The pilot took his girlfriend’s seat in first class

• An American Airlines passenger claimed his girlfriend was kicked out of her first class seat.
• In X’s post, the man wrote that the crew initially said his girlfriend’s seat was broken.
• He added that the pilot was sitting in first class instead.

An American Airlines passenger claimed his girlfriend was kicked out of her first class seat so the pilot could sit there instead.

in Share to X On Tuesday, passenger Jake Williams wrote that the gate agent had upgraded the couple to first class. The couple was then told that his girlfriend’s seat was broken and she had to move “backwards”.

Then the passenger says that the pilot sat in her place.

“You are all terrible,” the man’s post read. “You (the gate agent) upgraded my friend and I to first class. I kicked her out because the broken seat moved her to the back. The pilot then sat in said broken seat.”

The video shows a man who appears to be in a pilot’s uniform sitting on the seat. It is not clear what day the flight took place, where it departed from, or where it landed.

American Airlines and Williams did not respond to a request for comment made outside regular business hours. However, a customer service representative commented on Williams’ post on Tuesday, asking to “take a closer look” at his claim.

Sometimes, off-duty pilots sit among other passengers because they “Impasse,“Or you are paid to travel to another location for work but you are not actively working.

Industry publication A view from the wing reported in August While employees of other airlines typically sit in economy class during their layovers, American Airlines pilots are being given first-class priority thanks to a new union contract.

According to the blog, American Airlines pilots who suffer sudden death get priority over passengers for upgrades. The idea is that larger, more comfortable first-class seats help pilots get better rest before flying a passenger plane.

The Williams case was not the first time this year that a first-class passenger had been bumped off so the pilot could take his seat. In September, a 78-year-old man was demoted to make room for an off-duty pilot.

The man traveled with Qantas and was moved to economy class as there were no seats left in business class.

“As part of their enterprise agreement, pilots flying to another city to operate flights will be provided with a business class seat,” the airline said in a statement to Insider at the time.