I asked for water, but the airline flight attendant slapped me...13.3 billion won damage suit
Aug 27, 2025
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According to foreign media such as the Daily Mail, Mohammad Sibley, a passenger who claimed damage, held a press conference on the 26th (local time) and said he plans to file a lawsuit for about $9.5 million (about 13.3 billion won) against the airline. This is equivalent to Delta Air Lines' daily revenue.
Sibley, his wife, and two sons, ages 4 and 2, boarded a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Fresno, California, on the 29th of last month.
He claimed that his second son, who was tired of the takeoff delay, began to cry and asked for water to drink, which the female flight attendant refused in a rude manner.
Afterwards, the flight attendant who was serving drinks showed an aggressive attitude towards Sibley, and when Sibley says "I want nothing" and fears the distance "Do you want to see the police at the gate?", he said, making threatening remarks.
Sibley claimed that the flight attendant then hit the body several times and whispered obscenities in his ear.
When he responded with abusive language, the flight attendant approached him and slapped him hard with his palm, he said.
Passengers who witnessed the situation at the time testified that they heard a very loud 'slap' even though they were wearing noise-blocking headphones.
Sibley was confined for nearly four hours on the plane, feeling helpless in front of her child as a father, and humiliated as a husband. The safety of the family as a passenger was threatened."
Sibley's lawyer argued at a news conference that the case could be an extension of discrimination against Palestinians, not just an assault.
He pointed out that Sibley's wife was wearing a T-shirt that read 'Palestine' at the time.
The lawyer wants to ask whether this case is a single accident or a pattern of apparent discrimination against Palestinians", he said that Delta Air Lines will provide training on Palestine to all employees and demand that Sibley be compensated for the amount equivalent to daily revenue.
Delta Air Lines said in response to the incident "We have initiated an immediate internal investigation, putting the safety and security of our customers and employees first."
The flight attendant is known to be suspended from his current job.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
