating the first anniversary of his wedding with his wife, who lives in New York. Asked whether he thought he had been profiled because of his appearance, Mr Abtahi, who is Iranian-American, said he hoped not.

“You always think about it,” he said. He flies twice a week, and said he had discussed the possibility with his wife before leaving for the airport because he had not shaved after spending a week on the beach. “You just hope not.”

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Mr Arnold, responding to a subsequent email asking whether Mr Abtahi had been profiled based on his looks, his name or his background, said he had not.

This article originally appeared on The New York Times, a partner of The Express Tribune.