A Milwaukee man was removed from a Delta Airline flight after using the restroom before take-off.
Kima Hamilton, an artist in residence for a Milwaukee Public School, was flying from Atlanta back to Milwaukee on April 18 when he realized he had to use the bathroom while the flight was awaiting take-off.
The plan was taxied at the runway for a half hour according to Hamilton and another passenger, Krista Rosolino.
When Hamilton first attempted to use the restroom a flight attendant told him he could not and he complied, but as time ticked on and the plane did not move and Hamilton decided to go anyway.
Once he returned to his seat flight attendants asked him to leave.
“It was already understood and decided that I was a problem and I was getting kicked off the plane,” Hamilton told USA Today.
After he refused to leave flight staff removed everyone from the plan and allowed all passengers, but Hamilton to board.
“When I exited there were FBI agents waiting for me with Delta personnel,” he said.
Rosolino, a lawyer, recorded the incident on her cell phone and posted about it on her Facebook page questioning if Hamilton’s race had anything to do with his treatment and vowing to never fly Delta again.
In a statement on Wednesday, Delta airlines wrote, “Our flight crews are extensively trained to ensure the safety and security of all customers. It is imperative that passengers comply with crew instructions during all phases of flight, especially at the critical points of takeoff and landing.”
The airline gave Hamilton a partial refund for his ticket, but he ended up having to pay three times that amount for a Southwest flight home.
