Ingrid Guimarães denounces abuse on American Airlines flight: "coercion and threats"
Actress recounts embarrassing situation and accuses airline of forcing her to change seats on international flight.
247 - Brazilian actress Ingrid Guimarães, 52, used social media this Sunday, the 9th, to denounce an episode of abuse and coercion she experienced aboard an American Airlines flight. According to the artist, the incident occurred last Friday, the 7th, during the trip from New York to Rio de Janeiro, when she was pressured by company employees to change seats against her will. Ingrid described the situation as "absurd" and "abusive," highlighting the series of threats she received after refusing the class change.
In her account, Ingrid shared details of how the situation began shortly after boarding. The actress, who had purchased a Premium Economy ticket, was approached by an employee while she was already seated and with her seatbelt fastened. “I bought a Premium Economy ticket and when I was already seated with my seatbelt fastened, an employee informed me that I would have to leave my seat and go to economy class because a chair in business class had broken and the person was going to take my seat. It's like a rule, leave the seat you paid for,” the actress stated, explaining that the demand was a surprise to her.
When she refused to leave her seat, Ingrid recounted that the pressure from the American Airlines staff intensified, with three employees appearing to threaten her with consequences. “I said, ‘Okay.’ Then three people appeared, all threatening me and saying that the flight wasn’t going to leave, that everyone would have to get off the flight because of me. At no point did they ask my opinion, nor did they explain anything, they just demanded that I stand up with threats,” she reported, visibly outraged.
The actress further detailed the embarrassing moment when she was publicly asked to comply with the change. “Then an employee came shouting: 'Let's all get off the plane because a passenger isn't cooperating.' Not satisfied with that, she announced over the microphone on a flight full of Brazilians that everyone would have to get off because of one passenger. One of them even pointed out who I was. In other words, they turned a flight against me without explaining the situation to the passengers at any point,” Ingrid recounted, highlighting the aggressive behavior of the employees.
According to Ingrid, the situation caused great discomfort, with other passengers starting to shout at her, without knowing exactly what was happening. “Then an employee came shouting: 'Let's all get off the plane because a passenger isn't cooperating.' Not satisfied, she announced over the microphone on a flight full of Brazilians that everyone would have to get off because of one passenger. One of them even pointed out who I was,” she lamented. At one point, Ingrid's sister and brother-in-law tried to intervene, but were overruled by the employee. “She told them to shut up,” she revealed.
Faced with increasing pressure and hostility, Ingrid yielded to the demand and was transferred to economy class. “And of course, faced with public embarrassment, I went to economy class. Coercion, moral abuse, disrespect, and threats,” she stated. The airline, in turn, offered a voucher as compensation, which Ingrid described as a “piece of paper without explanations,” that, instead of solving the problem, brought more frustration. “In exchange, they gave me a voucher without explaining anything, just a piece of paper in my hand (which I thought was the new ticket) saying I had a $300 discount on my next ticket. Unbelievable!” the actress lamented.
Ingrid concluded her post by questioning the company's attitude towards the incident. "Now I ask you: what does the broken chair of another executive have to do with me? Shouldn't they offer other people a bonus, or someone who wants to go for a discount? A negotiation, not an imposition?", she challenged.
In the comments section of the post, American Airlines asked the actress to contact the company directly to provide more details about what happened.
" American Airlines strives to provide a positive experience for all passengers, and we are deeply sorry for our customer's recent experience. A member of our team spoke with her to personally apologize and resolve the matter. Furthermore, we are continuing to investigate the case to understand all its details," the company said in a statement.