Sheryl Lee Ralph has had enough of the turbulence that seems to come with flying these days — and she’s making it known.
In a post shared on X on Saturday, Dec. 20, the 68-year-old actress called out American Airlines after what she described as a chaotic and poorly managed check-in experience during recent holiday travel.
“Well over one hour in the First Class/priority check-in line during holiday travel. Minimal staffing. Few answers. No sense of urgency or care and delayed. Holiday travel is not an excuse,” the Abbott Elementary star wrote.
Ralph went on to criticize what she viewed as a troubling lack of accountability and care for paying customers.
“The lack of empathy, accountability, or even acknowledgment of the inconvenience conveyed a troubling indifference, one that no customer should experience, and certainly not those who have chosen to spend the most to fly with your airline,” she added.
The Emmy winner tagged the airline directly, along with its CEO, Robert Isom.
The post quickly went viral, with other social media users flooding her replies to share similar stories of long lines, short staffing, and communication breakdowns.
American Airlines responded publicly, offering an apology without further addressing Ralph’s broader concerns.
“Waiting frustrates us too, and our apologies for the longer than expected lines at check in,” the airline wrote. “We’ll share your feedback with airport leaders so they can review it internally.”
Ralph’s comments arrive during a turbulent year for air travel overall, one compounded by a recent government shutdown that resulted in furloughs and delayed paychecks for thousands of federal workers, including Transportation Security Administration officers and other aviation personnel deemed essential. While many continued working without pay, staffing shortages and low morale rippled through airports nationwide.
Her post also arrives as American and other major carriers have maintained that they are prepared to handle this year’s holiday rush. In a recent holiday travel release, the airline announced that it expects to serve more than 12 million customers across over 119,000 flights this season — an increase from last year.
“Our more than 130,000 team members are committed to making our customers’ journeys on American this holiday season safe, reliable and enjoyable,” said David Seymour, the airline’s chief operating officer.
He added that the company has been closely coordinating with federal partners and is confident they are ready to support the surge in travel.
“Our team did an incredible job caring for customers during the recent Thanksgiving holiday and is excited to be serving them again wherever they’re headed for the holidays,” he continued. “We have been closely coordinating with our federal partners at the FAA, TSA and CBP, and we are confident that they are ready to partner with us to make this holiday season a success.”
