It’s a slow news week and it looks like this story of a passenger accusing United Airlines of giving away her first class seat to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas isn’t going away anytime fast.
As we told you yesterday, United claims that the passenger, Jean-Marie Simon, cancelled her reservation using an app on her phone. Simon responded yesterday with, “show me proof!”:
United 2 NBC:" We were concerned…found that upon receiving notification that 788 delayed due 2 weather, customer canceled from Houston= DC with… mobile app. As part of re-board. gate agents clearing standby+upgrade, inc.1st customer on list. JMS to United: show me proof!"
— Jean-Marie Simon (@JeanMarieSimon1) December 26, 2017
And to make matters worse, United is telling the media more about what’s going on than the company is telling Simon:
NBC reporter told me tonight that United had restored my miles. United never contacted me, so I heard it from media. If United can restore my miles, can it "cancel" my reservation too? And no apology in today's mail; I'm surprised and concerned. pic.twitter.com/RaVut4EWXq
— Jean-Marie Simon (@JeanMarieSimon1) December 26, 2017
As for Rep. Lee, she’s playing the race card and thinks Simon acted the way she did because both Lee and the flight attendant are black:
Here’s my statement surrounding incident on United Airlines flight 2 Mondays ago:
“I am disappointed in having to respond to this accusation, but I believe transparency is very important. Unfortunately, it looks like Grinch is trying to steal the spirit of the holiday.
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
“Last Monday, I arrived at the airport to catch my flight to Washington to continue my fight to get Hurricane Harvey funds back to Texas and other hard hit areas, along with funding of the Children’s Health Insurance Program and of course, trying
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
“to stop a tax bill that was going to cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance.
After receiving my boarding pass, I boarded the plane in the normal process. I did nothing wrong. I asked for nothing exceptional or out of the ordinary and received nothing
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
”exceptional or out of the ordinary. I proceeded to take my seat and work on legislative issues on my way to Washington.
Although I was not involved, I observed a disruption by an individual walking back and forth in the cabin. exceptional or out of the ordinary.
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
I proceeded to take my seat and work on legislative issues on my way to Washington.
Although I was not involved, I observed a disruption by an individual walking back and forth in the cabin. I could overhear her speaking with a flight attendant (an African American woman).
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
I saw the gate agent go to the seat of the individual who was walking back and forth before we took off.
I later came to understand that the individual had canceled her own flight. However I had nothing to do with that.
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
I noted that this individual came toward me and took a picture. I heard later that she might have said “I know who she is.” 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,
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
seemingly an easy target along with the African American flight attendant who was very, very nice. This saddens me, especially at this time of year given all of the things we have to work on to help people. But in the spirit of this season and out of the sincerity of my heart,
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
if it is perceived that I had anything to do with this, I am kind enough to simply say sorry. I understand the airline is working to address the passenger’s concerns. I am glad of that. But as an African American, I know there are too many examples like this all over the nation
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
. I hope one day, we will accept our collective diversity. Happy Holidays.” ine, 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
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
American flight attendant who was very, very nice. This saddens me, especially at this time of year given all of the things we have to work on to help people. But in the spirit of this season and out of the sincerity of my heart, if it is perceived that I had anything to do
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
with this, I am kind enough to simply say sorry. I understand the airline is working to address the passenger’s concerns. I am glad of that.
But as an African American, I know there are too many examples like this all over the nation.
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
I hope one day, we will accept our collective diversity. Happy Holidays.”
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
United really has to prove once and for all that it was Simon who cancelled the reservation, especially since Lee is calling her a racist over it.
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Related:
ICYMI==> 'United has NOT apologized': Woman who accused Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of stealing her seat fact-checks media https://t.co/LtqBfz9J4W
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 26, 2017
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