A Delta Air passenger who worked in the aviation industry for more than 20 years after leaving the US Air Force says she was thrown off a flight to Jamaica after he offered to help fix the inflight entertainment system, which was suffering technical issues before departure.
Bindley Sangster was flying from his home in Georgia to Jamaica, where he produces single-estate Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee for his own company but claims he was removed from the flight because the pilot deemed him a ‘flight risk’.
The incident unfolded when Sangster went to use the restroom onboard the aircraft during a departure delay on December 6, 2021. After exiting the restroom, he heard the flight attendants discussing a problem with the inflight entertainment system, so Sangster offered to help.
His offer was immediately declined, and Sangster was ordered to return to his seat. Sangster says he immediately complied, but while waiting for departure, he decided to take the opportunity to write a complaint on the Delta app about the delay.
The same flight attendant who had ordered him back to his seat noticed Sangster writing the complaint, and within minutes, a ground agent had boarded the plane and was telling Sangster to collect his belongings and get off.
Two police officers were also waiting at the airplane door to escort Sangster up the jetway, although he was never arrested or charged. In fact, the ground agent even arranged for Sangster to fly on the next flight.
In a lawsuit filed in an Atlanta district court, Sangster claims flight attendants made false allegations about him and that the pilot failed to properly investigate the claims before making an ‘arbitrary’ decision to have him removed.
Sangster is suing Delta for intentional infliction of emotional distress, as well as discriminatory practices and negligent application of federal laws, but the airline has dismissed the lawsuit, arguing that state laws don’t apply to an international flight.
Instead, Delta’s attorneys say any claim against the airline must be made under the Montreal Convention, which is an internationally agreed law that governs the liability of airlines for injuries to passengers, along with damage and loss of baggage and cargo.
The Montreal Convention only allows passengers to make a claim if they have suffered a ‘bodily injury’ and, as such, Delta says Sangster’s suit should be thrown out.
“Plaintiff’s Complaint is legally deficient to establish liability of Delta under the Montreal Convention,” the airline’s reply to the suit reads. “The vagaries of his factual allegations are self-servingly intended to hold Delta liable for an incident that neither harmed him in any way nor discriminated against him in any way”.
There is some case law in Europe allowing passengers to claim damages under the Montreal Convention if they suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following an accident rather than a physical bodily injury.
This came about after the European Court of Justice concluded that PTSD could put a passenger in a situation “comparable to that of a passenger who has suffered a bodily injury.”
The European court also ruled, however, that claims for PTSD under the Montreal Convention can only be brought by a passenger who has a medical opinion and evidence of medical treatment that proves the mental impairment occurred as a result of an accident.
So the “…same flight attendant who had ordered him back to his seat noticed Sangster writing the complaint…”. Was the FA looking over his shoulder as he typed? I’m thinking there’s a small detail missing here, like Sangster was doing some yapping.
So he was yapping. So what?
Yea sure. Have a complete stranger work on a potential electrical issue. Lol
This tale has so many lose ends, it would have been better not to publish until further details are known. Click bait.
Thats all this website does. Click bait. Lol
Exactly, what a stupid one sided hit piece. Flight Attendants don’t order passengers to their seat unless things have gotten out of hand and the passenger was unruly. Passengers are not licensed and trained to work on electrical systems, and pilots don’t have time to investigate unruly passengers. A lot of truth missing here.
Ummm, how can you say that a passenger is not trained on aircraft systems? Retired or ex-employees would certainly know how to work on or fix problems. We don’t know his background. Just saying.
Unless he is hired by that airline to work on electrical systems,,ice,maintenance or system engineers that work on In-flight Entertainment Issues,than absolutely Not. A random passenger regardless of what he says he does,could pose a threat,in this day and age,no airline would permit that.
. Flight Attendants don’t order passengers to their seat unless things have gotten out of hand and the passenger was unruly”
No, you are just being silly.
They will ‘order ‘ (request) you to go to your seat for any reason ( you are in the way, about to depart, no crowding the bathroom etc.
most of the rest is on point.
I Really Do Believe Airlines Are Becoming Too Aggressive In A Lot Of Situations, The Staff Onboard Flights Are Being Giving Too Much Power And Led Way When Some Of These Bull Crap Decisions Are Made With Out Proper Vetting Of What Really May Or May Have Not Happened, I Know Sometimes They Have To Put Up Wit A Big Mouth Karen Or Ken, But I Do Not Believe That A lot Of These So Called incidents Are As The Airline Staff Say!!Just My Opinion But I Do Know There Are A lot Of People Out There Who Agree With Me!!!
Why Is Every Word Capitalized?
You’ve CAPSized your credibility.
They might just be more competent than the idiots they employ on the airline.
It’s funny but his family name is on the airport in Jamaica.
Of course he was discriminated against. He was taken off the flight! Why? Because he offered to help?
OR… there is WAY more to this story
The convention rules needs to be changed in order for an individual can file a complaint against an airline for non bodily injury. The language in the convention gives the airline too much power and control of such.
“A Delta Air passenger who worked in the aviation industry for more than 20 years after leaving the US Air Force says SHE was thrown off a flight to Jamaica after HE offered to help fix the inflight entertainment system, which was suffering technical issues before departure.“
Are we talking about a male or female passenger? Or did they change genders during the incident?