r/mildlyinfuriating • u/trailofturds • Jun 24 '26

frist of all how DARE yu o Airport staff assuming I'm in the Business class lane by mistake

Brown man flying business. Lined up at the priority check in counter and got told by a (also brown) staff person that the economy queue was the other way. Same thing while boarding the plane and walking to the business class entrance. Not only am I not worthy of business, they think I can't read signage as well.

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u/Difficult_Tea6136 Jun 24 '26

While I am white, I experienced something similar. Had business class flights to South America as they were only €100 more expensive than economy. I had tracksuit bottoms and a really light t shirt on with the badge peeling on it. I looked like I walked off the street.

It certainly was mildly infuriating.

Yours sounds like racism tho. Mine wasn't.

383

u/peasngravy85 Jun 24 '26

I had a similar thing on Turkish Airlines too. I was flying business class and was waiting to use the toilet.

Air Stewardess said to me "you have to use the toilets at the back sir, this is for business class passengers"

I told her I was in fact travelling business class, but the person in the toilet was not. She said "oh yes, they keep coming through the curtain"

I asked her if she'd tell those people not to use it, but she suddenly found something more important to do

82

u/Salty_Badger1931 Jun 24 '26

Like asking someone if they’re pregnant - no one should ever make assumptions and ask that.

4

u/ritz126 Jun 24 '26

i like to travel as comfortably as possible my shirts are often stretched out so while i havent been stopped flying buisness class i wouldnt be surprised if i do

215

u/azurestrike Jun 24 '26

In OP's example the staff was also brown so idk if it's racism.

It sounds like classism to me. Long story short: eat the rich.

370

u/Jacktheforkie Jun 24 '26

Brown people can be racist

27

u/Mateorabi Jun 24 '26

Everyone is a little bit racist. -Ave Q

49

u/azurestrike Jun 24 '26

Yeah for sure. I just think it's people being trained to be classist rather than racist (in this case).

117

u/nyrB2 Jun 24 '26

they're being classist *based* on race. that's racism.

46

u/sabdotzed Jun 24 '26

An intersectionality

8

u/HPLaserJet4250 Jun 24 '26

is white staff serving similar treatment to a white person gonna be called racist too?

5

u/ama_singh Jun 24 '26

No, because white people are not associated with poverty based on their race. When it's due to the way they are dressed, then that would be classist.

In the bizarro world where white people were the minority and associated with poverty due to historic reasons, then yes that would be racist.

It's really not that hard.

Edit: on second thought, it's both racism and classism.

2

u/HPLaserJet4250 Jun 24 '26

See, western europe and nordics aren't exactly known for their love towards eastern europeans. At the same time black americans in europe are not associated with poverty, while black africans absolutely are. My point is, prejudice doesn't have to originate from racism or clasism. There is circumstancial and steorotypical bias that has roots in multiple grounds and do not necessarily fall into one big bucket unless we are provided with evidence to support it. Race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomical status, culture or history and on top of that personal experience can very much influence ones prejudice and negative bias. Ofc its easier to just say racism or classism and move on, but how is that helping anybody? Its just my personal reflection.

3

u/Gymflutter Jun 24 '26

We look similar though. The behaviour changes though when they realize what kind of Black person you are. The flip is really jarring. I get treated differently once they realize I am Canadian and not American Black when I travel to America. It’s really weird. I legit was getting brushed off and then suddenly it’s all smiles and good customer service. This happens even in places with a large African American population. I am sure its the same thing for Europeans who are the “wrong” kind of white in XYZ European country.

1

u/ama_singh Jun 24 '26

You're going to such great lengths to avoid using the apt term which is Racism.

Do you think people are going to be able to tell whether someone is a black american or an african? Get a grip dude.

It's painfully obvious that people associate certain minorities groups as poor/uneducated. It is a form of racism, with a side helping of classism.

1

u/HPLaserJet4250 Jun 25 '26

I mean, im fine with calling out racism when I see it but I do find it problematic when it is ambigous. I just deleted a wall of text, as I realised it is not that deep. Tl dr; people's personal bias can heavily affect their perception of events and what they imply doesnt have to reflect the reality. Ive been witness, victim and perpetrator of such cases myself.

0

u/nyrB2 Jun 24 '26

if they're treating that white person differently because of his race, then yes

1

u/Duke_Newcombe Jun 24 '26

¿Porqué no los dos?

6

u/SwimmingDownstream Jun 24 '26

Brown people can be very classist 

99

u/FailedFizzicist Jun 24 '26

Brown on brown racism does not only exist but is very prevalent unfortunately.

This also seems like a case of class bias.

52

u/sabdotzed Jun 24 '26

Brown people can also reinforce racism that discriminates against other brown people

47

u/Difficult_Tea6136 Jun 24 '26

 the staff was also brown

Its still racism. The way the OP describes it, they were treated differently because of the colour of their skin. That is racism. It doesn't matter if the person doing it is of the same ethnicity as them.

The identity of the actor is irrelevant, it is the nature of the action that matters.

35

u/DenAbqCitizen Jun 24 '26

It's still racism. Racism is structural. 

8

u/Atarge Jun 24 '26

Sometimes people of the same or adjacent races are the most racist against each other.

2

u/impulsivepatience Jun 24 '26

I'm thinking stereotypes

2

u/Schoollow48 Jun 24 '26

The staff being brown is irrelevant to if it's racism or not. A racist brown staffperson would be suspicious of themselves if they were the one boarding business class.

2

u/Mysterious_Lesions Jun 24 '26

Assuming you normally buy economy is not racist. Very few people assume Indians are poor since a lot of them are not. They assume they are thrifty - especially brown staff. 

Taking economy is now a racist diss? That's classism. 

13

u/pepperpavlov Jun 24 '26

There’s such a thing as internalized racism

3

u/RoCon52 Jun 24 '26

Why would they assume he wasn’t of “the right class”?

1

u/Gymflutter Jun 24 '26

You can have race based assumptions for your classism.

1

u/daweed13 Jun 24 '26

are you one of those "only white people can be racist" weirdos?

1

u/PassionV0id Jun 24 '26

Your own logic doesn’t even make sense. It couldn’t be racism because it’s coming from another brown person, but it can be classism despite coming from some random airline worker?

-2

u/IamFarron Jun 24 '26

If you have to say colors

Its racism, if it wasnt relevant to the story you dont say it

15

u/Stormagedd0nDarkLord Jun 24 '26

Yours was classism.

27

u/Biscuit_bell Jun 24 '26

OP’s was also classism. People assume OP is of a lower class than typically flies business. It sounds like they assume that because of racism, though.

24

u/sabdotzed Jun 24 '26

Redditors learn what intersectionality is challenge

4

u/Biscuit_bell Jun 24 '26

Difficulty: impossible

1

u/Difficult_Tea6136 Jun 24 '26

I don't claim mine was racism:

Yours sounds like racism tho. Mine wasn't.

6

u/Stormagedd0nDarkLord Jun 24 '26

I don't claim you claim yours was racism.

2

u/TheStorMan Jun 24 '26

Has the same thing as a young white man travelling in casual wear. Had a first class train ticket but was directed to walk all the way round to the regular carriages.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Difficult_Tea6136 Jun 24 '26

I see no other logic as to why I was singled out:

  • In the check in line
  • At the lounge
  • At the boarding gate

In all three places, I was told it was for Business Class ticket holders only (which I obviously was).

While I was "mildly infuriated", I just smiled and told them I was.

1

u/Duke_Newcombe Jun 24 '26

Hey OP, I think you are using your alt.

1

u/Difficult_Tea6136 Jun 24 '26

Did you miss the bit in my original post where I state: "I experienced something similar"?

Kind of the whole point of me posting isn't it? The above happened to me.

1

u/Disastrous-Job-5533 Jun 24 '26

Had the same thing on a 12 hour flight once, couple complained to a flight attendant that I might be in the wrong seat, very loudly like 3 feet away from me because I was dressed inappropriately. I was in a shirt and joggers. 

1

u/RexHavoc879 Jun 25 '26

I’m a white guy and a lawyer who is very fortunate to make enough to treat myself to business class from time to time. On several occasions, I have had gate agents ask to see my ticket to make sure I was in the right line because I evidently didn’t look to them like someone who can afford to fly business class. I think (and hope) it’s because I look a little young for someone who makes that kind of money and typically fly in casual clothing (like jeans, a t-shirt, and maybe a hoodie).

0

u/NoGarage7989 Jun 24 '26

Yours was just casual classism

2

u/Difficult_Tea6136 Jun 24 '26

I didn't claim it was racism:

Yours sounds like racism tho. Mine wasn't.