American Airlines offers tepid apology after booting cellist from plane
The airline removed a passenger and her cello—despite the cello having its own seat. The cellist and her husband described the ordeal as ‘humiliating.’
American Airlines has a problem with cellos.
The airline removed a Chicago-bound cellist and her $30,000 instrument after changing its mind about the appropriateness of carrying the large instrument on a Boeing 737 aircraft. The airline does allow oversized instruments to fly in the cabin, provided they have their own seat and meet certain weight limitations.
Cellist JingJing Hu followed the rules to the letter, only to be removed from her flight and prevented from boarding another.
The airline booked her on a bigger aircraft for the next day, but not before Hu’s husband Jay Tang had taken to Facebook to denounce American’s treatment of his spouse:
The post was shared more than 2,000 times, and constantly updated to reflect the latest actions of the airline.
Some responded to the post with criticism for the airline:
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Tags: Crisis Communications, PR
