Delta kicks passenger off the plane after he used toilette during takeoff

A man was booted from a Delta flight after leaving his seat to answer the urgent call of nature. Kima Hamilton, 39, said he could no longer hold it in after Flight 2035 was delayed for almost two hours on the tarmac in Atlanta en route to Milwaukee on April 18 2017.

The plane taxied to the runway and the passengers were informed they were third in line for takeoff, but the wait extended to about a half-hour, fellow passenger Krista Rosolino said. Hamilton found himself in a wee bit of trouble, so he headed to the restroom — a no-no before departure. “We weren’t taking off. We were still. The plane isn’t moving,” the Milwaukee man told the paper.

“I don’t normally pee right before I get on the plane, and I’ve never had a problem like this before. I don’t remember drinking an abnormal amount of water,” he said. But his golden opportunity was thwarted by a flight attendant, who ordered him back to his seat, saying they’d otherwise lose their spot in line. He sat back down — but his bladder had other ideas, so he rushed back to the restroom for relief.

“The pilot came on and said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry for the inconvenience but we have to return to the gate and remove a passenger,’ ” Hamilton said. “It escalated to that point that fast.” Hamilton was approached by two Delta agents who told him to gather his belongings and disembark. But the public school artist in residence needed to be back home for a field trip, so he refused. “It was already understood and decided that I was a problem and I was getting kicked off the plane. When I exited, there were FBI agents waiting for me with Delta personnel,” he said, adding that his calm demeanor likely saved him from being arrested.

In footage recorded by Rosolino, Hamilton can be heard apologizing. “I’m not really clear on why I’m being asked to leave this plane. I purchased this ticket, I had an emergency. I had to pee,” Hamilton says in the video. “I tried to hold it the first time and you said I absolutely couldn’t and I’m being kicked off the plane?” The plane returned to the gate, where the rest of the passengers also were told to get off temporarily.

Delta refunded part of his ticket cost and told him his checked luggage would be flown to Milwaukee. He then bought a ticket on a Southwest flight — at a cost of three times what he had been refunded — and made it home about 11 p.m. Delta released a statement about the incident Wednesday. “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,” a rep said.

While this is apparently something the passenger shouldn’t do during the preparation for takeoff, we appreciate much friendlier and civilised approach of the crew and security that can be seen from the video footage. This is a much better approach than recently leaked behaviour of United Airlines staff who violently dragged off a passenger from their overbooked flight, causing a massive wave of protests and negative comments on the address of United.