December 7, 2011 8:44 AM

Alec Baldwin kicked off American Airlines flight

By
Jessica Derschowitz
Topics
Celebrity

Alec Baldwin attends Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation's A Magical Evening Gala on Nov. 30, 2011, in New York.

(Credit: Getty)

(CBS) Alec Baldwin was booted from an American Airlines flight in Los Angeles on Tuesday, apparently after he used an electronic device to play a Scrabble-like game before the plane departed.

"Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt," Baldwin tweeted.

Pictures: Alec Baldwin
Read more: Alec Baldwin booted from plane at LAX

Several passengers tweeted about the incident, including this one from Michael J. Wolfe: "On an AA flight at LAX. Alec Baldwin removed from the plane We had to go back to the gate. "Terrible that everyone had to wait."

Baldwin's rep told People magazine, "Alec was asked to leave the flight for playing Words with Friends while parked the gate. He loves WWF so much that he was willing to leave a plane for it, but he has already boarded another AA flight."

Other reports say he was booted for more than just playing a game. A passenger on the New York-bound flight told the New York Post that the actor was talking on his phone, and a crew member told the paper that Baldwin was "violent, abusive and aggressive."

The actor later tweeted that the flight attendants on his next flight looked "smarter."

He added, "Last flight w American. Where retired Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950's find jobs as flight attendants."

American Airlines chimed in on its own Twitter account, writing, "Our flight attendants were following federal safety procedures on electronic devices when aircraft door is closed."


Add a Comment See all 59 Comments
by gotalife December 8, 2011 2:11 PM EST
Hello! Did Alec Baldwin buy the aircraft? I don't think so. If he doesn't like the rules he can charter a plane or buy his own. No one else got kicked off the aircraft for not following procedure, but they did have the delay caused by his selfishness and need for attention, not to mention all of the other flights involved in a delay. He owes all involved an apology. Alec, if you want to take a stand on something make it an important issue such as Child Abuse Prevention or Battered Women's programs, but not PLAYING A GAME ON AN AIRPLANE. Really????
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by wlhoppers December 8, 2011 4:31 PM EST
Good for you - you're absolutely right
by tankmac66 December 7, 2011 2:09 PM EST
just another example of a nitwit celebrity who thinks they are above the rules.
Reply to this comment
by DenverBroncofan December 7, 2011 2:00 PM EST
Every time this moron is in the news it's for some tyrant. This guy simply needs his ass kicked. He will at some point pi$$ off the wrong person who will beat the crapp out of him.
Reply to this comment
by wlhoppers December 8, 2011 4:31 PM EST
We can only hope
by julianpenrod December 7, 2011 12:14 PM EST
Since they were first recognized in 1997, the project of contaminating the planet's atmosphere with chemicals to make weather control possible, what has come to be known as "chemtrails", have presided over massive changes in the world's climate. The most powerful hurricane season on record in 1995; tornadoes occurring where they were unknown before, such as Brooklyn; unprecedented hundred degree heat waves from London to Siberia; the arrival of "super derechos", previously unknown hundred mile per hour straight line wind storms; the recalculating of wind chill effect downward, mirroring the fact that air now held much more heat than it used to; the disappearance of bees; the accelerated disappearance of glaciers; the development of the first new cloud species in a half century, the undulatus aspiratus.
One of the most serious results was air losing its ability to support aircraft. Initially, it took the form of spates of three weeks or so during which plane crashes were a daily or evey other day event, separated by spans of a few months. Over time, the spates got longer and the periods between them shorter. Now, it seems there are extended spans during which there are patches of denatured atmosphere everywhere around the planet. The airlines have had to adopt policies to avoid them. "Accidents", "malfunctions" and "incidents" on the tarmac, preventing planes from flying intoabnormal patches of atmosphere are at previously unseen levels. "Delays" and "cancellations" are at record levels. And "malfunctions", "accidents" and "incidents" in the air forcing "diversions" to other airports, are also at unprecedented levels. Never before had a plane returned to the gate because two men aboard were dressed in "imam garb". Never before had a plane returned to the gate because a young man on board was wearing baggy jeans below his waist. Never before had a plane returned to the gate because the pilot decided that a piece of equipment that she knew was damaged suddenly had to be repaired. Even if an airline has to have pilots "overshoot their destination" because they wer "preoccupied" in order to avoid the deviant patches of atmosphere, they will do it. The most recent spate of accidents started a few weeks ago, but the abnormal behavior by airlines seems to have been ongoing even before, so the abnoral air is apparently still everywhere.
This was apparently the purpose here, to make the plane wait until a patch of denatured atmosphere had passed. Note that Baldwin, although behaving like a characteristic "troublesome passenger", was not taken into custody. Part is because he's a star and, in the New World ORder, they have rights the "rank and file" don't possess, but also because he did his duty. He can claim he stands for "the little guy", but he's a seervant of the NWO. Note, too, that he was allowed on another jet almost immediately, even though he seemed determined to cntinue to play the game. For that mater, note his insistence on playing the game and that causing his outburst and ejection, even though, given his evident "love" for the game, he must have been playing it when other flights took off! The only purpose for this was the delay of the plane at the gate!
If this is allowed to continue, soon, only the military and the corporate rich and influential will be able to fly, in non-aerodynamic triangular and diamond shaped drones being reported seen.
Reply to this comment
by PosterBoi December 7, 2011 12:25 PM EST
Do you really think anyone will read your book? As soon as I saw the length of it, I went right by it. This is a message board, not an essay contest.
by DenverBroncofan December 7, 2011 1:56 PM EST
@posterboi...I totally agree. Some of these posters are way over the top
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by A_Dante1 December 7, 2011 11:18 AM EST
I was on a flight earlier this year and the guy in the seat behind me would not turn off his phone as we pushed away - his call was too "important". after repeated (6) requests which he ignored, the flight attendant got on the intercom and said "Sir, in row 22, if your call is really important I am sure the other passengers won't mind returning to the gate so that you finish your call. Otherwise, So you can either hang up or ask all the other passengers if they are ok with the delay."

He hung up.

After the flight he was berating the flight attendant. until the pilot warned him. I gave the attendant my card and told her that if there were any issues she could use me as a witness to say that she handled herself in a completely professional and courteous manner.

We need more flight attendants like her and fewer passengers like that guy.
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by law90807013f December 7, 2011 11:02 AM EST
>>but he has already boarded another AA flight.

If I were Baldwin, as an ex-busboy, I'd have taken the bus to protest and have more time to play the game while traveling.
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by johnburgess12 December 7, 2011 10:54 AM EST
they proberly did not bow to SIR ALEC before talking to him you know he is LA royalty his sh*t don't stink
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by realtvcritics December 7, 2011 10:47 AM EST
Always one jerk on a plane, every flight. Alec Baldwin just happens to be that one jerk on that American Airlines flight. He looked stupid and embarrassed when he finally arrived in Los Angeles. Bottom line when a jerk is on a plane acting like a jerk you throw him off. You can bet he wasn't playing some dumb video game on the next flight. Or he arrogant self would have been in federal custody.

Not a good career move screwing around with feds after the NBC/Comcast merger that still is under the watchful eye of everyone on Capitol Hill.
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by rolltide1977 December 7, 2011 10:34 AM EST
Hilarious. I love this guy. Bottom line airlines suck. He is just doing what we all wish we could! HAHA
Reply to this comment
by A_Dante1 December 7, 2011 11:01 AM EST
that is why flying sucks - because people like you and Alec think it is ok to act like this.
by mouselee78 December 7, 2011 11:53 AM EST
Yes it is hilarious that a grown man can act like this and think it's ok..and call the flight attendants gym teachers for doing their job, which is enforcing FAA regulations. Besides, what does he think he looks good these days...he overweight and bloated himself!!! Yes, we( flight attendants) all wish you could use your cell phones and electronic devices onboard that way we wouldn't have to "police" you. BUT alas you can just not for the first twenty minutes and last twenty minutes of flight...can people really not stand to be not be connected for that long...??? There is something wrong with that!!!
by jfb100 December 7, 2011 10:20 AM EST
I was personally harassed by a Delta gate attendant because she refused to honor our seat reservations, even though we present to board on time. She then told us that she was going to report us to security if we did not take the seats at the back of the plane. I requested to speak with he boss assigned us acceptable seats, but later on the plane when I asked for her name, she refused and reported us to Security.

A high school gym teach - type with bad vocabulary delayed the flight and blustered some vacuous threats but the co-pilot came to our rescue as his witnessed the entire incident and did not believe that requesting the name of a belligerent gate attendant to report her to Delta corp. was grounds for delaying a flight by the gate attendant.

We reported the Delta incident to the FAA.

RE Alec: while these flight rules should be abided in general, there is *no evidence* to support the presumption that Alec Baldwin, or anyone else, playing a video game on a hand held device will bring down or even disturb onboard flight electronics. That would take sophisticated electronics that are never included in the typical hand held devices in the US.

The more likely issue is that Alec didn't like how he was treated and the flight attendants were pedantic and rude (as can happen when they are stressed out).
Reply to this comment
by OrangPuteh December 7, 2011 10:26 AM EST
Jfb100, you've been added to my Fantasy No Fly List and are the recipient of the UGLY AMERICAN AWARD, I'll bet you are a fat slob too.
by A_Dante1 December 7, 2011 11:11 AM EST
jfb100, I fly A LOT (over 100K miles a year). And I have never been mistreated by a flight attendant. In my experience, 99% of the time there is a problem (and I have seen a lot of them), it is the passenger that is at fault. I am absolutely convinced this incident is completely Baldwin's fault. And look at his behavior afterwards, totally classless.

and while I agree with you that these devices will probably not cause a problem, tests have shown that there could be problems if a large number of persons on the flight were using communication devices. And it is a safety issue - for example, if all the passengers are on their phones and an emergency happens, no-one is paying attention to do what is needed.

Alec was not just "playing a game." the game in question is a game you play with friends on-line - meaning he had at least his wi-fi or his phone active to play the game. And passengers reported he was on his phone.

The real issue is that he was ignoring the repeated requests by the flight attendant. then he became abusive. Hooray for the AA flight attendant and pilot that stood up to him and did the right ting!!
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