A drunk American Airlines passenger was causing turbulence at Chicago O’Hare airport.
A visibly drunk Concierge Key member — the invite-only top-tier status within the AAdvantage program— used his status to wreak havoc in the flagship airport lounge on Sunday.
The passenger allegedly demanded changing the TV channel, spouted off homophobic slurs to other passengers and assaulted the staff, View From the Wing reported.
No action was taken in response, according ot the travel blog, because “he has high status.”
The person who reported the disturbance was traveling with another male companion and said the drunk flyer was wearing a Ritz-Carlton hat and was using his elite status to justify his rowdy behavior.
He reportedly entered the airport lounge and insisted that they change the TV channel to golf, even though several patrons were already watching the Chicago Cubs game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and objected to the channel change.
After the lounge staff sided with the majority and said the Cubs game would stay on TV, the intoxicated man grabbed the remote from the staff member, forcing them to move away.
He declared that his Concierge Key status gave him the authority to do so and began to take pictures of the employees’ name badges in an effort to intimidate them and report them.
The man continued to mock those watching the game, saying they shouldn’t watch “little kid baseball.”
As the game went on, he threw a beer cap at the patrons in the lounge watching and later yelled, “Why don’t you go f – – k your boyfriend, you fat f – – k.”
After the outburst, another customer demanded that the man be removed from the lounge, but the front desk agent reportedly said that the man was a Concierge Key “very VIP,” and would not be removed.
The manager intervened only after the customer noted that he, too, had elite status as a 15-year customer who had earned Executive Platinum status several times.
The drunk man’s elite status could potentially be revoked if the issue is escalated high enough, considering it was not just a harassment issue but also a potential safety-of-flight issue.
As View From the Wing pointed out, a drunk and unruly passenger in an airport lounge can become a danger in the air.
The time and date of the incident weren’t reported, but the Cubs vs. Pirates game took place on Sunday, Aug. 17.
If you’re traveling and come across this behavior, View From the Wing recommends filing a police report and recording the incident to post on social media, inciting the airline to act.
The Post has reached out to American Airlines for comment.
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