By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Published: December 16, 2009
Senator Charles E. Schumer apologized on Wednesday for using a crude term to refer to a flight attendant who had asked him to turn his cellphone off on a US Airways plane before takeoff.
. Schumer and his fellow Democratic senator from New York, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, were seated next to each other on the New York-to-Washington flight on Sunday, and both were talking on their cellphones, according to Politico.com, which first reported the incident. After an announcement that cellphones must be turned off, both senators initially kept talking on their phones.
Ms. Gillibrand ended her call, but Mr. Schumer kept talking.
The flight attendant then approached Mr. Schumer and told him the entire plane was waiting for him to shut off his phone. Mr. Schumer ended the call, but then argued that he was entitled to keep his phone on until the cabin door closed.
When the flight attendant, whom Politico did not identify, walked away Mr. Schumer turned to Ms. Gillibrand and described the attendant as a “bitch.”
A Republican aide on the plane overheard Mr. Schumer’s comment and described the incident to Politico. The aide was not identified.
After it was reported on the Politico Web site on Tuesday, Mr. Schumer issued an apology and called the flight attendant to say he was sorry.
“The senator made an off-the-cuff comment under his breath that he shouldn’t have made, and he regrets it,” said Brian Fallon, a Schumer spokesman.
The Federal Aviation Administration says it is a violation of aviation regulations to disobey the instructions of a flight crew.
Through her office, Ms. Gillibrand said Mr. Schumer was “polite” and “turned off his phone when asked.”
But according to the aide who overheard Mr. Schumer, the phone rang again moments after the attendant had told Mr. Schumer to shut it off. “It’s Harry Reid calling, I guess health care will have to wait until we land,” Mr. Schumer said. |
