American Airlines passenger says she only started filming man punching the back of her reclined seat in viral video after air hostess refused to help her
- Wendi Williams filmed the man pummeling her chair on the January 31 flight
- She had reclined her seat and he was angry because he could not recline his
- The American Airlines hostess sided with him and threatened to have Williams arrested for filming the man
- Williams now not only wants him to be named so she can press charges, but she also wants the air hostess fired
- She told Fox & Friends on Monday that the air hostess initially ignored her and that is why she began filming
- Williams has also threatened to sue American for claiming she caused the man’s drink to spill when she reclined
- Do you know the man in the video? Email [email protected]
The female passenger who filmed a man punching the back of her reclined seat on an American Airlines flight said she only started recording him after being ignored by the air hostess.
Wendi Williams filmed the man, who has not yet been identified despite her public pleas for him to be named, pummeling the back of her seat during their flight from New Orleans to Charlotte.
She had reclined her chair but his did not have the option to recline. He was angry so, she said, decided to repeatedly hit her chair to prove his point.
She says she tried to get the flight attendant’s attention but couldn’t so took out her camera phone to film him.
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Wendi Williams appeared on Fox & Friends on Monday to call for the man to ‘come out of the woodwork’
In an interview with Fox & Friends on Monday, Williams said: ‘I was leaving a teacher’s conference and we got onto the plane and the man behind me, as soon as we got in the air, I reclined and he asked me if … I would put my seat back up while he ate, which I did.
‘About 10 minutes later, he was done and I put my seat back down at which point he started full-on punching the back of my seat really hard that I was flying forward.
‘I was trying to get the flight attendant’s attention and she wasn’t responding. So all I could think to do was to video the guy and maybe I thought that would stop him,’ she said.
When the air hostess, a woman she called Loretta, did eventually come to their seats, Williams says she not only sided with the man but also threatened to arrest her for filming him.
‘When she finally did come around, she had an attitude with me and said, ‘What?’ And I said, “The guy behind me is repeatedly hitting me” and she went back to him, like changed personalities, and was the kindest person in the world and said, “Oh, are you okay? It’s really tight back here. I’m sorry” and then she said to me, “Delete the video” and I thought, “Why would I delete the video?”‘
Williams has divided social media after shaming a fellow traveler who she claimed repeatedly punched her seat when she reclined it
Williams says she is now considering legal actin against American Airlines
Williams has said she plans to sue American over its claims that she caused the man’s drink to spill when she reclined.
She is also calling for the man to be publicly identified so that she can press assault charges, claiming he had actually been hitting her harder in the chair before she started filming.
‘I wish he would come out of the woodwork,’ she said on Monday.
The row divided travelers, many of whom said the man was justified in his reaction.
The CEO of Delta also spoke out to say neither of the passengers behaved in a way that was acceptable.
American said in a statement: ‘We are aware of a customer dispute that transpired on American Eagle flight 4392, operated by Republic Airways on January 31st.
‘The safety and comfort of our customers and team members is our top priority and our team is looking into the issue.’