Pizza Brat
I was on a flight from NYC to PDX. Only empty seat was next to me, a middle seat. Bulkhead but the kind where there isn’t a wall, just the first class seats in front of us.
Door is about to close when a large sweaty man comes running onto the plane to claim the empty seat. He was carrying a full size pizza box…
All overhead bins were already closed (and full) but that didn’t stop him from proceeding to open them to find a place to stash his pizza.
The stewardess kindly informed him that he couldn’t put his pizza in an overhead bin. “But it’ll get stepped on!” he gruffly informs her.
She proceeded to tell him to take his seat and put the pizza in front of him. He told her that he flies with pizza all the time and has never been treated this way.
He persisted but as their argument was getting pretty heated he finally succumbed and put the pizza under the seat in front of him and sat down.
The stewardesses have now started the safety video/demonstration and he pulls out a flip phone and proceeds to make a call.
I can tell he’s going through menus, so I’m thinking he’s calling delta to complain. Nope, turns out to be his landline phone company.
He had been late paying his bill and was trying to get them to waive the late fee. They wouldn’t. He is arguing with them.
Plane has pushed back from the gate and is headed toward the runway at this point. Stewardess comes over and tells him he needs to put his phone away NOW.
He motions with his hand to say ‘one minute’. “No, sir, it needs to be put away NOW.” He flips it shut dramatically mid-sentence and puts it in his pocket. Stewardess is back to the front of the plane.
He then decides to stretch. I’m pretty much plastered to the wall trying to stay out of his way as he extends his arms up, and then to the side, etc. and then twists in his seat back and forth, clearly agitated.
He then extends his arms up, stretches out his fingers and proceeds to crack his knuckles very expressively one at a time, sorta like a primary school bully would do on the playground before they were gonna kick your butt.
In that whole knuckle cracking process he flips a middle finger toward the flight attendant. I didn’t notice her reaction as I was just waiting to get this 6 hour flight underway and over with. Next thing I know, I can tell we’re pulling back into the gate.
“Flight attendants prepare for arrival and cross check” message. Door opens. Cockpit door opens. Captain comes to our row. “Sir, I understand you were harassing my flight attendant. I need you to leave the plane now.”
The pizza man attempted to argue and even ask me and the other neighboring passenger if we had witnessed anything. Clearly the pilot wasn’t budging on his decision so the guy got his pizza off the floor and left the plane. Door closed and we departed, empty seat next to me. shawnmk