An American Airlines passenger is suing the Fort Worth-based carrier after she suffered excruciating first and second-degree burns when a coffee pot flew off an unattended beverage cart and landed in her lap during a flight from Baltimore to Chicago in February.
Gina Mason recently filed her lawsuit in a Michigan circuit court, demanding at least $25,000 compensation due to the injuries she suffered to her legs, thighs, and genital area.
Mason was a passenger on American Airlines flight AA378 on February 11, sitting in 29D, which is an aisle seat aboard a Boeing 737MAX. During the one-and-a-half-hour flight, and as the flight attendants were still in the aisle serving beverages and snacks, the Captain suddenly warned everyone to take their seats due to turbulence.
At this point, the civil complaint filed against American Airlines alleges that the flight attendant placed the brakes on the beverage cart and then abandoned the cart to secure herself into a jumpseat.
Before taking her seat, however, the flight attendant allegedly failed to remove a pot full of hot coffee from atop the beverage cart. As the plane was shaken by the turbulence, the coffee pot tumbled off the cart and into Mason’s lap.
The initial complaint against American Airlines has scant few further details about the incident and Mason does not say whether flight attendants provided her with any First Aid.
Mason is also yet to tell the court the extent of her injuries, aside from the fact that she sustained both first and second-degree burns around her legs and genitals.
The lawsuit came to light just a day after it emerged that a Southwest Airlines passenger was left openly weeping in her seat when a flight attendant accidentally spilled a scalding hot cup of water in her lap.
Vestine Uwera was traveling with her young son from Los Angeles to Phoenix last August and had a requested a cup of tea from the crew member when the cup of hot water was spilled into her lap.
Vestine also suffered second-degree burns around her legs and abdomen as the hot water quickly soaked through her blanket and clothes. Shockingly, Vestine alleges that the flight attendants onboard Southwest flight WN2294 on August 1, 2023, showed no empathy towards her and failed to provide First Aid.
In this legal case, Vestine has accused Southwest Airlines of negligence and faulty product design because the cup of hot water did not have a secure lid.
Mason is also making a claim for negligence against American Airlines, alleging that the flight attendant should have removed the pot of hot coffee from atop the beverage cart during ‘extreme turbulence’ before abandoning her cart.
American Airlines is yet to respond to the legal complaint.
Matt’s take
Severe turbulence, especially if it is unexpected or if it comes with little warning, is becoming an increasingly big issue for the airline industry. After all, just look at what happened during Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 in May when dozens of passengers and crew sustained serious injuries when their Boeing 777 suffered severe unexpected turbulence during a busy meal service.
Airlines are having to adopt service guidelines to take account for the threat of turbulence, and some, like Singapore Airlines, are choosing to completely suspend meal services whenever the seatbelt sign is on… whatever the extent of the turbulence.
If turbulence does suddenly strike during a meal or beverage service there might not, however, be time to get the carts back to the galley and safely stow them away.
In this circumstance, flight attendants are instructed to wedge the carts between s
Lies!!