A flight attendant has been accused of a racially motivated incident involving a group of Black student athletes and their chaperone on a Sun Country flight. Jean Riegelman, 66, allegedly made derogatory remarks and forcibly removed Lauren Price, the founder and coach of the DMV Prime Elite girls flag football team, and her father from a flight returning to Baltimore from Minnesota.
According to Price, the incident began when she moved to an empty seat that had been paid for by her group but would not be occupied by its intended passenger who had missed the flight. Riegelman approached Price, stating she needed to move to accommodate another passenger being relocated from an emergency row. Price agreed to move, but she alleges that Riegelman then began to "berate our entire group," using the phrase, "You people need to learn to sit in your assigned seats." Price, a Black woman, described the flight attendant's commentary as "racist and intentional."
When Price attempted to explain the situation, Riegelman allegedly threatened to have her removed from the plane. Price's father then intervened, asking the flight attendant not to speak to his daughter in that manner. Riegelman reportedly responded that she "could do whatever she wanted" and announced she was removing two people from the flight. Price stated she never matched the flight attendant's energy and that the aggression originated solely from Riegelman.
Security was called, and Price and her father were given 60 seconds to leave the aircraft or face detention by airport police. They complied, leaving behind Price's children, who were under the care of her sister on the flight. The airline initially told Price that they would not be able to rebook them on flights to Baltimore for three days and prohibited them from booking with other carriers. Unable to wait that long due to her children's appointments, Price and her father purchased new tickets on Southwest Airlines, costing approximately $500 each.
After the incident, Price was informed by another employee that a safety complaint had been filed, and the airline was considering a refund. Sun Country later contacted Price to offer refunds for two of the original return flights. However, these refunds did not cover the cost of the new tickets purchased on Southwest. Price's sister also reported that Riegelman refused to serve their group and attempted to swat her phone out of her hand while she was filming during deplaning.
Riegelman has since been charged in Maryland with a second-degree assault charge, with a summons issued on Tuesday. A Sun Country Airlines representative stated that the company takes such reports seriously and is investigating the situation, having been in contact with the passenger to gather details. The airline did not comment on Riegelman's employment status. Price indicated that the experience was traumatizing for her children and that she would not fly with the airline again. 
