A 41-minute regional flight from Philadelphia to Syracuse was delayed by more than two hours because of a satirical stereotyping.
On May 5, a 30-something blonde woman, who sat next to a curly-haired, olive-skinned, foreign-looking man, thought her seatmate was scribbling "codes" on his notepad that could somewhat destroy the lives of the passengers on board the American Airlines Flight 3950.
The woman felt something wasn't right with her seatmate, so she tried to make small talk. However, the quiet, foreign-looking passenger continued to scribble on his notepad after deflecting several conversation openings.
The woman then handed a flight attendant a "note" and soon, a series of bizarre events took place.
First, the flight remained grounded for nearly 30 minutes on the tarmac. Second, a flight attendant approached the female passenger and asked if she was feeling better and ready to fly, but still, the aircraft remained grounded.
Third, the plane wheeled back to the gate and the woman was escorted out of the aircraft. Fourth, the pilot approached the foreign-looking man who was then also escorted off the plane. He was greeted by an "agent" who asked him about his female seatmate who got off earlier.
The man thought the authorities needed his help to understand what was troubling the female passenger. Because he wants to help, he said she didn't seem physically unwell, but she "acted a bit funny."
When the charade ended, they finally told him the truth. The blonde passenger had seen him scribble "cryptic notes" that was unfamiliar to her. She felt that it was her duty to alert the airline authorities about what she saw.
The icing on the cake? The agent politely informed the foreign-looking man that he was suspected of an act of terrorism.
Now, here's the face palm moment that could give birth to a series of new blonde jokes: the scribbles were actually math equations. The male passenger was Guido Menzio, a well-decorated Ivy League economist and an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Economics.
Moreover, he is not Middle Eastern. He is actually Italian and a recipient of the 2015 Carlo Alberto Medal for Best Italian Economist Under 40.
After showing the authorities his "scribbles," he returned to his seat, and finally the American Airlines Flight 3950 took off.
American Airlines spokesman Casey Norton said that the woman asked if she can be rebooked on a different flight. To her credit, the female passenger did inform the airline crew that she was feeling unwell. However, when she deplaned, she revealed that her concern over the man's behavior was the real reason she felt ill.
