Marlon Wayans says United Airlines owes him money, a public apology, and an explanation after he was booted from a flight on Friday (June 9).
Wayans was boarding a plane from Denver, Colorado, to Kansas City, Missouri, where he was scheduled to perform two shows at the city’s improv comedy club that night, when a gate agent informed him that he had too many carry-on bags. According to the comedic genius, he was told to consolidate his belongings into a single bag, which he did. In an Instagram post detailing the encounter, he said that the agent then told him to check the luggage due to its size.
“At that point, I said, ‘See, now you’re just f**kin’ with me.’ So I grabbed my ticket off the counter [and] got on the plane,” wrote Wayans. He made a video informing fans that it was unlikely that he would make it to his shows on time, if at all.
“This was harassment, and I will make enough noise to be sure all my friends, family, and peoples stop flying United. This will be a corporate matter. Black people [face] all kinds of racism and classism. I won’t allow this. Over a bag? Y’all owe me money for my shows I missed. Y’all owe me for my troubles. Y’all owe my fans a d**n apology. This was the highest level of disrespect and should’ve been avoided. Next call is to my lawyers,” added the White Chicks star.
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The encounter with the airline employee, whom Wayans accused of exercising an “abuse of inflated power” in a tweet, resulted in the police being called to the gate. In a separate post, the stand-up comic confirmed that he was given a citation. “Yes, a ticket… that’s all they could give me. Dude tried to lie and say I assaulted him. The video clearly shows I never touched him. He was desperate to try to have some authority,” he explained.
The entertainment veteran claimed he had flown upwards of 15 million miles with United as a first-class passenger, but after Friday’s fiasco, he is done doing business with the company. United issued the following statement to People: “In Denver on Friday, a customer who had been told he would have to gate-check his bag instead pushed past a United employee at the jetbridge and attempted to board the aircraft. The customer won’t be flying on United to his destination.”
In the end, he managed to secure a flight with American Airlines. “Fly where you’re respected, protected, and loved. American [Airlines] concierge key!!! No more United for me. Y’all treated a first-class brother real disrespectful. I need answers. And they owe me money for missing the shows in KC. This won’t stop until I get some apologies and there are changes,” he added.
Wayans made a slew of other public remarks about the matter, which can be viewed on Twitter. Despite the hiccup, he is still scheduled to perform his remaining comedy shows today (June 10) at the Kansas City Improv.