Miami woman sues after in-flight tussle with ‘Thor’

DALLAS

An American Airlines passenger said a flight attendant named “Thor” grabbed her arm and shook her for supposedly taking an extra blanket during a flight to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport from Miami.

Nathalie Sorensen, of Miami, filed a lawsuit against American Airlines in Dallas, claiming the flight attendant accosted her and had police waiting for her when she exited the plane after a flight in late December.

Sorensen is suing Fort

Worth-based American Airlines for more than $1 million in Dallas County court, saying she is “embarrassed, humiliated and shamed,” and that she “has suffered great mental pain, and in all reasonable likelihood will continue to suffer in this manner for the duration of her natural life.”

American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said the company is looking into the lawsuit and allegations.

“We take the safety and comfort of our customers very seriously and we’re committed to providing a positive experience for everyone who travels with us,” Miller said.

Sorensen was asleep in first class with her fiancé on

American Airlines flight

2575 when she was awoken by a flight attendant yelling, “Wake up right now. Wake up!” according to the suit.

The flight attendant, who only identified himself by the name Thor, was holding Sorensen by the arm and “shaking her violently,” the suit said.

“I know you stole this blanket!” the suit said the flight attendant told her.

Sorensen’s fiancé told the flight attendant to get his hands off Sorensen, who was “crying and shaking hysterically.”

“This is my airplane, I am the head flight attendant and I can touch whoever I want,” the suit quoted Thor as saying.

Sorensen’s suit said she told the flight attendant that she got the additional blanket from her fiancé and didn’t take it without permission.

However, Sorensen said the flight attendant returned later to give her a warning slip explaining

FAA penalties for unruly passengers and that she was told she “better watch out.”

Sorensen was escorted off the plane when it landed at DFW Airport and was met by six officers at the gate, the suit said. After a short interview with officers, she was let go, the complaint said.

American Airlines faced an industry-high number of complaints in 2019, mostly related to delayed flights and cancellations, which the airline blamed on a labor dispute with mechanics and maintenance workers.

But about 12% of those 2,556 complaints came from customer-service issues, more than any other airline, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In recent months, American Airlines has also been sued for allegedly asking a man to move out of first class in favor of a support animal, for not letting a Black man move seats to social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic and for not bringing a narrow wheelchair so a double amputee woman could get to the bathroom.