A gay couple was flying on an Alaskan Airlines flight from New York City to Los Angeles when they claim that they were told that one of them must give up their premium seat and sit in coach or get off the plane. Los Angeles nightclub owner David Cooley shared the story in a Facebook post.
After my traveling companion and I had been seated in our assigned seats for a while, we were approached by the flight attendant and my companion was asked to move from his premium seat to coach, so a couple could sit together. I explained that we were a couple and wanted to sit together. He was given a choice to either give up the premium seat and move to coach or get off the plane.
Cooley said that they chose to leave the plane and booked a flight with Delta Air Lines instead. He called out Alaska Airlines for treating a gay couple differently than a straight couple.
"I cannot believe that an airline in this day and age would give a straight couple preferential treatment over a gay couple and go so far as to ask us to leave."
According to NBC News, Alaska Airlines claimed the issue was the result of a mix up in seating assignments and apologized for the situation.
“We are deeply sorry for the situation, and are investigating the details while communicating directly with the guests involved to try and make this right,” the spokesperson said. “Alaska Airlines has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, and our employees value inclusion for our guests and each other.”
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