and the lady went "kookan"

So we usually book the outer two of three seats in the hope that nobody sits between us and we end up with three seats to ourselves. 

It's a trick that worked more often than not.

This time out of Amman we ended up with a red faced New Zeelander and she was upset she didn't get into business class.

When the food came around she, like us skipped the meal and ordered drinks. What she got was a "cold" red wine. She complained that red wine was meant to be served at room temperature. When they could not find her a warm bottle, she opted for champagne instead. Having been told it would cost her 20 USD she proudly said she refused to drink shit.

When finally the bill came around she noticed after much fumbling over her card that the transaction was 70 Aed rather than the  20 USD she was expecting. 

She complained that she was promised it would cost her 20 USD and had not agreed to pay in a currency that she didn't know or understand. 

The poor attendant went to her supervisor who got her to simply ring it up and charge the card. In Aed. 

I could see them at the galley having a good laugh over the issue. Saying she was stupid to be taking such a silly stand. Didn't she know 70 Aed was 20 USD.? 

When our neighbour was asked to sign her slip she refused. Saying that she had not agreed to be billed in dirhams. 

(we noticed her chugging down the rest of the bottle as quick as she could, just in case) 

About half an hour later we had all dozed off when we were startled awake by the cabin supervisor who was now red in the face and spitting mad. 

He thrust the card slip and a pen at the woman saying she should sign it, immediately or he would call security and have her arrested. The woman was visibly shaken,  and after being threatened, she signed. 

That last part was disruptive, and traumatic for all who were exposed. 

The matter was petty. She was going to complain anyway. The airline would have had to make peace with her anyway. Confronting her and making a scene did nothing to improve the airlines image. The fact that the woman in question was a travel agent from New Zealand leads me to believe that the airline had not heard the end of this matter and that this nasty incident and gratuitous show of violence on the part of the airline would be  costly in the long run.  

I don't know how she felt,  but I for one am traumatised just from sitting next to her. 

M Parak 

Sept 2019 

en route to DXB from Amman