Woman Spent Independence Day Trapped in an Airplane Bathroom
On Independence Day, one unlucky traveler found herself locked inside the tiny bathroom of a Bombardier CRJ-700 during a SkyWest-operated American flight from Chicago (ORD) to Aspen (ASE).
As these things so often are, the crisis was live-tweeted by a fellow passenger, Kent Lassman. "Pilot just announced after an hour on the tarmac that we are headed back to gate," Lassman tweeted. "The lady from the seat in front of me locked herself in the toilet…"
Lassman described how a "hipster kid from the back row" attempted to break the woman free with a credit card, to no avail. (Turns out, credit cards really are better for earning points and miles than for cavalier rescues.)
Another passenger, according to Lassman's play-by-play, attempted to save the woman from the crappy situation but was also unsuccessful.
Ultimately, the plane returned to the gate, and ground crew came aboard with a "special tool" to rescue the trapped passenger.
Layne Watson, a SkyWest spokesperson, told TPG that the bathroom door "became inoperable...prior to departure."
"The aircraft returned to the gate where mechanics were able to open the door within 10 minutes," Watson said. "We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."
Watson added that "standard tools" were used to open the lav door, and that the passenger was in "good spirits" when she was freed — impressive, considering she was in there for about 30 minutes, according to the time stamps on Lassman's tweets. (Probably a good thing it wasn't the abhorred 737 MAX bathroom.)
"She says the crew told her that if it had happened while airborne, it would have meant an emergency landing," Lassman said.
In addition to the original delay caused by the bathroom door, the plane was taken out of service. And SkyWest flight 3018, operating as American Eagle, was ultimately canceled because of Colorado's worsening wildfires, according to Watson.
Watson confirmed that American Airlines has reached out directly to all passengers involved with the AA3018 and is arranging compensation.
H/T View From the Wing.
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
- Top rated mobile app