Elderly couple ejected from KLM flight over language barrier (VIDEOS)
An elderly couple were unceremoniously ejected from a KLM flight after a simple misunderstanding and a breakdown of communication between them and the flight crew.
The misunderstanding began when a member of the English-speaking crew moved the man’s bag without permission and couldn’t understand why the passenger, who spoke Spanish, was protesting.
Vuelo Amsterdam-Madrid.Sacan a un pasajero español de un avión porque no hay nadie en la tripulación que pueda hablar con el en su idioma. el piloto dice que era imposible comunicarse con él. Vergüenza de compañía #Klm#klm#Aena@KLM@KLM_ES@KLM_AR@KLM_MXpic.twitter.com/et3a8Y5SZI
— Gonzalo Rubio Diaz (@grubio92) November 5, 2018
@KLM_ES esta pasando ahora han echado a dos ancianos por no entender inglés y crear una confusión. pic.twitter.com/1TSftMrjre
— PepeG.V. (@PepeGuillenV) November 5, 2018
When the passenger tried to communicate that he would rather his baggage not be moved as it contained a laptop and asked for an explanation, the flight attendant reportedly became belligerent. The crew member raised the issue with the pilot and the decision was made to expel the elderly couple, despite protests from horrified co-passengers.
“He wanted to move my baggage but I said to them ‘Please don’t, I have a computer in there and I don’t want to damage it,'” the elderly man explained to his fellow passengers.
“The pilot then beckoned me towards him with his finger like this, without even approaching me, and said he was throwing us off the plane. Please accept my apologies,” he concluded, addressing those on board around him, who responded with cries of support.
The behavior of the crew of this flight has been shameful. There is no right to have two elderly people get off the plane in this arbitrary way because of a language problem.I hope the airline apologizes and takes care of the expenses incurred.
— Juanjo Pérez (@juanjopmadrid) November 6, 2018
“We’re with you,” one passenger can be heard shouting. “The pilot should get off!” another Spanish passenger calls out.
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A team from Antena 3 news happened to be on board the KLM flight from Amsterdam to Madrid when the events transpired. The couple apologized for the delay and thanked their fellow passengers as they were escorted off the flight.
Reaction online has been one of consternation that such a simple misunderstanding was handled in this manner.
Escríbelo en inglés que los de KLM no te entienden.
— Yonomeaburro 🦄 (@Yonomeaburro) November 6, 2018
“Write it in English, KLM obviously don’t speak Spanish,” wrote one Twitter user.
Another user suggested that KLM survey aspiring passengers to see if they spoke English before allowing them to purchase tickets. Several others called for a boycott of the airline.
— Sergio 🇪🇸🇪🇺 Galicia Madrid Tabarnia (@SergioGomezhead) November 6, 2018
However, the KLM cabin crew gave a different version of events, claiming that the man was behaving in a threatening manner and adding that they immediately issued an apology to the remaining passengers after the expulsion, according to La Razon.
“We take great care to ensure the flight is as comfortable and safe as possible,” the flight crew said in an on board announcement as cited by El Publico.
“Unfortunately, we cannot always control the behavior of our passengers. In order to offer a pleasant flight, our employees have been trained to recognise threatening situations. We apologise for the inconvenience and hope to see you all on one our flights in the near future.”
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