Rihanna Slams American Airlines First Class Passenger For Watching the Superbowl

Rihanna reportedly turned down performing at the Superbowl for its half time show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick’s protests during the national anthem.

You don’t need to take sides in that discussion, or have an opinion on Rihanna, to find it noteworthy that not only wasn’t she at the Superbowl she was flying during the Superbowl — and from the looks of things, on board an American Airlines Airbus A321T in first class.


American Airlines Airbus A321T First Class

And while American was running some three-cabin narrowbody A321Ts in and out of Atlanta for the big event (which didn’t sell super well, and became a nonrev’s dream) timing during the game suggests she was most likely flying between Los Angeles (or less likely San Francisco) and New York.

American Airlines offers live television inflight and a passenger drew Rihanna’s ire by watching the game.

She even labeled our inflight hero a ‘weirdo’ in her instagram story.

I can only dream of being attacked on Instagram by Rihanna while inflight on American Airlines. And that’s even though I’m only marginally aware of who Rihanna is.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Who cares about Rihanna? I only know who she is from her video from the song “Work”, where she appears to be incredibly high and/or drunk.

  2. At least she is a committed person! She refused to perform the half time show and then continued boycotting.

  3. I flew ATL-LAX in F to connect on to CX F, so it worked out well for me in addition to nonrevs! There were lots of nonrevs, in the cabin, though.

  4. Who cares about Supoerbowl? Unless it’s a super bowl of nachos! The right thing for KKK-loving Trumpsters

  5. Stupid singer. And she says to be tolerant. Bunch of hypocrite nuts from the left. Makes me sick.

  6. I can’t recall a worse waste of time than watching that game. I thought baseball was a yawner! At least the poor people who paid big money got some live half-time entertainment.
    On Tv at home it was a tough choice between the channel with dart throwing, or the one where guys are fishing.

  7. While Rihanna was an early trendsetter in boycotting the Super Bowl it can be seen that her apathy has become a mainstream movement. For instance the Rams and Patriots offensive line did not show up to the game.

  8. She supports Kaepernick because of supposed racism against him, a supposed racism that keeps black people down from where they would reach, from jobs that they would supposedly reach. Yet it would cost me a kings ransom (nigh impossible) for me to fly in the first class seat that she was sitting in when she complained; to sit in a first class seat that Kaepernick could also afford. So what the hell is she complaining about!

  9. Live sports is annoying on airplanes as passengers cheer and boo various plays. It is easy to see who is rooting for each team. Big games and live TV on planes force other passengers to endure a BW3 atmosphere.

  10. I’m with Gary – marginally aware of who that is. I don’t follow celebrity gossip at all. But I agree with those who found this the most boring Super Bowl in many years. I turned it off, not out of politics, but figuring there were better things to do. K.C. vs. New Orleans would have been way more watchable.

  11. Oh please, enough with the faux “I don’t even really know who she is”. Unless you’re over 60 or live under a rock, you know who she is even if you don’t like her music.

    She’s entitled to her opinion and the guy watching the Superbowl is entitled to his and Gary is entitled to his, etc, etc. Who cares? Long as Rihanna keeps looking hot AF she can post whatever she wants!

  12. It’s funny watching you people get triggered by a girl WRITING out an opinion on HER social media, GASP, you mean the thing she has control over and you don’t have to look at if you don’t want. She didnt even say anything to the person or out loud in general or show their face but I guess were not supposed to have our own thoughts anymore.

    Oh thats right some of you are just triggered by the fact your privilege doesn’t afford you as much luxury and access as her and she aint white, okay continue to be mad with your insecure little dicks lol

    She has an opinion on the the NFL, maybe you have a different one, speaking on anything but that just shows peoples obvious racism, no need to guess who that is..

  13. I was surprised to see that Rhianna and I agree this subject. I not only boycotted the Superbowl I have also boycotted every NFL game ever since the players decided to disrespect the American flag. Way to take a stand Rhianna! Put and end to these disgusting acts against the American flag. There are tons of ways to protest, but there is never an excuse to disrespect our country and for the men and women who died to give you the right to live here as a free citizen.

  14. How can anyone respect America while a moron is president? He’s the embarrassment that started the protests with his idiotic tweets.

  15. You can always love and respect America regardless of who sits in the Oval Office. Love of country should always over shadow any feelings of the elected person in office. A strong minded person can separate the two. When Bill Clinton sat in the Oval Office I never lost my respect for the United States even though he made a mockery of the office with his exploits with females. I did not stop loving the United States when Barry Obama sat in the Oval Office and sent us into economic turmoil. Rhianna and I will continue to boycott the NFL until respect is restored when our stars and stripes a presented even if we don’t agree with the person sitting in the oval office.

  16. What’s weird is how these celebrities think they can say and do what they want! Clearly she is still sticking her nose in someone’s else’s business mind your business and focus on getting to your destination sweetie. It’s no law that everyone has to agree so, sit back and take the flight.

  17. Rihanna should get a life out of the USA if she doesn’t like what the country is all about. Boycott Rihanna and Trump, both a couple of zeros.

  18. Godwin’s Law is going to have to me modified to Gary’s Law to take into account the longer the comment string the more likely the mention of Trump.
    Do we have any, “Trump is literally Hitler” internet meme yet?

  19. Can someone explain to me why Maroon 5 should be expected NOT to perform in support of Kapernick but all the players are given a pass? What about CardiB and Sarah Jessica Parker starring in Superbowl commercials? That gets a pass but yet again, Maroon 5 agreeing to participate is condemned? If the consensus is that participating in NFL activities is disrespectful of Kapernick and his cause, then why aren’t those same folks as outraged by the players and those making money off the commercials developed specifically for the game? The moral bullying seems pretty randomly applied to me.

  20. I could see from some responses who the real racists are! If you don’t like America get your lazy ass out!

  21. @Ty, You seem to assume that football players who kneel during the anthem are disrespectful and unpatriotic. That assumption is racist led by a racist POTUS who takes every opportunity to vilify minorities. African American football players have mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who have served in the US military some of whom were wounded or killed to defend the right to protest peacefully. There is no flag burning, spitting or name calling just silently taking a knee.

    Trump has some nerve calling them “unpatriotic SOBs” when he dodged the draft and insulted every POW in history by saying about a rival who was shot down, captured and tortured he likes soldiers who weren’t captured. That man, a real patriot, would not even have Trump at his funeral.

    You fail to see that the football players are not protesting the anthem or the flag. The players are standing up for their hard-earned right to peacefully and respectfully protest what they believe is manifest social injustice. You, the other bigots in these comments and Trump’s see no injustice and don’t want anyone telling you there is any. Just uppity Blacks making trouble as far as your concerned. Those players do love the US. That’s why they are protesting. They want the country to live up to its lofty ideals. Get it? Probably not.

    I don’t know exactly what Rihanna had a problem with but given my experience with big games and live TV on flights, she may have been annoyed that she paid for a first-class ticket and wound up stuck in sports bar at 35,000′ for a few hours whether she liked it or not.

    Also get the facts straight. Obama did not cause the financial crisis. It occured before he took office.

  22. Who cares what she thinks! Mind your own business, I wish I had been on the plane and she ridiculed me, I don’t think so. Too many artists, actors have a shitty opinion, just do your job and leave politics to OUR President. We the people don’t care what you think.

  23. Yes, she did the right thing. If you’re a non-minority you don’t understand nor do you care. I too stand in protest of all the injustices in this country.

  24. We live in America. It’s her right to post what she did and his right to watch the super bowl. Period

  25. “Felisia” and “Peabody” very succinctly summed it all:
    Who is Rihanna to think her 2 cents is worth any more than anyone else’s? (‘Cause it ain’t)
    And why was Maroon 5 the only target when all the other half time entertainment, the players, coaches, broadcast staff, commercials, etc also participated in the Super Bowl?

  26. She has the right to do as she pleases. Just as you took your right to write a stupid article on the subject. She made clear her views and you are judging her the same way you claim she is to someone else. Y’all are all ridiculous. The super bowl sucked this year anyways and the half time show was wack. The universe is on the side of justice.

  27. This is a lot of comments on your post. I guess writing about a celebrity who you are ‘marginally aware ‘ of helps your post. However I chose to read you as i respected your opinion about flights. However when you write in that coded language , well there are other bloggers to follow. I hope one day you realize that words matter.

  28. Lets hope these comments are forwarded to her and lets hope, and its a long shot, thst she’ll offer this FC guest as well as to the U.S. for her wanton disrespect to the very nation that has supported her “career”if you can call it that. By the way there are some funny as shit comments on here!!

  29. Such a shame she would do something like that; I thought she was better. I only watched two portions of the Super Bowl: at the beginning when Chloe and Halle Bailey sang “America the Beautiful” and Gladys Knight sang our National Anthem, and halftime when Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi performed. I’d rather throw my support to performers who are professional enough to keep their politics at home than to performers (NFL players) who bring their politics to work, which it looks like Rhianna is doing now.

  30. Oh it’s ok to protest the national anthem but it’s not ok to watch a football game. It’s hypocritical. That “weirdo” has every right to watch whatever he wants well how about I just call Rhianna out for what she really is … A racist

  31. It’s sad that a pathetic loser like Trump has brought the racists (Filmon, eg.) crawling out from under their rocks to spout their uneducated vitriole. His comments & tweets have stirred up more hatred and division in this country than there has been in the last 70 years.
    And WHY does anyone get upset because some celebrity was not happy with her flight? That’s her problem.

Comments are closed.