Actor Alec Baldwin has published a detailed account of what happened on an American Airlines flight this week that saw him asked to leave the plane.Writing in the Huffington Post, the 30 Rock star claimed he had been "singled out" for using his phone by a flight attendant "in the most unpleasant of tones", while other passengers did the same thing and were ignored as the plane sat at the gate.
Baldwin was ordered off the flight on Tuesday after refusing to turn off his smartphone as the plane was preparing to leave Los Angeles airport, and said afterwards he would never use American again.
He wrote that the increased security in the wake of the September 11 attacks had been used by airlines and airports "as an excuse to make the air travel experience as inelegant as possible".
Baldwin slammed US airlines in general, writing that "the level of service on US carriers has deteriorated to a point that would make Howard Hughes red-faced. Filthy planes, barely edible meals, cuts in jet service to less-traveled locations".
While Baldwin apologised for disrupting his fellow passengers, he offered no apology to the airline.
"The lesson I've learned is to keep my phone off when the 1950s gym teacher is on duty," he wrote.
On Wednesday, American Airlines slammed Baldwin as "extremely rude" after he took to his Twitter account to complain about having been thrown off the flight.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday -- which were later unavailable as Baldwin had deactivated his Twitter account -- the actor said he was playing a popular smartphone game when he was told to leave the plane.
"Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving," Baldwin tweeted.
But in a statement Wednesday, American Airlines retorted, saying Baldwin had ignored a request to turn off his phone -- and stormed off to the lavatory, slamming the door shut and alarming the pilots.
"Since an extremely vocal customer has publicly identified himself as being removed from an American Airlines flight... we have elected to provide the actual facts of the matter," it said.
Recalling the rule that cellphones and electronic devices must be turned off when the plane doors are closed and seatbelt lights on, American continued: "This passenger declined to turn off his cell phone when asked to do so.
"The passenger ultimately stood up (with the seatbelt light still on for departure) and took his phone into the plane's lavatory.
"He slammed the lavatory door so hard, the cockpit crew heard it and became alarmed, even with the cockpit door closed and locked. They immediately contacted the cabin crew to check on the situation.
"The passenger was extremely rude to the crew, calling them inappropriate names and using offensive language. Given the facts above, the passenger was removed from the flight and denied boarding."
Baldwin's spokesman Matthew Hiltzik said the star had been unfairly singled out.
"Alec was asked to leave the flight for playing 'Words with Friends' while parked at the gate. He loves WWF so much that he was willing to leave a plane for it," he said after the initial incident.
In a new reaction after the AA statement he claimed that the plane was already delayed half an hour at the gate, and Baldwin was simply whiling away the time playing on his cellphone.
"Alec was clearly singled out by a flight attendant who behaved in an inappropriate manner," he said in an email.
"Other passengers who tweeted flagrantly violated these rules without any repercussions, proving that they were obviously selectively enforced," he said, accusing the airline of changing their story.
"The more flack AA is getting for this incident, the more their story keeps changing.
Baldwin received some support from another celebrity, boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya, who was also on the flight. "I think the flight attendant overreacted," he tweeted.
Baldwin's Twitter account meanwhile remained inaccessible, saying simply, "Deactivated."source
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