(CNN) – A man says he was ejected from a Delta Air Lines flight because he went to the bathroom while waiting for the plane to leave the Atlanta airport.
Kima Hamilton told CNN affiliate WISN he simply could not wait to use the restroom while the plane was waiting to take off for Milwaukee on April 18. ” … it’s at an emergency stage,” Hamilton told WISN.
After Hamilton had used the bathroom and returned to his seat, an unidentified Delta employee approached Hamilton and had a conversation that was recorded by a fellow passenger.
“So I’m going to kindly ask you to please come with me,” the employee said on the video.
“I’m not really clear on why I’m being asked to leave this plane. I purchased this ticket,” Hamilton responded. “I had an emergency. I had to pee. … And now I’m being kicked off the plane.”
After a second unidentified Delta employee talked to Hamilton, he voluntarily left his seat, WISN reported.
“We weren’t in the process of taking off,” Hamilton told HLN’s Ashleigh Banfield. “I am working through the emotions that come with having this experience, you know. It was outrageous.”
The other passengers were deboarded and reboarded and arrived in Milwaukee an hour and a half late, WISN reported.
Hamilton said he bought a ticket with another airline to get home to Milwaukee later that evening. He was already refunded the cost of his ticket, he told HLN.
Federal Aviation regulations indicate that passengers must be seated with their seat belts on when an airplane is on a taxi way.
“The plane has to follow the orders of air traffic control and ground control. They can order you to move at any time,” said CNN’s aviation analyst Mary Schiavo.
But the enforcement of those rules is sporadic.
“There have been thousands of times when someone has had an emergency like this and they just kind of wait and hurry that person along and get them back into the seat,” Schiavo said.
Delta released this statement about the incident: “Our flight crews are extensively trained to ensure the safety and security of all customers. It is imperative that passengers comply with crew instructions during all phases of flight, especially at the critical points of takeoff and landing.”
CNN is attempting to contact Delta for further comment.
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Top: The interior of a Delta Air aircraft. Photo: Delta.com
SOURCE: CNN written by by Ralph Ellis
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