Seat Recline Fight: Woman says she was assaulted after reclining seat on flight

To recline or not to recline? Wendi Williams says she is now reaching out to the FBI after she decided to recline her seat and claims she was then assaulted by a man on an American Airlines flight for doing so.

Williams was on a flight from New Orleans to Charlotte N.C. on an American Eagle aircraft (a subsidiary of American Airlines) when she reclined her seat.

She says the man sitting in the last row of the plane behind her asked if she could sit back up so he could have some space to eat.

She did put her seat back up, then says when she noticed he was finished eating, she reclined again.

“At that point, he started hammering away at me!” Williams wrote on Twitter.

“He was angry that I reclined my seat and punched it about 9 times – HARD,” she says. Which is when she began to record the incident.

Seat Recline Fight

@BravoAndy Here’s a great jackhole! He was angry that I reclined my seat and punched it about 9 times – HARD, at which point I began videoing him, and he resigned to this behavior. The other jackhole is the @AmericanAir flight attendant who reprimanded me and offered him rum! pic.twitter.com/dHeUysrKTu

— wendi (@steelersfanOG) February 9, 2020

After complaining to a flight attendant, Williams says she rolled her eyes and offered the man behind her a complimentary drink.

When the FA came. She rolled her eyes at me and said, “What?” She then told him it was tight back there and gave him rum! She told me I had to delete the video! It’s against the law to video on a plane. I asked her name & She gave me a Passenger Disturbance Notice! https://t.co/zRwy5JYr9s

— wendi (@steelersfanOG) February 8, 2020

After much consideration, and exhausting every opportunity for #AmericanAirlines to do the right thing, I’ve decided to share my assault, from the passenger behind me, and the further threats, from an American Airline flight attendant. She offered him a complimentary cocktail!

— wendi (@steelersfanOG) February 8, 2020

Social media was sharply divided about what is and is not proper seat etiquette while flying, with some coming down in strong favor of Williams, and some saying that she shouldn’t have reclined her seat.

As a former FA I side with you Wendi. You were threatened, assaulted and FA should have avoided adding alcohol to the situation. Shame on #americanairlines

— Laura Marti (@RightonNYC) February 12, 2020

 

If it was me I would have been taken off in handcuffs by Air Marshalls

I am not even a violent person but I would have to had hit that guy with a hard covered book on his head

I hate to fly
This would have put me right over the edge

— Mary Fabulous (@MaryFabulous3) February 8, 2020

I HATE when the person in front of me reclines their seat so I never do it. Maybe because I am a little claustrophobic . Not defending the guy- that was inexcusable and should be reported.

— Maggie Doyle (@caniswear) February 8, 2020

No offense but this gentleman, although he’s an idiot, his seat does not recline. So it is unfair for the person in front to recline their seat. He should have politely asked you to not recline your seat. This is an industry airline problem that needs fixing.

— Leslie Dryden🇨🇦 (@DECOR1) February 8, 2020

Williams says she has been contacted by American Airlines, and they did respond to her complaint but she says she will be contacting the FBI.

I was contacted by @AmericanAir via phone. Apparently I really do have to contact the FBI to get any resolution. The airline didn’t really accept any culpability, although she apologized and said what happened was wrong – that’s it.

— wendi (@steelersfanOG) February 9, 2020

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