Airlines always open cans before giving them out, but Muslim "discriminated against."

[Anonymous]

"For hygienic reasons, she asked for an unopened can of soda, she said. The flight attendant told her that she could not give her one but then handed an unopened can of beer to a man seated nearby. Ahmad questioned the flight attendant.

"We are unauthorized to give unopened cans to people because they may use it as a weapon on the plane," she recalled the flight attendant telling her."


http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/30/us/united-flight-muslim-chaplain/index.html

I can't recall a flight (and I've been flying a lot, for years) where cans weren't opened first before being handed to a passenger. I feel someone should have come back at the fellow passenger who made rude comments, but other than that there is nothing outrageous about this incident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"For hygienic reasons, she asked for an unopened can of soda, she said. The flight attendant told her that she could not give her one but then handed an unopened can of beer to a man seated nearby. Ahmad questioned the flight attendant.

"We are unauthorized to give unopened cans to people because they may use it as a weapon on the plane," she recalled the flight attendant telling her."


http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/30/us/united-flight-muslim-chaplain/index.html

I can't recall a flight (and I've been flying a lot, for years) where cans weren't opened first before being handed to a passenger. I feel someone should have come back at the fellow passenger who made rude comments, but other than that there is nothing outrageous about this incident.

On every flight I've been on, the can was opened.

[Anonymous]

I had a flight attendant hand me an unopened can of beer the other day. It sort of surprised me--usually they open and pour it, and I've never seen them serve an unopened can of soda or water.
Maybe some just think beer is different?

[Anonymous]

It's psychological profiling. Anyone who orders soda or water when they could have beer is considered a nutcase risk.

[Anonymous]

On a domestic flight you have to pay for the beer. Maybe that's the difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a domestic flight you have to pay for the beer. Maybe that's the difference.

Hmmm. Interesting point. This whole thing just goes to show that there is always someone who shows that giant chip on their shoulder, and thousands more with some kind of guilt who will latch on to the hashtag du jour and bleat about it, without stopping for a moment to think.

[Anonymous]

I agree that I've never been served an unopened can, but clearly this flight attendant was willing to serve unopened cans, if she gave one to another passenger. Maybe that was a mistake, and she just forgot to open it, or maybe it was profiling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that I've never been served an unopened can, but clearly this flight attendant was willing to serve unopened cans, if she gave one to another passenger. Maybe that was a mistake, and she just forgot to open it, or maybe it was profiling.

Beer is a different type of beverage than Coke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that I've never been served an unopened can, but clearly this flight attendant was willing to serve unopened cans, if she gave one to another passenger. Maybe that was a mistake, and she just forgot to open it, or maybe it was profiling.

Beer is a different type of beverage than Coke.

But the reasoning was that the unopened can can be used as a weapon...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that I've never been served an unopened can, but clearly this flight attendant was willing to serve unopened cans, if she gave one to another passenger. Maybe that was a mistake, and she just forgot to open it, or maybe it was profiling.

Beer is a different type of beverage than Coke.

But it's the same kind of can. If a can of soda can be a weapon, why can't a can of beer.

In addition, when she asked why the beer was served closed, why didn't the flight attendant say "the rules are different for beer" instead of "unopened cans can be weapons"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's psychological profiling. Anyone who orders soda or water when they could have beer is considered a nutcase risk.

This.

[Anonymous]

I'm shocked by the ranting of the other passenger. People are assholes for not shutting that man down. He is a good example of an uneducated classless republican wanting to stir shit whenever the opportunity opens. She is American too and has no relations or desire to be associated with ISIS. The ignorance of some people is mind blowing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked by the ranting of the other passenger. People are assholes for not shutting that man down. He is a good example of an uneducated classless republican wanting to stir shit whenever the opportunity opens. She is American too and has no relations or desire to be associated with ISIS. The ignorance of some people is mind blowing.[/quote

+1 And the flight attendant handled it very, very badly. How could she justify handing the man next to her an unopened can of beer but refused to hand her an unopened can of diet soda?

[Anonymous]

Actually - no. I asked for an unopened can of soda and it was given to me on my last United flight to LA. I am a white woman however.

[Anonymous]

My college roommate was a flight attendant. They open the cans of soda for you in case there is a spray of carbonated soda next to another passenger - not to stop it from being a weapon!