American Airlines Pilot Ejects Passenger

American Airlines is taking their turn in the hot seat over an incident last week where a pilot intervened to have a passenger removed. Prior to boarding her flight from Miami to New York, Tamika Mallory had a disagreement with the gate agent over whether she was to be seated in a middle or aisle seat, but thought the dispute was behind her as she walked down the jetway with her boarding pass in hand. Mallory says she was stopped by the pilot who reprimanded her over a conversation with the gate agent. "Then he said to me, ‘Can you get on this flight? Are you going to be a problem on this flight?' I said ‘No, I'm not. Actually, I'm fine. But I will write my complaint down. He looked at me and said, ‘You're going to get yourself a one-way ticket off this plane.'"

After taking her seat, Mallory's name was called and she was asked to come up to the front of the aircraft where the captain identified her, and she was removed from the flight along with a person travelling with her. Mallory says she has been told by airline representatives that the pilot mishandled the matter: "He had no business getting involved in a seat dispute," said Mallory on Twitter. American Airlines has not been forthcoming with an apology or alternative course of events. Although lacking video, Mallory's ejection from the flight has been getting media attention in part because she is a well-known gun control and civil rights activist.