Really?
American Airlines uses an unbelievable story to explain its loose seats — it'sjust spilled soda
As if American Airlines hadn't seen enough drama in recent months with bankruptcy proceedings, mass layoffs, pilot uprisings and delayed and canceled flights, passengers' seats came loose on three different flights this week.
Those seats dislodged on routes from Boston to Miami, from JFK to Miami and from Vail to Dallas — just imagine the hysteria. Rows loosened shortly after takeoff, endangering surrounding passengers and requiring the aircrafts to divert flights to nearby airports.
The newly-determined cause of the snafu? Not sabotage or improper maintenance, but "gunk" buildup due to soda and coffee spills.
Although the Fort Worth-based carrier initially attributed the loose seats on "a saddle clamp improperly installed on the foot of the row leg," it has since changed direction.
The newly-determined cause of the snafu? Not sabotage or improper maintenance, but "gunk" buildup due to soda and coffee spills, according to one American Airlines spokeswoman.
CNN reports that said "gunk" — created by passenger sloppiness no doubt — has affected the track on the ground "that locks the seats to the aircraft floor."
Sure, things tend to get a little sticky in flight, what with all of the elbow-bumping and turbulence, but seats loosening on multiple Boeing 757s, serving multiple routes?
Oh, come on. We call bluff.