It was an American Airlines flight out of a regional airport which provides service to a major international airport. The aircraft was small, about 30 passengers, three seats per row with five seats across the back row. Seats are selected by passengers when tickets are purchased, so you know where you’re going to sit (front, back, window, aisle.) Except, not exactly. Once you board and sit down, the flight attendant (there’s just one) starts moving people around, I guess based on size(?) but I’m not sure. It’s an hour long flight into DFW, you go up, then down a few minutes later; the flight itself is faster than it takes to taxi to the gate upon landing.

Anyway, one passenger boarded with a plaster cast from his toes to his hip. He was on crutches, not in a wheelchair. Poor guy had actually climbed steps to board because the jet bridge wasn’t working. He hobbled to the center seat in the back row and sat down, holding his crutches (which will not fit in the overhead “glovebox.” ) This was the only seat that would accommodate a full cast, since his leg was totally immobilized. No one else was seated on that row.

Our “lovely” flight attendant started railing on him about his crutches and that he could would have to check them, and then took them from him. She then set about rearranging all of us. She decided he needed to switch seats with a passenger in a single seat mid-cabin. With no crutches, it was understandably difficult for him to maneuver to the seat, but not fast enough for the flight attendant. Once he sat down, she then told him he would need to get his leg out of the aisle. When he couldn’t comply with that request, she grudgingly (with attitude) “reassigned” him to the back row, but not in the middle. She simply could not understand that he couldn’t bend his leg. The flight wasn’t full, and another passenger on the back row said she would move to the next seat and he could sit where he was ordered and put his leg up across the other empty seats. People were starting to grumble, the plane began to back away so I guess the cranky attendant gave up. I don’t know what her problem was, but it was a bad one, she was determined to take it out on that poor guy! Once we were in the air, it was announced there would be no beverage service due to turbulence (the usual type) so we didn’t have to deal with her the rest of the flight. Once we did land and deplaned, I saw a wheelchair on the jet bridge. I hope he got his crutches back from that crazy woman.