Oh! I think the other kid that your brother didn't know is my nephew! My sister just wrote the following letter to AA:
My son xxxxx xxxxxx was supposed to fly last night from Cleveland to LaGuardia via IAD (OP edit: she meant DCA) (Washington, DC) on flight 4447. As he was waiting to board the plane, he noticed via the window that there was a large dent on the body of the plane. He called to ask me if he should be concerned. I told him that it was probably fine, but that he should mention it to the flight attendant to be sure. He said to the flight attendant, "are you aware that there's a dent on the plane?" He went to his seat and sat down. A short while later, the flight attendant came over to my son and told my son that the pilot said he needed to get off the plane. The flight attendant then went over to another passenger sitting about 7 rows behind my son, and told him to also get off the plane. Neither boy knew why they were being deplaned. When they questioned it, they were told, "You know what you said!" My son figured out that it must have been something to do with his question about the dent. The other boy remained confused. The other passenger was sitting NOWHERE near my son, and the two boys did not know each other until this incident. The only thing the two boys had in common is that they are both visibly Jewish. This is racial profiling and horrific behavior from beginning to end. A reasonable flight attendant/pilot would have just told my son, "yes, I see the dent, but there's nothing to be concerned about." Another acceptable response would have been, "Thank you for bringing it to our attention, and we'll look into it." Kicking someone off a plane for trying to make sure everything is safe is absurd, especially given the recent safety incidents on flights. At first, they boys were told that they will be blacklisted from ever flying AA again. Eventually, they were told that since they remained cooperative and respectful, they could be rebooked on a flight for the next day. Both boys needed to be in school early the next morning for class, and both boys were traumatized from the incident and felt that they could not get onto an AA flight. They ended up having to rent a car to get back to their respective schools (one in NY and the other in CT) and they drove through the night. As my son's mother, I am appalled that something so trivial (a reasonable safety question!) could have such ridiculous repercussions. Additionally, I am horrified at the clear racial profiling and discrimination displayed to the other boy. It makes me think that perhaps my son was kicked off the flight due to anti-Semitism rather than the poor decision-making of the pilot.
Obviously, I cannot prove that my son was kicked off the flight due to anti-Semitism or not, but the other boy was clearly a target of anti-Semitism. The pilot must be investigated for his anti-Semitism, and your crew members must be given proper racial sensitivity training so that this cannot occur again. I am requesting a full refund for my flight and luggage cost, as well as the cost of the alternate plans we had to make (car rental, gas, and tolls). My son should receive some sort of compensation for the ordeal he had to undergo, as well. I certainly hope you will properly compensate the other boy, as well.
Thank you,
XX XXXXX
xxx-xxx-xxxx
