Man Says JetBlue Pilot Forced Him To Sit On Toilet

[wmenorr67]

Manhattan Resident Suing Low-Cost Airline, Claims He Spent Part Of San Diego To NYC Flight In Restroom
Told Flight Attendant's Jump Seat Was Uncomfortable
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ― A New York City man is suing JetBlue Airways Corp. for more than $2 million because he says a pilot made him give up his seat to a flight attendant and sit on the toilet for more than three hours on a flight from California.

Gokhan Mutlu, of Manhattan's Inwood section, says in court papers the pilot told him to "go 'hang out' in the bathroom" about 90 minutes into the San Diego to New York flight because the flight attendant complained that the "jump seat" she was assigned was uncomfortable, the lawsuit said.

Mutlu was traveling on a a "buddy pass," a standby travel voucher that JetBlue employees give to friends, from New York to San Diego on Feb. 16, and returned to New York on Feb. 23, the lawsuit said.

Initially, Mutlu was told a flight attendant had taken the last seat on the plane, but then he was advised she would sit in the employee "jump seat," meaning he could have the last seat, the lawsuit said.

The pilot told him 1 1/2 hours into the five-hour flight that he would have to relinquish the seat to the flight attendant, court papers say. But the pilot said that Mutlu could not sit in the jump seat because only JetBlue employees were permitted to sit there, the lawsuit said.

When Mutlu expressed reluctance to go sit in the bathroom, the pilot, who was not named in the lawsuit, told him that "he was the pilot, that this was his plane, under his command that (Mutlu) should be grateful for being on board," the lawsuit said.

When the aircraft hit turbulence and passengers were directed to return to their seats, but "the plaintiff had no seat to return to, sitting on a toilet stool with no seat belts," court papers say.

Sometime later, a male flight attendant knocked on the restroom door and told Mutlu he could return to his original seat, court papers say.

Mutlu's lawsuit, filed Friday in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, says JetBlue negligently endangered him by not providing him with a seat with a safety belt or harness, in violation of federal law.

A JetBlue spokesman declined comment on the lawsuit Monday.

http://wcbstv.com/local/jetblue.gokhan.mutlu.2.722250.html

Hell she is a flight attendant.  Even if she is off duty she should have stayed in the jump seat.  What would she do if she was on duty and didn't like the seat?  Push a paying customer into the latrine?

[Ben]

Yup, even if he was riding for free, Jet Blue issued the pass and gave him a seat. If nothing else, he definitely has them on the safety item.

[Regolith]

JetBlue definately screwed the pooch on this one....but I question that their actions are worth 2 million. 

[Fly320s]

That incident will (and should be) a career-ender for everyone involved.

[280plus]

"I'm the Captain here!" 

[wmenorr67]

Probably not for much longer.

[wmenorr67]

Well at least the airline's name fits.

[ilbob]

I suppose there could be some legitimate reason for this, if it happened as claimed. But what that reason is, I can't really imagine.

I wonder if the FAs served him his complimentary pretzels and beverages while in the bathroom?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

what do you pay for a buddy pass?

[Ben]

but I question that their actions are worth 2 million.

Agreed. That's the kind of thing that screws up truly legitimate lawsuits. Once somebody wins an outrageous sum of dough, next thing you know, a Katrina victim is asking for a trillion bajillion dollars.

This is the kind of thing that might be worth $10K, or maybe a 5 year unlimited pass, or something like that from the civil side. Fly 320s might be able to tell us if this is something the FAA would get involved with and pursue from the criminal side for the safety violations.

[Lennyjoe]

My brother works for Continental and a buddy pass costs $55 each way. Jump seats are in the cockpit so only employees can sit there. No buddy pass users can sit there unless they are direct employees. The stewardess should of known the seat would be unconfortable. Jet Blue is going to pay out on this one. The safety issue is the ace in a hole for the complaintif.

[Manedwolf]

My brother works for Continental and a buddy pass costs $55 each way. Jump seats are in the cockpit so only employees can sit there. No buddy pass users can sit there unless they are direct employees. The stewardess should of known the seat would be unconfortable. Jet Blue is going to pay out on this one. The safety issue is the ace in a hole for the complaintif.

There is also a foldup jumpseat on the bulkhead near the rear exit hatch on a lot of aircraft, right across from the galley.

[Mabs2]

When I read the thread title I was expecting a story about a guy trying to go #2 without touching the toilet and someone coming along and forcing him to...weird.

[Tallpine]

Cool - your own private cabin     

[xavier fremboe]

If you ever want to feel like a second-class citizen fly on a buddy pass.  My wife and I flew non-rev on flight for our honeymoon.  I had a flight attendant stop another flight attendant from giving me a diet coke.  The list of requirements was pretty thorough as well.  I had to wear slacks and a tie.  We also weren't allowed to tell anyone that we were flying non-rev.

From the check-in through the flight, it was as though we were allowed us on the plane just so the flight crew could vent their frustrations upon us instead of paying passengers...

[Lennyjoe]

xavier, what airline did you buddy pass on?

Continental doesn't discriminate like you mentioned.  No ill feelings for buddy pass riders after you get on the aircraft.  Dealing with the gate personnel is another matter.  Sometimes they act like your bothering them when asking for status but other than that, Continental treats buddy pass people like any other.  Non-rev's included.

Maden, sorry, I forgot about them. 99.5% of the time I only see cabin workers in them.  Haven't seen any buddy pass folks taking them seats.

[charby]

Thats kind of poopy of the pilot to make the guy ride in the biffy.

[xavier fremboe]

xavier, what airline did you buddy pass on?

Continental doesn't discriminate like you mentioned.  No ill feelings for buddy pass riders after you get on the aircraft.  Dealing with the gate personnel is another matter.  Sometimes they act like your bothering them when asking for status but other than that, Continental treats buddy pass people like any other.  Non-rev's included.

Maden, sorry, I forgot about them. 99.5% of the time I only see cabin workers in them.  Haven't seen any buddy pass folks taking them seats.

I'll just say it was an American airline...

[Fly320s]

Fly 320s might be able to tell us if this is something the FAA would get involved with and pursue from the criminal side for the safety violations.

Violating the Federal Aviation Regulations isn't normally a criminal act.  Considering the press over the maintenance brouhaha with Southwest and American these last few months, then yes, I can see the FAA getting involved.  The end result would probably be that the Captain and any involved flight attendants would be fired, but I doubt that the FAA would take action beyond that.  That is, of course, if the accusation is true.

Requiring a customer to occupy a lav seat, is certainly a violation, though.  If the story is true, I expect people to be fired.

Buddy pass fees vary at each airline.  Some don't charge a fee, some charge applicable taxes, some have a flat rate.  At every airline I've worked, buddy passes could not be sold or bartered.  Lately, the IRS has decided that buddy passes and other similar benefits are taxable, therefore the employee that gives the buddy pass has to pay tax on that pass. 

Yes, non-revenue passengers are scum-of-the-earth.     They are the last ones to get a seat and the first ones to get kicked-off.  I've been kicked-off, politely, numerous times.

IIRC, Jetblue has several (4?) extra cabin jumpseats that can be used by qualified personnel.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

will the unions let em be fired?

[Fly320s]

Jetblue doesn't have a union.

Yes, there have been pilots (and I'd bet others) fired from Jetblue.

[never_retreat]

Does anyone else think this story is fabricated?
Or is it just me.

[Fly320s]

I'd bet that the "truth" has been stretched like taffy.

[DJJ]

Well, there ought not to be a shortage of witnesses.