A Twitter thread about a TV writer’s recent American Airlines flight is getting quite a bit of attention. It’s such a wild story that I’m not even sure what to make of it.

Chase Mitchell, who is allegedly a writer for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, was flying yesterday from Los Angeles to Philadelphia on American Airlines (I’m guessing it was flight AA596, based on the timing of the Tweets).

His reporting of this flight started off innocently enough, as he Tweeted about how someone tried to get him to swap his aisle seat for a middle seat, so the man could sit next to his wife (as they were both assigned middle seats).

Dude beside me on this plane just tried to get me, in an aisle seat, to swap with his wife, who is in a middle seat. Wife guys really must be stopped

He then mentions how the guy was watching stuff on his phone at full volume without headphones. What was he watching? “Just really loud footage of trumpets.”

I swear I actually am done now but since someone asked what he was watching, it was no joke just trumpets. Just really loud footage of trumpets

So how do we go from that to an incident that eventually leads to a phone being stolen and authorities getting involved? Here’s the rest of the Twitter thread (which I’m just going to copy & paste, since I don’t feel like this can otherwise be concisely summarized):

It’s rare that I’m at a loss for words, but this is a story where… I’m at a loss for words. We hear of a lot of wild airplane stories, but this is one of the wildest. Let me try to take a crack at it.

Assuming everything in this story is as presented, it sounds like the guy who stole the phone might have some issues beyond just being drunk. That’s of course no excuse for stealing someone’s phone, but I’m just saying, this seems to go beyond “standard” drunk behavior.

While I don’t want to cast any doubt on this story, it does almost seem too perfect. You have a TV writer who casually Tweets about a strange seatmate situation, says he won’t make a thread about the seatmate situation, and then proceeds to have the most bizarre seatmate story ever, resulting in a viral Twitter thread.

There are a lot of things about this story that collectively surprise me:

None of this is to say that the story isn’t real. It just almost seems too perfect. Then again, some may recall a story in early 2020 where a TV producer had an unbelievably strange mileage run to Mexico, and that turned out to be true.

What started as an amusing Tweet ended with a man allegedly having his phone stolen by a seatmate on an American Airlines flight. This is a very strange story, no matter how you slice it, and I’m not sure what to think… other than “wow.”

What do you make of this story?

(Tip of the hat to @pir8z40)

I can 100% attest to this being a true story. I was seated on the flight, a few rows ahead of them in the opposite aisle. The writer ended up switching seats and moving ahead of me. It was beyond insane, but 100% true.

An air Marshall is not going to intervene or blow cover over a stolen phone.

Honestly I'd file charges - it might be the push this guy needs to get some help, or at least, to remind him that stealing other people's belongings is wrong.

I think it is a bit over the top when retold. It is also a bit odd that he purposely dealt with the phone each time he had to get up except for once or twice when the incident happened. In fact if I was next to the couple I would probably ask to be re-seated just to avoid any possible issues. Perhaps they were not drinking just on board but beforehand...

I think it is a bit over the top when retold. It is also a bit odd that he purposely dealt with the phone each time he had to get up except for once or twice when the incident happened. In fact if I was next to the couple I would probably ask to be re-seated just to avoid any possible issues. Perhaps they were not drinking just on board but beforehand especially if they had lounge access. Problem is drunk and some odd incidents are fairly common on AMERICAN carriers these days. Note it is rare for foreign carriers.

It didn’t make the news? No phone recordings? Everyone is quick to grab their phones to record outbursts… I don’t know. This smells like a fictional story. But an interesting one

YouTube bill burr “why you going to indianapolis”

Chase is a writer - I’ve followed him on twitter for a long time, he’s hilarious. Yeah he writes but making shit up isn’t his m.o. - so no reason to think this isn’t true - passengers being ape-shit crazy has become far too common.

Let me get this straight: Chase Mitchell is a writer... for Jimmy Kimmel none the less. An event like this happens to him. Now he's crying about this. Chase, baby! You're a writer for Kimmel. You've got connections! One of the greatest story-lines for a script for anything from a cheesy network comedy show to a full feature distributed nationally is waiting. Start writing Chase baby; you've got the potential...

Let me get this straight: Chase Mitchell is a writer... for Jimmy Kimmel none the less. An event like this happens to him. Now he's crying about this. Chase, baby! You're a writer for Kimmel. You've got connections! One of the greatest story-lines for a script for anything from a cheesy network comedy show to a full feature distributed nationally is waiting. Start writing Chase baby; you've got the potential for a successful project. Let me give you some actor ideas: You (Chase Mitchell): A Bob Newhart type Drunk guy: A John Belushi type Drunk guy's wife: Gilda Radner in Emily Litella character.

I just find it very difficult to believe that anyone in 2022 would choose to watch Scream

The 2022 remake? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_(2022_film)

Not vouching for the story, but the part about not knowing the hotel tracks. I even went to the wrong hotel (same hotel group at least) on a recent business trip. After they couldn't find my name at check-in, they suggested it might be another one a mile away (which it was).

This is obvious all the fault of Donald Trump and/or climate change. Ever notice how this stuff always happens to people in showbiz or that are social media "influencers"?

On the hotel thing, a lot of big cities have more than one hotel from the same brand (Philly has 3 or 4 Hiltons last time I checked). Also, he was going to a wedding where you typically just stay wherever the couple gets a discount for guests and don't think too much about it. Even though I typically like to pick my hotel, staying at the designated "wedding" hotel makes a lot of the logistics easier.

I have no trouble believing the man's account. The amount of mental health trouble in the world has increased a lot since the pandemic began. I have people in my life whose daily behaviour is worse than that of the guy in this story. Three years ago, I might have been skeptical. Now it rings true. Sad

In a recent AA flight from DFW to SFO a young lady boarded the flight already drunk and was taking things from people's under seat bags when they would get up to use the bathroom. Police meet the plane and took her off before the test of us were allowed the exit.

So sad. Sticky fingers even on the plane?! They just haven’t found the right person who would back hand them on sight! Just mannerless.

My folks live in The Villages, and I fly in and out of Orlando quite a bit, and if I have a morning flight home, I'll stay in Orlando the night before, and routinely don't remember which hotel I'm staying at until I check my phone on the drive down (as I will book whichever mildly respectable Marriott/Hilton/Hyatt needs the least points). So... I can vouch for that bit of his story.

Sorry to hear that happened to this person even if it’s some little sob story. You really need to keep your guard up around other passengers and people in general. Everyone likes gossip so it’s a good story that worked out in the end I suppose.

He said he was going to a friend's wedding. So it's possible his friend (or someone else in the wedding party) booked the hotel on his behalf, maybe as part of a group rate. If so, it's certainly possible he had no "investment" in the hotel and was just going to check his email when he landed.

What an absolute world of stupidity we live in. Sensible people would check where they are staying before travelling.

Not really stupid - actually. Some people don't even book accommodation until they arrive at their destination. I am off to Montenegro next week and that's my plan. I'll just show up in the morning off the flight, hire the car, drive in the general direction of the town I think I will like to stay in and book accommodation when I get there.

It's called living with the moment and also being spontaneous.

Lol Stupid? Sensible? @Icarus things like that happen. We often, shockingly, turn off our ‘sensible and smart’ side of our brain when we’re travelling. Shit happens even if you’ve checked all the boxes and prepared for every potential screw up. SMH

Stupid? Sensible? @Icarus things like that happen. We often, shockingly, turn off our ‘sensible and smart’ side of our brain when we’re travelling. Shit happens even if you’ve checked all the boxes and prepared for every potential screw up. SMH

So which is more likely: 1) people do bizarre things on planes or 2) someone decides to make up a Twitter thread for...kicks? Personally, I'm going with #1.

He or the airline should’ve pressed charges. That kind of sh-t is way too disruptive to safe aircraft operation and, by not pressing charges, this guy is now free to do the exact same sh-t on another flight.

I got bored after the first few lines.

People use Twitter to write a short novel nowadays, rather than being concise and to the point. Also badly written, full of expletives.

The not knowing hotel thing is not at all uncommon for business travellers. Even for leisure travellers. I mean, your partner is a travel agent, just ask him. Some people really don't really care about any of that, they just want it all taken care of and they just go where they are told.

True. My husband has been so clued out about our travel plans that not only does he never know the name of our hotels, on one trip he told the border agent that we were going to a different city than where we really were going. He just doesn't care and leaves it to me to do all the planning.

The first person narrator voice is hilarious. Our narrator is so faux "street" and yet so middle class articulate. In addition, that they are a self-identified professional writer and that no formal charges were made (no official records) makes my street narrator voice say "this is a bunch of s***.

Reminds me again how trashy the human race has become and while pigs don't fly trash now does. I would have pressed charges in a New York minute.

This is why my wife and I always fly first class.

What, like crazy people only fly economy? Do you even read this site? Ben has documented plenty issues with passengers up front too.

I’m on the fence with this tale, however, I was on a flight to Paris in 2019 and a woman seated a few rows up in business class claimed her passport was stolen when she left it on the seat after going to the lavatory prior to landing. We were all questioned but not searched. I don’t know how that ended up but apparently theft of stuff on planes, though rare, happens.

I was on a ORD-FRA this Spring and I am 99% certain the (apparently) nice lady next to me tried to nick a $15 plastic thingy that hooks the phone to the seat. It wouldn't break the bank, but it was mine... There was no much to do on the long flight so I searched and searched and searched. After a while Ms. Nice 'realized' that the thing was underneath her blanket, which at that...

I was on a ORD-FRA this Spring and I am 99% certain the (apparently) nice lady next to me tried to nick a $15 plastic thingy that hooks the phone to the seat. It wouldn't break the bank, but it was mine... There was no much to do on the long flight so I searched and searched and searched. After a while Ms. Nice 'realized' that the thing was underneath her blanket, which at that point on the flight was already in the floor. She was seating window, I was aisle and the middle seat was empty. There is no chance that the thingy ended up there by itself. No way.

Plot twist, I was feeling entirely normal at boarding but I was one of the very few people in the flight wearing a mask the whole time. I started feeling bad as the flight progressed and I ended up testing positive for Covid after arriving to FRA. During the usual, beginning of flight chit chat, Ms. Nice was adamantly clear that she is not one for masks or other stupid restrictions to freedom ;)

If most of it was untrue, I would think he would be called out on it. But it sounds like lots of fabricated BS in the story like not knowing what hotel he was staying at and the conversations with others on his flight.

I feel like I’m always calling bs on stories like these, but not this one. This rings true.

Agree, a lot of random tidbits for a “made up” story.

“ Air marshals are fairly rare nowadays” that sound very matter of fact. Would you care to share your source?

It’s these people that have a fear of flying and think it’s okay to mix lots of alcohol with anti anxiety medication. Pick one please.

Doctors got to stop prescribing them. I make a lot of money for doctors, hospitals, and insurance. Basically everyone but the patient.

You moonlight as a lab rat!?

@eskimo You better cut back on the pills, your comment makes no sense.

Both would just put them to sleep. They are both depressants.

Before I was in the “hobby” and I would travel for business I would frequently not think which hotel I was staying in, just checking it after landing. It just didn’t matter in those days. That I could believe.

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Before I was in the “hobby” and I would travel for business I would frequently not think which hotel I was staying in, just checking it after landing. It just didn’t matter in those days. That I could believe.

He or the airline should’ve pressed charges. That kind of sh-t is way too disruptive to safe aircraft operation and, by not pressing charges, this guy is now free to do the exact same sh-t on another flight.

I’m on the fence with this tale, however, I was on a flight to Paris in 2019 and a woman seated a few rows up in business class claimed her passport was stolen when she left it on the seat after going to the lavatory prior to landing. We were all questioned but not searched. I don’t know how that ended up but apparently theft of stuff on planes, though rare, happens.

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