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Alec Baldwin Apologises To Fellow Passengers After Plane Dispute, But Not To Airline, Writes Blog

Alec Baldwin

First Posted: 08/12/11 08:02 Updated: 08/12/11 08:14   PA

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Alec Baldwin has issued an apology to fellow passengers on an American Airlines flight that was delayed by his refusal to stop playing a mobile phone game, but stopped short of apologising to the airline or the flight attendant he later mocked on Twitter.

The 30 Rock actor's note, posted in a blog for the Huffington Post, instead lamented the state of modern air travel.

Baldwin noted the financial struggles of airlines, saying the result is that air travel has devolved into an inelegant experience, akin to riding a Greyhound bus.

Baldwin said the level of service on US carriers has deteriorated, adding: "Filthy planes, barely edible meals, cuts in jet service to less-traveled locations."

The actor writes that increased security on commercial planes after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks has resulted in a "paramilitary" aura around air travel.

Baldwin's letter is the latest volley in a dust-up with American Airlines, with the airline taking to social media on Wednesday to maintain it was following federal regulations when it booted an "extremely vocal customer" from a flight for refusing to turn off his mobile phone.

The airline, which earlier cited passenger privacy in declining to discuss the matter, said on its Facebook page it decided "to provide the actual facts of the matter" after Baldwin stated publicly he had gotten kicked off the flight.The company never cited the 30 Rock TV star by name.

Baldwin took to Twitter after Tuesday's incident at Los Angeles International Airport, saying he was asked to leave a New York-bound plane after a "flight attendant on American reamed me out" for playing a game on his mobile phone. Baldwin said he was playing the popular game Words With Friends while the plane sat at a gate.

American said on Facebook on Wednesday that Federal Aviation Administration regulations require that mobile phones and other electronic devices be turned off as soon as the airliner's door has been closed. The company said Baldwin refused to comply, adding that Baldwin was "extremely rude" to the flight crew, calling people "inappropriate names" and using offensive language.

Baldwin's spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik, said it was the flight attendant who acted inappropriately. He said other people on the plane were violating the regulation and that Baldwin was singled out.

"The plane was already delayed half an hour at the gate when Alec was playing 'Words with Friends," Mr Hiltzik told The Associated Press.

"Other passengers who tweeted flagrantly violated these rules without any repercussions - proving that they were obviously selectively enforced."

FOLLOW HUFFPOST UK ENTERTAINMENT

Alec Baldwin has issued an apology to fellow passengers on an American Airlines flight that was delayed by his refusal to stop playing a mobile phone game, but stopped short of apologising to the airl...
Alec Baldwin has issued an apology to fellow passengers on an American Airlines flight that was delayed by his refusal to stop playing a mobile phone game, but stopped short of apologising to the airl...
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drrichardcole
0 Fans
16:50 on 11/12/2011
After reading your "apology," it really doesn't look like you have learned a thing, Alec. Vonnegut once said words to the effect that we are who we pretend to be, so we should be careful who we pretend to be. Perhaps this is simply a situation of life imitating art?
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Nola1211
0 Fans
04:43 on 10/12/2011
Alec has, unfortunately, become another pathetic celebrity whose self importance is actually comic. I don't know whether the flight attendant's behavior was warranted under the circumstances, but Alec's " tweets," etc., were cruel. I wonder how his mother and sisters feel about the "50's retired school teacher" remark -- and wasn't his dad a school teacher? And aren't his sisters in their 50s?Really direspectful. He should run for mayor -- maybe then he'll realize how little people think of him. But I doubt it - most likely he'll rag on the voters. hilaria, run for the hills. ... Phyll
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seas36 seas36
0 Fans
00:58 on 10/12/2011
It is ironic that the FAA has approved use of IPADs by pilots for navigation use in the cockpit. This rule is widely disregarded by flight attendants, except on Baldwin's flight, because as most piliots know, it is does not effect navigation equipment and the IPAD is approved for cockpit use.

A pilot who uses the FAA approved IPAD.
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LIiz Dehmure
17 Fans
00:23 on 10/12/2011
FAT DIRTY BOMB BALDWIN should be put on a no fly list...wmd
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LIiz Dehmure
17 Fans
00:12 on 10/12/2011
hmmm lets see chaz baldwin can add flight attendants to his very long abuser list -that includes his wife, tween daughter;police and paps...
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Liberty Ann
0 Fans
22:25 on 08/12/2011
Mr Baldwins less than stellar behavior, including a tantrum equal to a two year old, makes it is no ones fault but his own he was taken off the flight. No one gave permission to turn on devices after the door was closed. He was asked several times nicely, and still acted as if he was above the rules. You know the rules on commercial flights, Mr Baldwin. Follow them or next time rent your own jet, so you can do what you please. The only thing miserable about the flight was you.
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Ryan Butters
That Guy
79 Fans
 
19:53 on 09/12/2011
Wrong. He obeyed the rules and turned off his phone. Then, 20 minutes later, still at the gate, many people began taking their phones back out, Baldwin included. Rather than politely remind the cabin to turn off the phones, or even single out Baldwin - politely - to do so, the flight attendant became hostile with one passenger. That's wrong no matter if its a celebrity or some faceless traveler. I certainly got the impression that Baldwin objected not to being told to turn off the his phone, but to the fact that the demand was so rude, and that the flight attendant was willfully oblivious of all the other passengers that had done the exact same thing.

I get it, its fun to rag on a celebrity, but I think if I had been in the same position I'd have been pretty pissed off too. Perhaps not to the degree that I yelled at a flight attendant and got kicked off a plane, but Baldwin is exactly right in the observation that air travel in this country has become a militarized, sit down and shut up, zero interest in the comfort or respect of the passenger industry.
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hagenjr
Shovel ready freeborn son of the Republic
383 Fans
06:24 on 11/12/2011
if you acted like Alec you would have been charged. Our celebrities know they can get away with this behaviour because we allow them too. He is a frequent traveller and knows better.

You got your lips firmly attached. Come up for air sometimes.
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Kevin Bates
7 Fans
17:45 on 08/12/2011
Is there no common sense left in the world? If this was a plane taxiing to take-off, or for that matter had even left the gate, I would stand up and blast anyone for defying the airline attendant. But if your flight is delayed and hasn't even left the gate...
At some point common sense has to come back to this country.
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Ryan Butters
That Guy
79 Fans
 
19:57 on 09/12/2011
I agree, this was clearly a flight attendant over-responding. Sitting at the gate for 20 minutes isn't exactly rolling down the tarmac. There's also the witnesses that have said Baldwin was complying and was in the process of shutting his phone down, and that she continued to obnoxiously lay into him. It was at that point that he apparently lost it and began to yell back.

Flight attendants do seem to have become much more rude and militant over the past decade. Some at least try to maintain a modicum of friendliness towards passengers but many don't even try to do that any more. Stony faced, pissed off, militarized human cargo handlers is what they have become.
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