Airline Charges Mom $475 For Reclining In Seat

An Expensive Seat

When Heather boarded her flight, she had no idea that reclining her seat would cost her almost $500.

But as she opened her diaper bag, the airline would soon regret their decision.

She’d make sure that they learned never to mess with a dedicated mother who was taken advantage of with such a ridiculous price.

Not Her Fault

Heather Vasquez was adamant that what had happened wasn’t her fault. But even so, the airline was after her wallet. They clearly thought she was weak, but she was about to show them how wrong they were. 

As a hard-working mom, she was within her right to recline her seat.

But that’s where the problem started that she never saw coming.

Heather Vasquez

Heather Vasquez was an ordinary mom who worked hard to provide for her one-year-old son, James. The single mother struggled to juggle her job and raising her son, but it was all worth it at the end of the day.

It was just the two of them living in an apartment in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Things weren’t always easy, but it would be nothing compared to when she boarded a flight to New York.

A Travel Agent

Working as a travel agent in a place like New Mexico had its challenges.

Many people in the city didn’t want to fly out to exotic destinations. And many people didn’t have that kind of money, anyway.

Heather had the arrangement to get a commission whenever someone booked under her company, but since that didn’t happen all that often, she struggled.

Considering Other Jobs

Because things were as bad as they were, Heather considered something that, months ago, she wouldn’t have ever even humored. She started looking for other jobs that would be able to support her and her child.

But once she’d made the business portfolio, she had no idea who would find it and target her.

One thing was certain. Her world would never be the same.

A Job Offer

As the 24-year-old mother kept working at her current job, she forgot about the profile she’d set up.

She was far too busy juggling the long work hours and looking after young James.

But the mother had no idea that while she was working away, someone had a keen interest in her. He’d make his presence known the next day.

Looking At Her Portfolio

A man behind a desk in New York was looking over her portfolio. He read about her previous work experience and smiled. He listed off all the things that impressed him.

Notably, Heather was a flight attendant for three years until she switched careers to travel agent.

This meant that she had experience with airlines, but more importantly, she also knew sales because of her current job. He knew she would be perfect for what he wanted.

Giving Her A Call

The man behind the desk picked up his phone and called Heather’s number. Across the United States, she had just gotten home from work.

She was almost too exhausted to pick up the phone, but luckily for her, she answered it anyway.

The man on the other side of the receiver told her what he wanted, and she nearly dropped the phone. Was this real?

A Job Offer In New York

The man introduced himself as Alan Wright, a representative for Delta Airline. He said that he was impressed with her portfolio and wanted to hire her.

The catch would be that she would have to fly to New York for a face-to-face interview.

Heather felt more confused than anything else. This was a big opportunity, but what was the job?

An Explanation

Heather explained to the man that she couldn’t be a flight attendant anymore. She had given that up to be a travel agent after James was born.

She would never be able to see her son if she was flying all over the world.

But then Alan offered her an explanation. She told her that she wouldn’t have to fly anywhere with this new job.

A Marketing Director

He told Heather that he wanted her to be the new marketing director of a sub-division inside his company. He thought that she’d have a fresh perspective on what potential customers would want.

Heather felt her pulse start to race. She couldn’t believe what Alan was telling her. It was the biggest opportunity that had arrived in a long time.

But she had no idea how quickly it would sour.

Accepting

Heather wholeheartedly accepted the proposal and told him that she’d see him in New York for the interview. She put down the phone with her mind working in overdrive.

She had to make a lot of plans in a very short amount of time. She had to get to New York a week from now.

The ticket would come compliments of Delta Airline, one thing she wouldn’t have to worry about at least, but she was so wrong.

Getting A Sitter

With her being in a different state for a day, she would have to find a sitter for her little James. She hated leaving him, but this was something that could change both of their lives.

Luckily, Heather was good friends with her neighbor. She was a wonderful woman that already had two kids of her own.

She always offered to look after James, and now she could finally take her up on it.

Saying Goodbye

Fast forward a week, and Heather was dropping James off at her neighbor and saying goodbye, tears filling her eyes. She reassured her son that she would be back the very next day and that he had nothing to worry about.

With all of that said and done, Heather got into a cab and headed to the airport.

She should have been excited, but something in her gut told her it wasn’t going to be a smooth journey.

Checking In At The Airport

Heather got to the airport and rushed to get to the boarding gate. She knew all too well how easy delays could mean someone misses their flight. Rather be safe and sorry in her book.

The nervous mother checked in, flashing her first-class ticket that the airline had sponsored.

She then got to the boarding gate and sat down, her heart pounding peculiarly.

Flown Many Times

Heather had flown many times back when she was a flight attendant. She wondered why she was so nervous then. Was it something she had eaten? Or was it just the anxiety of leaving her son and getting a new job?

Either way, she tried breathing exercises to calm herself down.

But at the time, she had no idea that her “free” ticket would end up costing her more than she bargained for.

A Rude Passenger

She heard a man on the phone behind her seat. She already knew the type. He was on a “business call” and would probably rudely talk for the entire flight.

But she had no idea how petty the passenger behind her would be as things escalated.

He would be after her wallet.

Knew How They Worked

Heather knew exactly how to recline her seat with her experience on previous airliners. But there was something that she hadn’t taken into account.

The airplane that she was on was a different model, but did that make much difference?

Although subtle, the ‎Boeing 737-800 was slightly different from the ‎Boeing 737-700 – the plane that Heather was familiar with. 

Differences

The only big difference was that the plane was stretched and slightly longer to accommodate more passengers. This also meant that the space between seats was smaller. She warned the man behind her that she was about to recline her seat.

To which he objected. He wasn’t allowed to dictate whether she could be comfortable or not, so she did it anyway.

But it was about to cost Heather an absurd amount of money when she reclined her seat. She had no idea what was about to happen.

Getting Comfortable 

Leaning into her seat, Heather got comfortable. She reached down to recline her seat, knowing this would be a flight to remember. 

But just as she got ready to lower herself, the passenger behind her tapped at the head of her seat.

This would be the start of a very long night. 

Curt But Loud

“Excuse me,” he snapped. “Can you not lower your seat too much? I need some legroom, thanks.” The man’s tone was curt but loud, snaring the attention of everyone around. 

Heather had already theorized he’d be a problem the moment she stepped into the plane.

But now she’d just gotten the confirmation she needed. But she’d never been one to go down without swinging. 

Seat Distance 

In every plane, there’s usually a certain distance each seat can recline.

As someone who’d spent considerable time working with airliners, Heather knew how much she could recline her seat without the man insisting that she was infringing on his personal space. 

But she didn’t know that her actions would fling her into the worst altercation one could wish for while 30,000 feet in the sky. 

She’s Here Rightfully

‘I won’t lower it too much,’ Heather thought. She couldn’t spend her entire flight in an awkward upright position when she, like everyone on the plane, was here rightfully. 

She deserved the same comfort that passengers around her were enjoying.

There was no need to suffer just because the rude man behind her had demanded it. She had no idea that things were about to fall apart. 

He Pushes Her 

With a hand on the seat’s reclining lever, Heather pulled and slowly lowered her seat.

But the man’s fingers grasped the backrest before pushing her forward.

The move was more of a shove than a push, nearly flinging Heather off her seat. “Oh my God!” she yelped, taken aback by the sudden change of events. 

Don’t Recline Your Seat

“I told you not to recline your seat!” the man hissed.

“You told me not to recline it too much!” Heather snapped back. 

“I wasn’t going to recline it too much. Did that cross your mind before you decided to throw me like that?” she had no idea who she was talking to. 

She’s Met Them All

As a flight attendant, Heather had come across all types of characters. She’d met sweet old ladies who wanted nothing but to tell her about their eventful lives and delightful war vets who’d seen the worst the world had to offer and still smiled and saw the best in people. 

She’d met anxious couples traveling home to show off their new spouses and energetic college students visiting new cities or heading home from long semesters. But that wasn’t all. 

The List Goes On

Heather had met individuals with financial power – CEOs and tech moguls rich enough to buy the very airlines she worked for. 

She’d met celebrities among other influential people and had enjoyed serving them because they were kind, goodhearted folks.

But this didn’t mean she hadn’t met mean people who made it their business to ruin her day.

The Other Side 

Among these people were entitled men and women who wanted to lord over her simply because she was a flight attendant.

They felt superior to her simply because she was serving them and wanted to boss her around like she wasn’t human like them.

But those were the tamest in this category. 

Nasty Passengers 

Heather had met nasty passengers who wouldn’t single out the flight attendants alone but other passengers around them. These people didn’t care whether the passengers around them were young or old. They would constantly abuse them directly or indirectly.

Sitting in her seat now, Heather remembered how she used to deal with such kinds of characters.

She thought about employing those same tactics here, not knowing this would end badly for her. 

Who Is He?

Rising from her seat, she craned her neck over her headrest, eager to see this man who wanted to ruin her night.

By now, she was convinced he was out to make her flight miserable. 

But she didn’t know that he would more than ruin her time here. What he’d do would directly affect her interview in New York. 

She Finally Sees Him

But she paused as soon as she laid her eyes on the man, her body heating. When she first got on the flight, she only saw him at a glance.

She knew he was tall and burly, with an imposing face that would shatter anyone’s resolve. But staring at him now, it became clear she’d made a mistake by directly antagonizing him. 

She Can’t Speak

The man locked eyes with her under his lashes, his jaw ticking when he realized his appearance had spooked her. 

He sat upright, waiting for her to say what she wanted to get across. But Heather couldn’t do it.

It became even worse when she fully recognized who he was. But this was about to go from bad to worse. 

A Kickboxer 

The man in question was a rising heavyweight kickboxer in her city.

He was known for his temper and brutality in the ring and had made a name for himself as being equally temperamental in public. 

Heather had been to a few of his fights alongside her friends and had seen him in action. So, there was only one thing she could do in this situation. 

Standing Up For Herself 

Folding her sleeves up, Heather demanded that the man give her some space. Her seat was allowed to go back a few inches, and she intended to use every length. 

Her reaction shook the man, and she saw a flash of worry pass through his eyes.

He looked around, seeing if anyone had seen his response.  

Sit Down

“You have one chance to turn around and sit,” he said in a low tone as a vein appeared on his forehead. “Don’t recline your seat if you know what’s good for you.”

“I’m going to sit,” Heather answered. “But I will recline my seat to the allowed length. If you have a problem with that, take it up with the flight attendants or pilot.” She didn’t know she was about to make the biggest mistake of her life.

Calm Down

The man inhaled deeply, seemingly trying to calm himself. But Heather could tell he was angry with her.

She knew he’d bully her throughout the flight if she keeled over. She wasn’t going to let that happen. 

Her life had been so messy lately that the job interview and this flight were among the only things keeping her head above the water. This man wasn’t about to ruin this for her.  But disaster was already looming above her head. 

Reclining Her Seat

Heather was looking forward to sleeping away the anxiety and the boredom. But things were only going to escalate once she reclined her seat. The flight attendants were going to attack her, not knowing what trick she had up her sleeve.

She pulled the lever she had done hundreds of times as a flight attendant, but something was different this time.

She heard a crunch behind her and had no idea what she had just done.

A Crunch

Heather heard the man behind her start shouting, and she quickly put her seat back in the upright position.

She looked behind her and saw the large man sitting behind her with a laptop in his hands.

It was clear that the laptop had what she heard crunch a second earlier. She had reclined her seat right onto it. She had warned him. This wasn’t her fault. But what happened next took things to another level.

Her To Blame

The man called a flight attendant without acknowledging her and explained what had just happened.

The flight attendant turned to Heather and immediately put the blame on her.

How was it her fault? Heather thought to herself. She tried keeping calm and collected until they did something outrageous.

Making Her Accountable

The flight attendant left for a moment and came back with the most outrageous notion that Heather had ever heard. She told her that since she reclined the seat without the assistance of a flight attendant, she was going to be held accountable.

Clearly, the flight attendant had no idea who she was talking to.

Heather knew a lot about what was going on during the flight.

Management’s Idea

She knew for a fact that her being accountable had to have been the chief purser’s idea. They are in charge of the chain of flight attendants and make decisions like that.

But she also knew that sometimes management would lay the blame on the easiest culprit, but not necessarily the right one.

She was ready to fight tooth and nail.

A Bill

The flight attendant told Heather something that she couldn’t believe. Not only would she be held responsible for the destruction of the laptop, but she’d also have to pay for the proportion of it that was her fault.

They wanted to bill her nearly $500 all because she reclined her seat.

How was any of this fair? She prepared to do what she had to.

Damages

The man seemed pleased with their decision. She would be left with the bill for his laptop when it was his own fault it had been crushed. Why had he had it so close to her seat?

Maybe it was also the airline’s fault for the new way that the seats were arranged, but it definitely wasn’t her fault.

She was about to stagger them all with her knowledge.

Her Knowledge

Heather started mouthing back at the attendant, showcasing her expert knowledge of the airline and the plane they were on.

The flight attendant had to take a step back with an intimidating look on her face.

It was clear that the tides were turning in Heather’s favor. All she had to do now was drive her point home.

Who She Was

She revealed that she used to be an experienced flight attendant. But that wasn’t all that Heather was about to reveal.

She was already thinking of ways to make sure they wouldn’t forget her.

But Heather wasn’t going to just stop there. She was going to show them just who she was and why she was even on the plane in the first place. 

Her Diaper Bag

Heather opened her luggage cupboard above her and pulled out James’ diaper bag. The attendant looked shocked, and she didn’t blame her.

Why would she have brought a diaper bag on a plane without a baby?

She could see the confusion on the attendant’s face and knew the next part of her plan would work well to help her clear her name.

The Key To Her Salvation

She seemed like a crazy woman now, why on earth would she have something like that? Heather couldn’t help but smile like a lunatic.

It was about to be the most unexpected twist in history.

Only Heather knew why she had brought the diaper bag onboard, but it was the key to her salvation.

A Reminder Of Her Responsibilities

It may have appeared strange, but Heather had brought on the diaper bag because it was important to her.

It was a reminder that she had a boy at home who depended on her.

It would help motivate her to get the job for his sake. But it would also hold an important piece of paper inside that she was ready to show the attendant.

A Letter From Alan Wright

With a smirk, Heather pulled out the communications between her and Alan Wright, the representative for Delta Airline.

He was a man with a lot more power than the purser on board.

The email consisted of her reasoning for being on the airline and also her getting a complimentary first-class ticket. 

A Big Mistake

The Flight attendant knew now that she had made a big mistake messing with her. But Heather couldn’t leave it there. She pulled out her phone and called the person with more authority than even the pilot.

She got Alan Wright on the phone. He wanted to speak to the attendant.

What happened next changed her life forever.

Giving Her The Phone

“You want to speak to her? Okay.” Heather said before handing the phone to the flight attendant.

She seemed disinterested in speaking to strangers until she saw the fire in Heather’s eyes. Clearly, this was important.

“Hello?” The flight attendant said in a rude tone. But Heather watched her eyes grow wide as she realized what was going on.

Talking To Mr. Wright

“What’s your name, my dear?” Heather heard through the phone speaker. “Tracy,” the flight attendant replied. “Well, Tracy, my name is Alan Wright. I doubt you know who I am.

But I work for your company, and I personally asked Ms. Vasquez to fly to New York for me.” 

Heather could hear the whole conversation and couldn’t help but smile. But would her benefactor be able to help her?

Rules Are Rules

It looked like Tracy was finally understanding the situation that she was in. But despite that, she seemed to stand by company policy. 

“Sir, I understand, but according to company policy, Ms. Vasquez did damage another passenger’s property. Rules are rules, with all due respect.” She told the hotshot.

But she had no idea how he would take her rebellion.

Not Budging

He sighed loud enough that even Heather heard it through the speaker.

After an awkward silence, the man finally thought of a solution, but one that Heather would have expected.

“You really aren’t going to budge then, are you? I suppose then I’m going to have to take drastic measures.” He said forebodingly. The attendant had no idea what was about to happen.

What Had She Unleashed?

Heather could see the fear in the flight attendant’s eyes. Had she unleashed a monster on Tracy? She didn’t want to have to pay the cost of the rude passenger’s laptop, but she didn’t want Alan to take it out on the flight attendant.

She could taste iron in her mouth as her pulse started racing. What did he mean by desperate measures?

She was used to people in management showing their ugly side when they had to.

Explaining What He Meant

Mr. Wright started telling Tracy exactly what he was going to do, but in her panic, she had her hand over the speaker. Now only she could hear what he was saying to her.

But Heather didn’t have to hear him. She already guessed what he was saying based on her facial expression.

She was convinced he had done the unthinkable.

Someone Has To Pay For It

Tracy slowly lowered the phone from her and ended the call. She stood there stunned for a few seconds before saying, “Mr. Wright said someone has to pay for it.”

She stared off into the distance before looking at Heather.

Heather gave her a sympathetic look and was ready to call the man back. But before she could do that, things took an unexpected turn.

Who Was Going To Pay

Tracy explained to Heather exactly what he had said on the phone and who was expected to pay for the laptop damages. The rude passenger had been sitting smug the entire time, but he wouldn’t be smiling for long.

Mr. Wright said that the cost should be covered by two people.

The way he saw it, rules were rules, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t bend the rules just a little bit.

Generosity

Tracy explained that the rude passenger was going to pay 30% of the laptop’s repair fees. The same amount he’d have to pay according to company policy. The other 70% was going to be paid by the most unexpected party.

Mr. Wright was going to pay for the excess 70% himself. Heather couldn’t believe his generosity. And the entitled man behind her was fuming to know he had to pay just 30% of the damages.

Heather knew she could trust her future boss.

 

In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.