Should have opened the door and thrown them out. Lying bastards.
The wife of a former FBI agent claims a flight attendant locked her in an
airplane bathroom with her 3-year-old son and then accused her of
causing a terrorist incident, according to a lawsuit.
Yazz Giraldo, a mother of two who is of Middle Eastern and Latin descent,
is traumatized by the incident and believes she was racially targeted
because she and her husband, Ali Moghaddam, were speaking Farsi to their
toddlers.
The drama unfolded as the family was flying from Fort Lauderdale to New
York in September for a Long Island wedding. Both kids urgently needed the
restroom, recalled Giraldo, who tried to take the baby to the first-class
bathroom closest to their seats at the front of the plane.
Everybody else was using it, she said, but one flight attendant barred
her without explanation from doing the same.
She changed the babys diaper at the rear of the plane, where Moghaddam
was sitting separately.
A second flight attendant there told her there was no prohibition on using
the closer bathroom so she took her son to that lavatory, according to a
Brooklyn Federal Court discrimination lawsuit she filed against American
Airlines.
The flight attendant who barred her from first class tried to stop her
even as the desperate child was holding himself, he was about to lose
it, Giraldo said.
I closed the door, when Im inside the bathroom I start hearing the
noise, tick, tick, tick,' she said of the sound of the door locking. I
freaked out. I was already under so much stress.
I started to panic, I
banged on the door a few times and I said, Let me out of here.'
She was punishing me for challenging her, Giraldo, 36, a former
television host who speaks three languages, said of the flight attendant,
who was not identified in the lawsuit.
Giraldo said she lost track of time inside the bathroom and was weeping
and shaking, by the time she was released.
A few minutes later, a supervisor loudly berated her in front of other
passengers, claiming the pilot decided to put the plane under terrorist
attack warning because of you.
When Giraldo, whose baby was sleeping on her chest, tried to explain shed
been misled about the bathroom and locked inside, the screaming attendant
accused her of lying.
I immediately knew it was racism. I immediately knew I was being
discriminated against, she said.
I was humiliated.
A former Pennsylvania prosecutor who served six years in the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, Moghaddam, 44, was unaware of the unfolding drama
until police escorted them off the plane when it landed in New York.
I dedicated about a decade of my life to public service, to protecting
the community. Joint Terrorism Task Force, undercover, S.W.A.T., all of
this
for my family to be labeled as terrorist and be marched off a plane
just because we want to change a diaper? he told The Post.
Responding officers only softened their approach after he requested to be
taken to the airports FBI substation and the officers realized he had law
enforcement experience.
They were let go after 15 minutes.
Once avid travelers, the couple now fears flying and questions whether
they should be teaching their children Farsi.
Giraldo is now in therapy, according to their lawyer, Jitesh Dudani.
For me theres certain terms that have a history and connotation that is
very negative, Moghaddam said.
That word terrorism is unique, especially considering all my sacrifices
you dont throw that around.
The airline responded, American strives to provide a positive and
welcoming experience to everyone who travels with us and we take
allegations of discrimination very seriously.
We are reviewing the details of the lawsuit.
Johnny Okay
4 hours ago
when I flew business class, I was not even allowed to use the first class
bathroom... this woman just felt entitled
Steve undefined
4 hours ago
She lost me when I read that she has been going to therapy over this. No
doubt on the direction of her lawyer. They are checking the boxes she
needs to check in order to squeeze the most dollars she can get out of
this.
John McNamara
5 hours ago
She knew it was wrong with one statement where she tried to rationalize
it. Everybody else was using it. Doesn't change the fact you can't use the
first class bathroom if you're not a first class passenger. You think such
a enlightened mature woman who speaks three languages could understand
this. ...
<https://nypost.com/2023/04/22/flight-attendant-locks-wife-son-of-ex-fbi-
agent-in-plane-bathroom/>