Former Rare Staff
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) defended herself once again after attorney and private teacher Jean-Marie Simon accused both the politician and United Airlines of bumping her from her first class seat in favor of Lee.
Videos by Rare
As Rare previously reported, Simon said that earlier in the month, she used 140,000 miles to pay for the first class ticket to travel to Guatemala and then back to Washington, D.C. When she got to the gate at George Bush Intercontinental Airport to complete the final part of her trip, she was told that her ticket was not in the system. Instead, the gate attendant asked if she canceled the flight.
“No,” she told the attendant. “I just want to go home.”
Simon said she was given a $500 voucher and asked to sit in Economy Plus after being told her first class seat was taken.
When she boarded the flight, she said she saw Jackson Lee sitting in the seat previously assigned to her.
On Tuesday, the congresswoman unleashed a series of tweets calling Simmons a “Grinch” and accusing her of targeting her because of race.
Here’s my statement surrounding incident on United Airlines flight 2 Mondays ago:
“I am disappointed in having to respond to this accusation, but I believe transparency is very important. Unfortunately, it looks like Grinch is trying to steal the spirit of the holiday.
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
“Last Monday, I arrived at the airport to catch my flight to Washington to continue my fight to get Hurricane Harvey funds back to Texas and other hard hit areas, along with funding of the Children’s Health Insurance Program and of course, trying
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
“to stop a tax bill that was going to cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance.
After receiving my boarding pass, I boarded the plane in the normal process. I did nothing wrong. I asked for nothing exceptional or out of the ordinary and received nothing
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
”exceptional or out of the ordinary. I proceeded to take my seat and work on legislative issues on my way to Washington.
Although I was not involved, I observed a disruption by an individual walking back and forth in the cabin. exceptional or out of the ordinary.
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
I proceeded to take my seat and work on legislative issues on my way to Washington.
Although I was not involved, I observed a disruption by an individual walking back and forth in the cabin. I could overhear her speaking with a flight attendant (an African American woman).
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
Jackson Lee repeated United’s assertion that Simon canceled her flight, something that Simon herself denied.
Simon provided the Houston Chronicle a screenshot of a cancellation she made in August when a scheduled visit to Houston was interrupted by Hurricane Harvey’s landfall. She said that was the only flight she canceled.
An official with United said that Simon’s reservation did not show as canceled in the system because she boarded the flight to D.C.
I saw the gate agent go to the seat of the individual who was walking back and forth before we took off.
I later came to understand that the individual had canceled her own flight. However I had nothing to do with that.
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
Jackson Lee continued with her assertion that Simon targeted her because the congresswoman was an African American woman. She accused Simon of seeing her as an “easy target.”
I noted that this individual came toward me and took a picture. I heard later that she might have said “I know who she is.” Since this was not any fault of mine, the way the individual continued to act appeared to be, upon reflection, because I was an African American woman,
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
seemingly an easy target along with the African American flight attendant who was very, very nice. This saddens me, especially at this time of year given all of the things we have to work on to help people. But in the spirit of this season and out of the sincerity of my heart,
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
if it is perceived that I had anything to do with this, I am kind enough to simply say sorry. I understand the airline is working to address the passenger’s concerns. I am glad of that. But as an African American, I know there are too many examples like this all over the nation
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
. I hope one day, we will accept our collective diversity. Happy Holidays.” ine, the way the individual continued to act appeared to be, upon reflection, because I was an African American woman, seemingly an easy target along with the African
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
American flight attendant who was very, very nice. This saddens me, especially at this time of year given all of the things we have to work on to help people. But in the spirit of this season and out of the sincerity of my heart, if it is perceived that I had anything to do
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
with this, I am kind enough to simply say sorry. I understand the airline is working to address the passenger’s concerns. I am glad of that.
But as an African American, I know there are too many examples like this all over the nation.
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
The statement concluded with a call to “accept our collective diversity.”
I hope one day, we will accept our collective diversity. Happy Holidays.”
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 26, 2017
Shortly after the incident, Simon tweeted that a fellow congressman alleged this was not the first time Jackson Lee had taken over a passenger’s seat.
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) in seat 1A the one I paid for dearly, and the one United gave to her without my consent or knowledge! Fellow congressman on same flight said she does it repeatedly. @united pic.twitter.com/Q2c6u6B0Yp
— Jean-Marie Simon (@JeanMarieSimon1) December 23, 2017
She said that after she posted about the incident on Facebook and Twitter, a “resolution manager” for the airline called her and apologized. She said that she wants a formal apology from the airline.
Simon’s experience only adds to the list of United’s public relations nightmares from this year.
Two security officials were fired in October after a video of a passenger being dragged from his seat to make room for United crew members went viral.
A mother also accused the airline of forcing her to wait two hours to deplane after her baby became overheated on a delayed flight.
RELATED: Southwest flight attendant surprises Houston travelers with a special Christmas serenade
