Watch Live: Second House Hearing on IRS Scandal

Business

Why Did This Innocent-Looking Photo Get a Travel Blogger Thrown Off a United Airlines Flight?

Feb. 25, 2013 9:46am Liz Klimas

Taking pictures and documenting details of the various aspects of travel is the bread and butter of travel bloggers. One such blogger, Matthew Klint, who took a photo of the video screen on the back of the seat in front of him on a United Airlines flight, was ordered off the plane for doing so, but he thinks there might be another reason.

Klint, who writes the Live and Let’s Fly blog for UPGRD.com, explained in a post last week how he snapped a photo of the seat on plane that would take him direct from Newark Liberty International Airport to Istanbul. A flight attendant asked him not to take pictures and referred him to the airline’s policy.

Travel Blogger Matthew Klint Kicked Off United Flight for Taking Photo or Saying Word Terrorist

This is the photo Klint took before putting his iPhone away. (Photo: Matthew Klint/Live and Let’s Fly)

Here is the policy Klint was told prohibited photos on the plane. (Photo: Matthew Klint/Live and Let’s Fly)

Klint wrote that he didn’t take any more photos, per the request, and also noted how another passenger taking photos received a similar reprimand as well.

Still, what Klint was told didn’t sit well with him, so he called the woman back to explain himself.

“I want you to understand why I was taking pictures,” he recalled saying. “I hope you didn’t think I was a terrorist. Here is my business card [offering her one]. I write about United Airlines on an almost-daily basis and the folks at United in Chicago are even aware of my blog.”

From what Klint wrote, it seemed the stewardess accepted his explanation — not his business card — but a few minutes later a Global Services representative came onto the plane, called Klint to the front, and informed him that he was being kicked off.

Here’s more from Klint’s account of the situation:

He was direct—”The captain is not comfortable with you on this flight. You’ll need to gather your things and we’ll find another way to get you to Istanbul.” I was flabbergasted. My first thought was that they had the wrong passenger—they must have wanted the passenger who was arguing.

The GS rep stepped into the galley, around the corner, and asked the FA to verify it was me. She leaned forward, our eyes briefly meant, then she quickly hid herself again. Yes, she meant me.

I asked to speak to the captain—surely this was a ridiculous misunderstanding. The GS rep would not let me approach the flight deck but offered to talk to the captain on my behalf. He stepped into the cockpit for a few minutes and a few minutes later the captain emerged. He would not look me in the eyes as we spoke.

Captain: Sir, you are not flying on this flight.

Me: Can you tell me why?

Captain: My FA tells me she told you to stop taking pictures and you continued to take pictures.

Me: That’s a lie, captain. She told me stop taking pictures and I stopped. I did try to explain to her why I was taking pictures—I am a travel writer [I offered him one of my business cards and he too refused to accept it].

Captain: Look, I don’t care. You are not flying on this flight. You can make this easy or make this difficult. We’ll call the police if we have to.

Me: Why are you threatening me? Your FA is lying—I did not disobey any crewmember instruction.

Captain: Look, we’re already late. I’d advise you to get off this plane now. Make it easy on yourself. Don’t make us bring the police in. Goodbye.

Me: Wait. Captain, may I have one of your business cards?

Captain: I don’t have any, but United will have no trouble finding me. My name is…[removed].

Having no other choice, Klint removed himself and his things from the plane in a “walk of shame” and proceeded to find other means of travel, which it should be noted was not direct, to Istanbul. Klint told the Global Services representative that he wanted it noted he was cooperative and also that the flight attendant lied about his taking of multiple pictures.

“Yes, she outright lied about me, falsely stating that I flouted her order and continued to take pictures. The blame lies almost entirely with her,” Klint wrote also going on to call the captain “unprofessional and weak.”

Perhaps what it really boiled down to, Klint wrote, was his use of the word “terrorist.”

“Even though the 9/11 attacks were over a decade ago, maybe I should have never used the word terrorist in my explanation,” he wrote. “Maybe the FA was not used to a passenger defending his action. But whatever the case may be, nothing can justify the fact that this FA lied about me.”

“This was not an issue of privacy—the real impetus behind United’s onboard photography guidelines above. You can see that the picture of my seat did not compromise anyone’s privacy. Instead, I believe the FA simply could not fathom why I would want to take pictures of my seat and therefore deemed me a security threat and lied in order to get me off the airplane,” he continued.

Klint said he feels like the incident publicly humiliated him and caused him to question his loyalty to United.

United responded to Klint’s experience, and although no concrete agreement as to next steps has been reached, Klint wrote he is confident “United is taking this issue seriously and has launched an extensive internal investigation.” United has not apologized, but Klint said he also isn’t expecting one.

Klint ultimately wrote that he hopes this incident will prompt a “frank national discussion on the use of so-called ‘taboo’ words onboard airplanes.”

Let us know what you think about the use of “taboo” words on airplanes by taking our poll:

Read Klint’s full account on blog Live and Let’s Fly here.

Benghazi, IRS, AP...What's next? Only TheBlaze TV offers the truth from Glenn Beck, Andrew Wilkow, and Real News from TheBlaze. Get instant access and a free trial here.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (145)

mlimberg
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 1:04pm
United, Chicago…. both POS….. I don’t fly United or go to Chicago… for the same reasons.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Tea Party Animal
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 12:45pm
Way to go United! Pi** off the “Travel Blogger” of all people..yeah that’s smart business! Now United will probably file a legal suit for him to “cease and desist” discussing this incident on his blog…..ya know, for “national security reasons”

What a joke! No wonder the airlines are in bankrupcy.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
omgfolks
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 12:39pm
This is getting really dumb. Flight attendants should not have worry about someone taking a photo on the plane, my god how sillier can these folks get?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
DebateMe
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 12:11pm
If I had my way, every passenger on a plane would be placed in a coma. Fortunatley for everyone, I’m not in charge. That said, there is so much anxiety these days when you have to travel with people you don’t know that it would be great if everyone could get their drama down to zero and just sit quietly and try to do as little as possible.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
jkwinters64
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 11:52am
As I have no desire or reason to leave the continental United States, I will NOT fly. It may take me longer to get where I’m going, but I won’t play their game.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
hi
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 11:48am
Union workers can dump coffee on your head and notb get fired. You just have to suck up if u don’t want to get kicked off.
Once I complained bc my youn kids were sitting several rows away crying. Meanwhile the union thug moved two adults to sit together! When I pointed that out,I almost got kicked off! If I had uttered one more word,she would have kicked my entire family off!
Yet a woman with cylindrical objects under her burka gets a free pass.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
totidemverbis
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 11:47am
This is why I don’t like to fly any more. I’ve flown every known and long past airlines since the day I was born that has taken me to places all over the world! But since 9/11 the Airlines and the Government has gone amok to the point that despite the perception that you’re paying for the service, your actually now paying for the privilege. It was bad enough with checking in, now you have to deal with getting through security. Once inside the terminal you’re welcomed into the “mall” where prices are inflated. Then once on the plane it’s like taking a turkish bus through the mountains. For an industry that complains about losing money, (hmmm wonder why), how do you think throwing someone off the plane who just wanted to report how much more comfortable flying has become! One step forward, 10 step back.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
AlcoholicMB
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 11:29am
Simply NOT FLYING at all, aka a boycott or whatever (a day or week) would take care of all of this. I’ve managed not to fly commercially for almost 10 years now. If I can do it, you can do it.

But this will never happen. You have to get there TODAY. Pfft

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Call2Action
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 11:16am
United breaks guitars.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
WhatTheFrack
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 11:08am
less comments and more action. I only fly 2 or 3 times a year and united maybe once every 2 years but I can decide to make it 0 quite easily if I’m convinced they are out to lunch.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
LakeHartwellSailor
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 11:05am
I have flown almost exclusively on Delta; but for a few years, I had to fly United since their schedules were more in line with wait I needed for where I was going. I hated flying United. Their customer (no) service representatives are rude and extraordinarily unhelpful. When I need to interact with Delta Customer Service, it’s like night & day. However, my fiance has had very few good experiences with Delta.

Bottom line, and speaking as a weekly flyer, all airlines are terrible. Flight Attendants in general are on some sort of power trip (just like TSA agents). And while it is said that they are their primarily for your safety, I call that B.S. As far as I am concerned, they are there to make my flight more comfortable, nothing more, and nothing less.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
frogg
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:59am
Have a disagreement with them and see if you aren’t thrown in jail!!!!!!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
termyt
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:55am
You had a 25 minute conversation with a PR stooge that ended where it began and that makes you happy? Oh yes, I’m sure a thorough investigation will be done internally with the same results as your phone call.

I travel by air a couple of times a year tending to the cheapest airfare. That was United once. That experience forced me to adjust my policy – cheapest fare that isn’t United. This story just reinforces that decision.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Lone Ranger
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:51am
United also breaks guitars.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
woodcellar
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:41am
He probably came off as pushy like most journalist, Think he’s more important and has right other people don’t. Over inflated ego.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
urrybr
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:35am
And they talked about Bush and Big Brother! We are a neurotic, paranoid society.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Tinman6764
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:34am
I take pictures when traveling sometimes. Mmmm, maybe I will take more? United airlines stink anyway. He probably did himself a favour.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
LouieKelcher74
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:32am
Personally I think this guy was trying to stir the pot in order to have something to write about on his travel blog. Put your phone away. The flight crew has more things to worry about when getting ready for a flight (especially a long one) than having passengers go out of their way to explain to them that they are not terrorists.

In general I get why people hate the TSA and their tactics but I also don’t understand why people think flying hassle-free is somehow their god-given right. Birds have a god-given right to fly, people don’t. Out ‘right’ to fly pretty much boils down to the guy who has trained for thousands of hours and holds his own and hundreds of others’ lives in his hands each day.

Don’t like it? Either don’t fly or invest in the time, money and training to do it yourself. Otherwise, suck it up and try not to be a pain in the **** for a few hours. It’s not that difficult.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
WarEagleVII
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:32am
This is an example how U.S. airlines have become rude and unappreciative of their customers. When I had to fly to Indonesia two years ago, I flew Delta from Atlanta to Los Angeles then Singapore to Indonesia. The Delta flights had rude and uncaring FAs while the Singapore FAs were friendly and attentive to all of their passengers, including those flying coach. American and United were even worse than Delta. I am not enthusiastic to fly on any U.S. airline. If I had the choice, I would rather drive.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
RedManBlueState
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:31am
Remember when United was “The Friendly Skies” ??

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- barber2
  Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:58am
  Remember when America had a successful economy and a patriotic president ?
  
  Report this comment
RedManBlueState
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:30am
“Hi Jack!”
“That’s da bomb!!”
“This is a good place for a Stick-Up.”

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
JTX
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:29am
I will NEVER _EVER_ EVER….add another NEVER….EVER Fly in a commercial airplane untill this stops; people are treated like customers, and the industry quits it paranoia campaign.

I WILL DRIVE !

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Fergface
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:28am
There are thousands of opportunities to take pictures wo being noticed. It sounds very much as if he was trying to see how they reacted to him doing suspicious activity. Business card or not I can make my own at home and be whoever I want to be. I’m proud that the attendant was so alert. Drawing attention to yourself on a plane is the worst idea ever and he should know this. He’s either very ignorant or very stupid.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
hunter1riley
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:28am
Step forward. Look straight ahead. Quickly sit. Do not speak unless spoken to by authority. You have entered a no common sense zone.

Airlplane travel can be enjoyable. Just not on US based airlines or routes.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- BostonHarold
  Posted on February 25, 2013 at 5:01pm
  Resistance is futile. You are in the power of the Borg collective. Submit or miss your flight.
  
  Report this comment
civilwarcometh
Posted on February 25, 2013 at 10:27am
I think it was the way he was dressed. Now if he would have put one of these on he wouldn’t even have to go threw TSA pat downs or the X-Ray screenings… Oh and Texas is just as BAD as any BLUE state… http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/students-made-to-wear-burqas-in-u-s-state/

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.