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In recent hours, José Luis Rodríguez “El Puma” has made headlines, and not exactly because of his influence in Latin Music. The reason is an incident he experienced with American Airlines. He was planning to fly from Quito to Miami when the flight’s purser removed him from the plane he was supposed to travel on.
So much has been said that he himself wanted to explain what really happened. And he didn’t hold back. He recounted how, after performing a concert in the city, he didn’t sleep since he had a very early flight, first thing in the morning.
“Whenever I travel, I bring a bag with my medications. I know there are many transplant patients around the world who travel, and on those trips you carry three times the medicine because you don’t know if you’ll find it at your destination,” he said, trying to provide context.
The Remark That Got “El Puma” Expelled
He’s aware that in the first row of the plane you can’t keep anything in your hands, so he placed his bag under the seat. But the cabin chief told him he couldn’t leave it there either. Even though he explained that it was a bag he needed to have on hand, he eventually gave it to the crew member to stow it above. Once the issue seemed resolved, he happened to comment, “It seems to me this guy is a bit dumb because this is very simple to resolve.” A flight attendant heard the comment and immediately went to tell her superior.
In reality, the word he used was pendejada, “which for us is like saying a silly thing, something very simple.” But it seems the crew member didn’t appreciate the comment and reported it to the captain, who decided to wash his hands of the matter and leave the resolution to the cabin chief.
El Puma said he apologized to them three times and explained that removing him from the flight would cause him a major problem because he hadn’t slept and was extremely tired. “I’m not feeling well, you’re going to harm me badly,” he told them. But it didn’t help, and he was deplaned. His musical director supported him and also voluntarily left the aircraft.
El Puma’s Demand
With his account, he wanted to make it clear that he expects “an apology from American Airlines, and I hope this never happens again.” He also took the opportunity to criticize airplane seats that are increasingly smaller and promised to continue addressing the issue to improve the flying experience. “Sometimes they treat us like cattle,” he said.
While many have applauded the singer for clarifying what happened and, like him, demand an apology from the airline, others are more cautious and believe the purser should come forward and give his version so the information can be compared. What is clear is that on an airplane, the only status that matters is whether you’re in economy or business — and that shouldn’t influence how passengers are treated.
Read the article in Spanish by Cristina Zavala on LOS40.com
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