Woman Jailed For Three Days After Switching Seats On Plane — Suing Airline For $5 Million

A 68-year-old woman was jailed for three days after switching seats on a flight to Seattle, and now she is suing United Airlines for $5 million. She wasn’t just jailed, but was forced from her flight all because she tried to sit somewhere else.

According to Sputnik News, back in March of 2013, Jean Mamakos was on board her flight to Seattle en route to Alaska. Once the doors closed, she got up from her seat and moved into an empty one in the row for the emergency exit.

While some may not realize it, that row usually has more leg room and costs more. That was when flight attendants advised her she can sit there if she paid for an upgrade, but she decided against it and moved back to her seat.

“At that point, I decided no, I’m not paying $109 and went back to my seat,” Mamakos said. “I heard the captain say there is a lady who wants to get off the plane on this flight. So we have to wait. I didn’t know that was me.”

Soon, she did know it was her.

USA Today stated that the woman was surrounded by flight attendants and they were demanding that she exit the plane. She wasn’t having it so she stood her ground and remained in her seat.

That was when the police got called in and they forcefully removed her from the plane.

“They did handcuff me. There were three policemen who dragged me off the plane.”

She was asked by one officer if she was going to leave willingly or if they were going to have to arrest her for trespassing. That was when Mamakos told him they were going to do “whatever you have to do.”

Then, the police removed her from the plane and ripped her jeans in the process. She was then thrown in jail for three days.

United Airlines has issued no comment on the situation, but the woman jailed for switching seats on a plane has filed a lawsuit for $5 million against them.

Earlier this week, a man was booted from a flight because he got irate over the staff wishing him a “Merry Christmas.” He didn’t want to be told that because not everyone celebrates the holiday. He may have been removed from his flight, but at least he wasn’t thrown in jail just for trying to switch seats.

[Image via United Airlines]