An American Airlines passenger was prevented from flying from Albuquerque to New Orleans in June after being added to the airline’s banned customer list for past behavior. The passenger, who identifies as a lesbian, disputes the airline's claim that she had drunken sex with a man on a previous flight.
Erin Wright shared her experience on social media, stating, "Thanks for being the worst @American Airlines." She recounted that she was unable to check in for her flight to attend her sister’s bachelorette party and was advised to contact customer relations via email. Consequently, she purchased a walk-up ticket on another airline for $1,000 and lost the original $400 spent on her American Airlines ticket.
Wright said that after 12 days, American Airlines' corporate security team revealed the reason for the ban and subsequently lifted it. Her $400 ticket was refunded. Despite the inconvenience and additional cost of $1,000 for an alternative ticket, Wright noted that her TikTok video about the incident generated enough revenue after amassing 2.5 million views.