Flight Attendant Snatches 3-Year-Old's "Cute" Snack Box, Forcing Aunt to Have to Throw It Out
Published Sept. 5 2023, 2:04 p.m. ET
Much like the air, microaggressions are all around us. From race and gender to religion and sexual orientation, these subtle acts of provocation know no bounds. Whether you’re on a plane, a train, or in an automobile, you can’t outrun a microaggressor on a mission, and this was especially true for Twitter user @dynamicallydara.
She was flying American Airlines with her nephew when a flight attendant really ruffled her feathers. In a series of tweets, Dara recalled how the woman “snatched” the toddler’s custom-made snack box away, forcing Dara to throw the whole thing away.
Dara faced backlash from some users on social media, but others — such as myself — could totally understand the outrage.
This woman said a flight attendant “snatched” her nephew’s snack box and didn’t return for “several minutes.”
Dara and her travel buddy — her 3-year-old nephew — were minding their own business when a curious flight attendant caught a glimpse of his meticulously stocked snack box. From a PB&J Uncrustable to Ritz Crackers — this snack box had everything.
It’s no wonder why the flight attendant was so enamored that she took it upon herself to take the box and show it to her friend at the front of the plane.
“[Friday], I traveled on AA with my [3-year-old] nephew from [St. Louis, Mo.] to Dallas. We traveled [with] his snack box of unwrapped food for him to eat at various stages of our journey,” Dara tweeted.
Her story went on: “He had his iPad and headphones on, and he and I were playing a game together on his iPad with his snack box sitting on my middle seat tray.”
According to Dara, the flight attendant complimented her nephew’s carefully curated box of goodies earlier. This time when the flight attendant walked by, she took her admiration a step further.
“I thought she was reaching for the trash on my tray but instead grabbed my nephew’s snack box with all his food in it and informs me that her friend traveling in the front of the plane is a new grandmother and she was 'going to show her this,'” Dara continued.
“Before I could finish processing her statement, she snatched the snack box and walked off.”
After several minutes, the flight attendant returned. Because her nephew’s food was “out of her view” during this time, Dara opted to throw the whole snack box away.
“I have no idea who or what his food was exposed to while out of my sight," she said. “I had to throw it all away when she finally returned with it.”
Was the snack box catastrophe a mistake or misunderstanding? Social media is divided.
Following the incident, Dara held her tongue. Instead, she waited to confront the flight attendant about her actions until it was time to deplane. When Dara did finally get to address the issue face-to-face, the flight attendant said sorry but insisted that she had just washed her hands, which somehow made the whole thing OK.
“Her rationalizations negate any apology, as she was clearly not sorry and felt she had every right to help herself to our belongings,” Dara tweeted.
The social media user has since contacted corporate, whose response was: “What an adorable snack box! Our apology the crew member took it from you without asking first.”
Tons of Twitter users argued that Dara overreacted by throwing the snack box away. However, I beg to differ. You see, much like our hair, our snack boxes are not yours to touch, either.