Often, as great as travel is, it can be stressful and confusing—even for seasoned travelers. One frequent flier recently had an awkward experience in the galley of a Delta Air Lines flight headed to West Palm Beach, Florida. It was enough of a faux pas that it left him fearing he’d wind up on the no-fly list.
Jared Freid, a comic and podcaster who’s currently on his Walking Red Flag book tour, says it all started because he wanted a second cup of coffee.
Freid (@wizardofha) explained that he was on the second leg of his journey, “from Atlanta to West Palm so that I can go bathe in the waters of the Atlantic.” When he decided that he wanted another coffee.
He was seated in the first row “because Delta Diamond baby,” he says. From his seat, he could see the Delta flight attendant who was in the jump seat “in like the kitchenette bathroom area.”
He called out to her, “miss, miss,” he says. But he couldn’t get her attention. So he stood up to communicate more effectively. “Hey, excuse me, can I just get another coffee?” he says he asked. He had his earbuds in, so he didn’t hear if she said anything, but says she responded by pointing where the coffee is made. He thought she was telling him to pour his own.
Although the frequent flier says this never happened, he figured he may as well.
“I guess we’re doing it buffet-style,” he quipped to himself before unlatching the carafe from its warming plate. He thought it was kinda fun, and developed a plan to go through First Class, carafe in hand.
“Can I warm you up, hon?” he imagined saying.
Just then, the flight attendant burst into his daydream: “What are you doing?” he recalls her saying. Freid says he replied, “I thought you said ‘go get another coffee.’ She’s like, ‘No, I thought you said you wanted to put your cup away. I told you to put your cup up there because you were done.”
He says he responded with the panicky-sounding, “Please don’t put me on the no-fly list. I fly for work. I need this. It’s my livelihood. I have a mortgage.”
Then each explained the misunderstanding from their point of view. “We just apologized to each other for the rest of the flight,” he said.
Some people who commented on his post thought it would be great fun for him to take a turn as flight attendant. “I really would love to be on a flight and have u top up my coffee,” said Angie B.
Another just thought Freid was getting fancy with his destination: “West Palm … la de da times,” snarked Mel Garcia, though they did tell him to “enjoy.”
While a more serious-minded user issued a warning about the coffee: “Tip: do not drink the coffee that is served on an airplane; the water comes from a reservoir that does not get cleaned,” offered Blo Vintage Jewelry. Airlines insist the water is clean, but a 2024 Food & Wine article backs this claim up.
So was it a breach of flight rules for Freid to get his own coffee? And if so, why?
The short answer is because the galley is a work area.
Airlines do not allow passengers to congregate in areas like the galley in case flight attendants need to react quickly. And then there’s always the chance of turbulence: you’re more likely to be injured if you’re wandering around than if you’re seated.
So, while it was just a misunderstanding, chances are Freid will just press the call button next time he wants a refill.
BoardingArea reached out to Freid via the contact form on his website, and with a TikTok direct message. We will update this if he gets back to us.
@wizardofha Just a little mistake!! #travel ♬ original sound – Jared Freid
Story might have been more interesting if, in the confusion, he tried to help himself to a refill of Taittinger.