United Airlines reportedly issued an apology and a $500 voucher to a passenger who claimed that the airline gave Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) her seat in first class, but the passenger denied receiving an apology.
A United spokesperson allegedly announced Monday that to remedy the situation, the airline offered Jean-Marie Simon, 63, an apology and a voucher for the inconvenience, but Simon claimed the airline did not issue a formal apology.
“United has not apologized to me,” Simon wrote in an email to the New York Post early Tuesday. “A low ranking employee responding to an online customer complaint apologized on the phone, in his individual capacity. He also said he would send my complaint up the chain at United. To date, I have not heard from United.”
She added in a Facebook post written Monday night that she did not receive a formal, “written” apology from the airline:
Simon accused the airline of giving her first class seat on a flight from Houston, Texas, to D.C. to Rep. Lee, a Democrat representing Houston in Congress.
The airline claimed that its internal systems show that Simon canceled her Houston to D.C. flight December 18 due to a weather delay.
The Washington, DC-based teacher, however, said that the airline issued the voucher on December 18, “when United canceled [her] ticket.”
“This was far from an apology,” she said. “The gate agent who issued it told me to either ‘Take it and get on the plane or find another flight somewhere else.’”
She claimed that the gate agent originally tried to give her a $300 voucher, but she turned it down.
United claimed that it automatically upgraded Lee but not because of her status as a congresswoman.
The congresswoman claimed that she did not ask for anything “out of the ordinary,” maintained that the incident was not her fault, and accused the passenger of harboring racism against African Americans.
“Since this was not any fault of mine, the way the individual continued to act appeared to be, upon reflection, because I was an African American woman, seemingly an easy target along with the African American flight attendant who was very, very nice,” Lee said in the statement, according to the Houston Chronicle.
http://freebeacon.com/politics/passenger-booted-sheila-jackson-lee-disputes-united-airlines-apologized/
Sheila Jackson Lee-A Portrait of Stupidity
Well, I must confess, that living in Houston I am saddled with being at least indirectly connected to this wonder of modern congressional idiocy. Ms. Lee has consistently made herself into an icon for the inane, a model for socialist government and a defender of everything that is NOT freedom.
Today she may have topped herself yet again. But before we examine her recent move–let’s take a look back at some of her more memorable moments in modern history. Ms. Lee became a congresswoman in 1995. Prior to that she had 3 unsuccessful attempts at running for judge in Harris County and finally became a Municipal Judge from 1987-1990. Yes a traffic court judge!
Then while sitting on the Houston City Council from 1989-1994 she ran for Congress and has been there ever since.
Amazing stuff about Ms. Lee:
1. She Voluteered to Be and Advocate for Elian Gonzalez’s Father: Remember this photo:
Way to go Shelia! You really kicked that poor little boy’s butt.
2. She Got Herself Essentially Banned From Continental Airlines: Yes for demanding first class on every trip and screaming at airline attendants when they didn’t have the food option she wanted–that got a staffer to quit and got the airline to “suggest” she fly Delta. I personally know that she doesn’t fly continental much anymore as I sat next to her on a Southwest Airlines flight about 4 years ago. In her defense, she was pleasant to talk to–(hillariously, we were delayed on the tarmac for 2 hours and she was not too thrilled with that I can tell you).
3. She Believes that Hurricanes Should Have More African-American Names: Back in 2003, Ms. Lee was upset that names like Keisha, Jamal and Deshawn were not used to name hurricanes. She stated, “All racial groups should be represented.” This is important stuff people. Why, if the Government doesn’t step in and stop this we will end up with all of these “lily-white” hurricane names-and that is simply unfair. I for one know that my daughter Allison is very excited that her name is associated with one of the most devastating tropical storms to hit Houston in modern history–taking numerous lives and costing billions of dollars in repairs. She is THRILLED with that. (what a monor)
And now…(there are many more–but I don’t want to bore you)-her latest decision is that the United States Congress needs to investigate the Harris County Justice System for civil rights violations and inequalities in the system. This following the Joe Horn grand jury decision last week. “With the enormous fractures in the system, until we take a broom and sweep it out, there won’t be evenhanded justice,” she said.
So, I guess the roles of Congress are:
1. Pass laws
2. Spend OUR money
3. Shape Foreign Policy
4. Investigate local Justice systems to see of they are running properly.
oh and also
5. Investigate steroid use in Baseball.
Ms. Lee’s comments highlight a much bigger looming problem with our government–the fact that it is becoming more and more powerful. Remember a democracy is power in the hands of the people–not the few dictators we have elected. It is NOT the role of the United States Governement to investigate the BP plant explosion (another of her great suggestions), or to steal profits away from the oil industry just because it sounds good or to investigate the Grand Jury system in one County in Texas.
But see–Ms. Lee doesn’t understand Texans–because, frankly she isn’t one. See Texas was a Republic–it was its own Country–and by God-it wants to be one again. It is nothing short of Anti-Texas to suggest that the US Government come in and do anything. But of course, Ms. Lee was born somewhere else–Ms. Lee doesn’t understand Texas’ struggle for independence, she doesn’t understand Texans desire to own their own land and be their own person, because Ms. Lee was born…
BuckleUpBetty
I just had my second experience with Houston's own congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee. She lived up to her name for being nasty, rude, and outrageous behavior on board the aircraft. I almost felt the need to remind her she is one of 32 in Texas and there is a reason the seats face me, not her. I also found an article that outlined her behavior before Continental banned her from flying for a year. I would love to hear some more experiences other than the ones posted in this Washington DC article. She's back and unchanged...Beware!
VANITY and a sense of victimhood are handmaidens to Jackson Lee when traveling. Just ask Continental Airlines, her hometown carrier.
For years, Jackson Lee tormented the airline's office in Washington that handles VIP booking. When Congress was in session, her staff would make several reservations early in the week for return flights to Houston. After the House finished its business that week, she would grab whichever flight was most convenient and scrap the others. But this kind of rule-bending put the carrier in a difficult position. Not only was Jackson Lee only paying coach fare (she was routinely bumped up to first class), but Continental was unable to sell the premier seats she didn't use.
Meanwhile, airline crew regularly complained about Jackson Lee's rudeness. Continental managers, however, feared reprisal and saw little they could do. "After medicine, airlines are the most heavily regulated industry in the United States," says a lobbyist for a Texas-based carrier. "Every airline feels they have to kiss up to Congress; they always feel their livelihood is in Congress's hands."
But in February 1998, things finally came to a head. On a flight home to Houston, Jackson Lee became enraged when flight attendants failed to produce the seafood special she liked. "Don't you know who I am?" she reportedly thundered. "I'm Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Where is my seafood meal? I know it was ordered!"
That outburst prompted a phone call to Jackson Lee from Rebecca Cox, vice president of Continental's government affairs office in Washington and the wife of California Republican Chris Cox. The message? Straighten up and fly right, or don't fly with us.
Cox did not return calls seeking comment, but a member of Jackson Lee's staff who fielded the call remembered Cox saying, "[Jackson Lee] screamed at the top of her lungs at least a minute. She embarrassed the flight attendants and the passengers in first class. And she embarrassed herself." Cox then joked, "We have already given her the Delta Airlines schedule."
Jackson Lee got back on board with Continental, but not for long. In May 1999, as Continental flight 1961 prepared to leave Reagan National Airport in Washington, Jackson Lee became flustered when she couldn't find her purse. Thinking she had left it in the boarding area, she went back to search for it. Meanwhile, the plane pulled away from the gate. Moments later, her purse was found onboard. According to aviation lobbyists at the time, Jackson Lee demanded that she be let back on the flight. Airline employees explained that FAA rules prohibit planes from returning to the gate once they've taxied away, but Jackson Lee was unconvinced. She accused the gate staff of racism and demanded to see their supervisor, who was a black woman. Her purse, meanwhile, was unceremoniously dropped out of the cockpit window and ferried back to her.
A year earlier, at a March 2, 1998, reenactment of the march on Selma, an irate Jackson Lee called her scheduler in D.C. demanding to know why she hadn't been given a ride to the event by the organizer, as a white colleague had been. According to the aide--who quit after just a month and a half on the job--Jackson Lee shrieked, "You don't understand. I am a queen, and I demand to be treated like a queen."
It will come as no surprise to learn that Jackson Lee is regarded as one of the most difficult members of Congress for whom to work. House records show that her office has bled staff, losing at least 85 full-time employees since 1995. In addition to schedulers, executive assistants, and "travel aides," she has run through 13 chiefs of staff and legislative directors, generally a congressional office's top two positions. By comparison, Rep. Mark Foley, an active and visible Florida Republican who entered with Jackson Lee in 1995, has lost 17 employees over the same period.
Despite her well-publicized flaps, Jackson Lee shows no signs of mending her ways. When her December 6 flight to Houston was unexpectedly diverted to an alternate gate, for example, a fellow passenger says the congresswoman was on the phone in a matter of seconds after deplaning, berating a staffer who was to pick her up for not anticipating the change. Indeed, soon after the FAA issued emergency regulations in the wake of September 11 prohibiting anyone but ticketed passengers in the gate area, aviation sources say Jackson Lee's office placed "multiple phone calls" to the agency demanding a special exemption for her entourage. The request was denied.
It seems to have taken a national emergency for someone finally to say no to Queen Sheila.
VANITY and a sense of victimhood are handmaidens to Jackson Lee when traveling. Just ask Continental Airlines, her hometown carrier.
For years, Jackson Lee tormented the airline's office in Washington that handles VIP booking. When Congress was in session, her staff would make several reservations early in the week for return flights to Houston. After the House finished its business that week, she would grab whichever flight was most convenient and scrap the others. But this kind of rule-bending put the carrier in a difficult position. Not only was Jackson Lee only paying coach fare (she was routinely bumped up to first class), but Continental was unable to sell the premier seats she didn't use.
Meanwhile, airline crew regularly complained about Jackson Lee's rudeness. Continental managers, however, feared reprisal and saw little they could do. "After medicine, airlines are the most heavily regulated industry in the United States," says a lobbyist for a Texas-based carrier. "Every airline feels they have to kiss up to Congress; they always feel their livelihood is in Congress's hands."
But in February 1998, things finally came to a head. On a flight home to Houston, Jackson Lee became enraged when flight attendants failed to produce the seafood special she liked. "Don't you know who I am?" she reportedly thundered. "I'm Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Where is my seafood meal? I know it was ordered!"
That outburst prompted a phone call to Jackson Lee from Rebecca Cox, vice president of Continental's government affairs office in Washington and the wife of California Republican Chris Cox. The message? Straighten up and fly right, or don't fly with us.
Cox did not return calls seeking comment, but a member of Jackson Lee's staff who fielded the call remembered Cox saying, "[Jackson Lee] screamed at the top of her lungs at least a minute. She embarrassed the flight attendants and the passengers in first class. And she embarrassed herself." Cox then joked, "We have already given her the Delta Airlines schedule."
Jackson Lee got back on board with Continental, but not for long. In May 1999, as Continental flight 1961 prepared to leave Reagan National Airport in Washington, Jackson Lee became flustered when she couldn't find her purse. Thinking she had left it in the boarding area, she went back to search for it. Meanwhile, the plane pulled away from the gate. Moments later, her purse was found onboard. According to aviation lobbyists at the time, Jackson Lee demanded that she be let back on the flight. Airline employees explained that FAA rules prohibit planes from returning to the gate once they've taxied away, but Jackson Lee was unconvinced. She accused the gate staff of racism and demanded to see their supervisor, who was a black woman. Her purse, meanwhile, was unceremoniously dropped out of the cockpit window and ferried back to her.
A year earlier, at a March 2, 1998, reenactment of the march on Selma, an irate Jackson Lee called her scheduler in D.C. demanding to know why she hadn't been given a ride to the event by the organizer, as a white colleague had been. According to the aide--who quit after just a month and a half on the job--Jackson Lee shrieked, "You don't understand. I am a queen, and I demand to be treated like a queen."
It will come as no surprise to learn that Jackson Lee is regarded as one of the most difficult members of Congress for whom to work. House records show that her office has bled staff, losing at least 85 full-time employees since 1995. In addition to schedulers, executive assistants, and "travel aides," she has run through 13 chiefs of staff and legislative directors, generally a congressional office's top two positions. By comparison, Rep. Mark Foley, an active and visible Florida Republican who entered with Jackson Lee in 1995, has lost 17 employees over the same period.
Despite her well-publicized flaps, Jackson Lee shows no signs of mending her ways. When her December 6 flight to Houston was unexpectedly diverted to an alternate gate, for example, a fellow passenger says the congresswoman was on the phone in a matter of seconds after deplaning, berating a staffer who was to pick her up for not anticipating the change. Indeed, soon after the FAA issued emergency regulations in the wake of September 11 prohibiting anyone but ticketed passengers in the gate area, aviation sources say Jackson Lee's office placed "multiple phone calls" to the agency demanding a special exemption for her entourage. The request was denied.
It seems to have taken a national emergency for someone finally to say no to Queen Sheila.
http://www.airlinecrew.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?191729-Texas-Congresswoman-Shelia-Jackson-Lee-Strikes-Again&s=681beaa33418348943c7bd34ae6ffbac
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