American Airlines Pilot Challenges Airport Worker—Gets Called Racist And Sent Back For A Badge Check

An airport worker says an American Airlines pilot followed him down a jet bridge and told the gate agent he didn’t look like he belonged there. Then the argument turned to the pilot’s own credentials and whether he’d been cleared to come down in the first place. By the end of the video, the pilot is walking back toward the terminal while the man filming keeps reminding him that he’s the one who needed to be checked. Watch the jet bridge confrontation posted by briccbabymusicgroup_. The man filming says he was at work, in uniform, and wearing his badge. Several of the employees in the video are Prospect Airport Services staff waiting with wheelchairs ready to meet passengers off an arriving flight. He gives his account of what started the argument. He says the pilot pointed him out to the gate agent: That guy … doesn’t look like he belongs here. He says the agent told the pilot he’d worked there for years, but the pilot continued questioning his appearance. The worker attributes that to his jewelry, Jordans and gold teeth, and says the pilot singled him out while leaving the other workers alone. He turns the access question back on the pilot: Now, you’re the one that’s supposed to be scanned… He tells the pilot he’s recording the incident, there’s an exchange about identifying each other, and the pilot eventually heads back up the bridge. According to the worker filming, the gate agent had told him to return because she hadn’t checked his credentials. You can see this is an American pilot from the wings and his Allied Pilots Association lanyard. From his shoulder stripes he appears to be a first officer. Airports have access rules, and federal regulations require challenge procedures for people who aren’t displaying authorized identification in secured areas. This is non-optional, even if awkward! But the worker says he was displaying his badge, and the agent knew who he was. Checking his credentials should have settled it. The same goes for the pilot who isn’t exempt from the procedures controlling access. There’s a social media argument that the pilot is in charge of everyone there, which is just silly. A captain’s authority over operating an aircraft doesn’t give him authority over contractors on the jet bridge or exempt from airport access rules. Debates in the comments center on whether there’s racial profiling here. Just because people involved in a disagreement are from different races doesn’t necessarily mean race is the cause of the altercation. But since pilot union group photos often look like their airline’s chapter of a given hub city’s White Pride, the speculation isn’t exactly baseless either. The funniest comments stem from someone trying to complain to American Airlines by tagging @aacenter, the American Airlines Center arena in Dallas. “that’s like tagging ATT Stadium over a problem with your phone service!” “They gonna air this video on the jumbotron now” “I want answers from that arena and everyone in it.” Ultimately, if you’re going to question someone else’s right to be on the jet bridge, you should probably make sure you’ve been cleared to enter yourself. Topics on this page