American Airlines Fires Veteran Flight Attendant Who Fought Back After Passenger Attacked Him

A popular and well-liked flight attendant who had flown with American Airlines for 26 years has been terminated for his conduct arising out of a fight that occurred onboard a flight in which a passenger attacked him.

American Airlines Flight Attendant Fired After Passenger Attacked Him Onboard

On December 31, 2023 an incident occurred onboard American Airlines flight AA2470 from Charlotte (CLT) to Las Vegas (LAS). Tillman Robinson, a flight attendant, was attacked by a 25-year-old passenger. The passenger was later cited for assault (but charges dropped when he took an anger management course).

We don’t know the exact details about what unfolded onboard, but Robinson did share, “He starts putting his finger in my face, he starts yelling expletives, then he pushes me, and then he starts taking swings.” As a result of the incident, he was placed on leave while an investigation was performed.

10 months later he was fired…it appears that American Airlines determined his conduct did not comport with the professional standards required for a flight attendant.

In a recent interview, Robinson lamented, “It starts with asking people to step back, move away, turn around, and walk away when they are trying to strike at you.” He added, “What am I supposed to do, am I supposed to take it, would that have made American Airlines feel better?”

We’ll return to that in a moment.

An American Airlines spokesperson said Robinson did not act according to policy:

“We take these matters incredibly seriously. After conducting a thorough internal investigation, it was determined the former team member acted in a manner inconsistent with our expectations and defined policies — prior to the altercation and throughout.”

A GoFundMe page has been started for him which has already raised over $13,000:

We are reaching out to support our dear friend, brother, and colleague, Tillman Robinson, a dedicated flight attendant whose job was terminated, allegedly after he defended himself against an aggressive passenger on board an aircraft. As a 26 year senority flight attendant, Tillman is facing an incredibly challenging time without a salary, putting him at risk of losing his home and struggling to care for his two elderly parents, who have serious health issues.

Tillman has always been a beloved member of our community and has maintained a spotless record throughout his career. His kindness and professionalism have touched the lives of many. The outpouring of support and concern he has received has left him feeling grateful and humbled.

His feckless union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, has been unable to help…

Should A Flight Attendant Fight Back?

I wasn’t there and I don’t know how this played out. Even so, I have a tremendous amount of empathy for Robinson, no matter what happened.

I would hope that AA would not have terminated him unless his conduct was clearly and unequivocally wrong…I make no such pronouncement, but this is a huge deal for a man who had been with the company for a quarter century with a previously unblemished service record.

Until you are the one being attacked, I throw no stones as to his reaction.

Even so, there is a principle that a safety professional must rise above a bad situation and not reciprocate bad behavior. For example, a police officer is entrusted with so much and therefore cannot have a bad day. The pilot who crashed the Delta regional jet in Toronto may be a lovely person, but should never fly again.

Again, self-control is the hardest virtue to cultivate and like poor Rick Hatchett on White Lotus, sometimes we just snap. But when Robinson says, “What am I supposed to do, am I supposed to take it?” maybe the answer is no, but. You don’t have to stand there and turn the other cheek, but you also can call for help in subduing the passenger rather than trying to handle him yourself.

CONCLUSION

A flight attendant who has been with American Airlines for 26 years has been terminated for conduct stemming from a fight on a flight to Las Vegas. I’m very sympathetic to the flight attendant, though I will stop short of arguing he was improperly terminated. Even so, any way you slice it it’s a sad day that a flight attack with a blameless work record for a quarter-century loses his job when a passenger attacked him first.

image: GoFundMe // hat tip: View From The Wing