MIAMI – An American Airlines employee whose video parodies posted online have made him famous has been fired.
The employee, Gailen David, was fired Wednesday.
David, a Miami-based flight attendant, has garnered a big following with his Internet videos, in which he plays the Aluminum Lady, an evil, drawling boss lady who taps into the frustration of the corporate worker. He launched his alter-ego while on sick leave from the company.
But, American Airlines said David's firing had nothing to do with the videos. A spokesman said it's because David used the airline's Admirals Club, took photos of passengers and published flight itineraries.
American Airlines released the following statement:
"After publishing the private travel details of American Airlines passengers and continuing to promote our competitors through advertisements on his website, flight attendant Gailen David has been terminated. Mr. David was counseled last year about the serious nature of both passenger privacy and conflict of interest violations. He has repeatedly failed to adhere to our policies. We take our passengers' privacy seriously and will not allow employees to violate that trust."
David said he was in the clubs to take photos of executives bumping regular passengers and published the flight plans to prove company waste.
"Someone had to stand up and say something," David said.
American would say nothing more about the videos. But, David said the videos and the airline's actions speak for themselves. He said he believes he will have the last word, both in the air and on the ground.
"I do think it's a free speech issue," David said. "It's my duty as an employee that I say something about it. It was a little surreal, but I really was not surprised."
Click here to check out David's videos.