Muslim Woman Denied Unopened Soda Can on Flight When Others are Given Unopened

So let me get this straight?

So after getting gropped by the TSA, going through body scanners.

She get's upset about not getting a soda.

Alrightie then.

a reply to: neo96

Nope, not sure how you get that.
She is upset that the man person next to her got something that she was told she couldn't have, and then man accusing her wanting the can to be used as weapon.
Its all in the article.

a reply to: chuck258

The conference has to do with the youths of those countries, what she experienced had nothing to do with it.

Are you sure she is going there to bash Israel?

all sodas are to be opened for the customer to prevent them from accidently spraying another passengeer.

Cans of beer are not to be opened by the flight crew it violates alcohol beverage laws. However bottles of wine can be because the wine is sold by the glass. Also the fight crew is not allowed to open the small wisky, vodka or other alcholic beverage containers.

So she was not refused an open can of soda for being Muslim. It is common practice but they should have given it to her but chances were she was just going to take it home and not drink it on the plane which is against regulations aslo.

There is more to this story than meets the eye.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

And that sounds so much more professional then to say it can be used as a weapon.
If they are worried about people using full cans as weapons, then how can they serve beer that they can't open?

a reply to: ChesterJohn

This is the only FAA guidelines on crew-served alcoholic beverages I could locate:

§121.575 Alcoholic beverages.
(a) No person may drink any alcoholic beverage aboard an aircraft unless the certificate holder operating the aircraft has served that beverage to him.

(b) No certificate holder may serve any alcoholic beverage to any person aboard any of its aircraft who—

(1) Appears to be intoxicated;

(2) Is escorting a person or being escorted in accordance with 49 CFR 1544.221; or

(3) Has a deadly or dangerous weapon accessible to him while aboard the aircraft in accordance with 49 CFR 1544.219, 1544.221, or 1544.223.

(c) No certificate holder may allow any person to board any of its aircraft if that person appears to be intoxicated.

(d) Each certificate holder shall, within five days after the incident, report to the Administrator the refusal of any person to comply with paragraph (a) of this section, or of any disturbance caused by a person who appears to be intoxicated aboard any of its aircraft.

Can you direct me to where the guidelines you mentioned above are listed?

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

it is not the FAA it is usually the State Alcohol Administration or their State ABC from where the Airline is registered. They vary a little from State to State but most do not allow the flight crews to open an alcholholic beverage container except wine which is sold by the glass.

a) above is to prevent anyone on board from serving alcoholic beverages. Only the flight crew is allowed to serve them but it does not say they have to open the container.

soda cans are opened as a practice to keep them from spraying the backs of passengers or from being removed from the aircraft.

I worked for SW Airlines out of OAS for years and that is our practice and it is that of all airlines.

The used as a weapon excuse was lame but may have some bearing on their training on what can be used as a weapon on an aircraft by a passenger or flight crew. Keep that in mind the next time some one says they have a box cutter, load one can fromteh kitchen area into a sock and bam! no more threat froma box cutter

originally posted by: ChesterJohn
it is not the FAA it is usually the State Alcohol Administration or their State ABC from where the Airline is registered. They vary a little from State to State but most do not allow the flight crews to open an alcholholic beverage container except wine which is sold by the glass.

The FAA has absolute administration of airspace, states have no say in this matter.

Nm

a reply to: Annee

I fly United almost weekly and most crews pour a 6 ounce glass of whatever beverage you request into a cup with ice when you are not in first class.

Occasionally they give you a can and all the times I have gotten a full can it has been opened for me, including beer.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: Annee

I fly United almost weekly and most crews pour a 6 ounce glass of whatever beverage you request into a cup with ice when you are not in first class.

Occasionally they give you a can and all the times I have gotten a full can it has been opened for me, including beer.

I deleted that after doing more research. Still trying to pin point the real reason.

I could actually see the open can on the cart, and when I asked for more Diet Coke, she opened a new can.

www.flyertalk.com...

Found on ssme blog.

Post 64 in this thread: Post by UA Insider: "Hi everyone, This is always subject to change, but right now our policy remains to offer the full can if the customer requests it. Aaron Goldberg Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning United Airlines"

a reply to: Annee

Yeah, the bottom quote seems right. On busy flights they just pour some in a cup for you. When it is quieter you occasionally get the whole can.

ETA: And you can ask for seconds if the crew is still serving.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: Annee

Yeah, the bottom quote seems right. On busy flights they just pour some in a cup for you. When it is quieter you occasionally get the whole can.

ETA: And you can ask for seconds if the crew is still serving.

So, this is posted on same blog dated 11/2013

Hi everyone, This is always subject to change, but right now our policy remains to offer the full can if the customer requests it. Aaron Goldberg Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning United Airlines

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

they are also under the Laws that govern their State liqure licnese and those are not given by the FAA. the FAA has some say but most of their rules and those they don't state are from the regulations of the Licensing State.

originally posted by: lovebeck
You don't just fall into her position at Northwestern University without quite a bit of knowledge and experience, that is for sure.

In my experience there are quite a few people with "knowledge and experience" in various levels of higher education who are unrealistically and overly sensitive to perceived slights.

This is a situation where I would normally be sympathetic. But at the very least from what surfing I've done we haven't really gotten the other side of the story. For example, in rejecting the airline's apology she complained about them not apologizing for the "unfortunate lack of bystander intervention." I don't see how the airline can be expected to be responsible for that. The unfortunate reality is that no matter who was at fault any kind of conflict involving a woman in a hijab on a plane is going to make people nervous no matter how enlightened they may be.

originally posted by: ChesterJohn
all sodas are to be opened for the customer to prevent them from accidently spraying another passengeer.

Cans of beer are not to be opened by the flight crew it violates alcohol beverage laws. However bottles of wine can be because the wine is sold by the glass. Also the fight crew is not allowed to open the small wisky, vodka or other alcholic beverage containers.

So she was not refused an open can of soda for being Muslim. It is common practice but they should have given it to her but chances were she was just going to take it home and not drink it on the plane which is against regulations aslo.

There is more to this story than meets the eye.


Don't you just hate the truth sometimes.

If she flies all the time and has a "hygiene issue" with open cans, how has she gone this long without a prior incident? This certainly can't be the first time she requested a full, unopened can of soda and was denied.

Her claim about what the other passenger said to her also sounds completely fabricated.

This whole story reeks of attention-whoring BS and it's certainly working exactly like she thought it would.

One of the problems here is that from a public relations point of view the airline can't say "her story isn't accurate ."

They have to say "It was a misunderstanding and we're very, very sorry."

And I've read several articles now that report she is not returning calls from reporters. So, most of the coverage seems to be based on a social media rant. She's not having to elaborate on her claims.

Whatever happened I very seriously doubt the attendant or anyone else on that flight singled her out to serve her an opened soda because she was wearing a hijab.

originally posted by: ChesterJohn
they are also under the Laws that govern their State liqure licnese and those are not given by the FAA. the FAA has some say but most of their rules and those they don't state are from the regulations of the Licensing State.

Please link the relative statutes, there is nothing on the FAA site regarding alcohol compliance by commercial airlines with state governing bodies.

but if there was an underwearbomber ( put on the plane without a passport by some US official with a bomb strapped to his butt, so the ex director of DHS could make bazzillions selling useless cancer causing x-ray scammers to a scared little lab rabbit public)...
he would get an unopened can of pop

coocoo