Melissa Francis, the CEO of Sailfish Productions, has blasted American Airlines over what she described as another frustrating customer service experience involving a first-class ticket.
The 53-year-old former Fox News anchor shared her complaints in a post on X on Wednesday, detailing what she said was a confusing attempt to fly in first class.
‘I absolutely HATE American Airlines,’ the media executive wrote.
‘I bought a first class ticket and when I got to the gate, they had switched my seat to coach.’
When Francis sought an explanation at the gate, she claimed an airline employee told her that the situation ‘happens all the time’—but would not issue a refund.
‘She said no and I can get on Twitter and complain if I want to ask for a refund or I can sit on hold, but she suggest tweeting because nobody answers the phone,’ Francis said.
‘Even though she says she runs into this problem on a daily basis so obviously this is a scheme of theirs to boost revenue.’
Francis, who played Cassandra on Little House on the Prairie before launching her journalism career, also raised concerns about TSA line issues she said she encounters while traveling with American Airlines.
Melissa Francis, 53, aired her American Airlines complaints in an X post on Wednesday
The former Fox News anchor now serves as CEO of Sailfish Productions
‘Neither of these problems have once happened to be on any other airline,’ she wrote.
‘I would love to avoid flying with them, but there are some routes from my home that only they do sadly so in the future I’m going to walk rather than buy a ticket with this horrible horrible airline.’
An American Airlines spokesperson commented under Francis’s post saying: ‘We’re really sorry to hear this happened. That isn’t the experience we want for you. Please send us a DM with your confirmation code, and we’ll take a closer look at the seat change and TSA PreCheck concerns. We’d like the opportunity to review what’s going on and help where we can.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Francis and American Airlines for further comment.
Francis’s public dissatisfaction comes after a series of controversies involving the airline.
In 2025, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom came under fire on social media for the ‘disrespectful’ outfit he wore to film a video statement regarding a plane crash.
And earlier this month, a man was duct-taped to his seat on an American Airlines flight after going on an alleged alcohol-fueled racist and homophobic tirade that caused the aircraft to divert.
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Arthur Lundeen, 67, of Arizona, allegedly had to be zip-tied and duct-taped to his seat on Flight 618 from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey.
After yelling at a male passenger sitting next to him in first class, Lundeen, allegedly called a black flight attendant the N-word and made homophobic comments.
In August, American Airlines customers were left fuming after the company stripped away a beloved perk.
American Airlines commented under Francis’s post saying: ‘We’re really sorry to hear this happened.’
Arthur Lundeen, 67, of Arizona, allegedly had to be zip-tied and duct-taped to his seat on Flight 618 from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey, after allegedly going on a racist and homophobic tirade
Passengers were given no information and were held on the tarmac for up to three hours in July
For select flights to and from Hawaii and on transcontinental routes, frequent flyers are now added to an upgrade list for premium economy – instead of elite business class seats.
And in July, the airline left hundreds of passengers stranded on nine planes for three hours at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
American Airlines also faced backlash for delaying a flight for more than 15 hours, only to cancel it entirely after passengers waited all day, last winter.
The issues come amid a dispute between American Airlines pilots and the company’s CEO Robert Isom.
Captain Nick Silva, an American pilot who serves as president of the Allied Pilots Association, attacked Isom in a statement: ‘The pool of talent to lead airlines seems to be relatively small.
‘It’s just the question of is there somebody out there who can turn the ship around faster? We have hope that there’s somebody out there who sees the potential here, who sees what we see, and is able to come in.’
The pilot’s public discontent and senior management has been making headlines since earlier this year and is part of a public feud between American Airlines senior management and its pilots and flight attendants.
The union that represents the airline’s more than 25,000 flight attendants, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, declared that it no longer had confidence in Isom’s leadership which started in 2022.
In a statement sent to The Dallas Morning News, American Airlines said: ‘We value the perspectives of our pilots and all team members and maintain regular dialogue with our union partners.
‘While there is more work to do, American has a clear strategy, we’re making meaningful investments across the business, and we remain focused on improving performance and delivering long-term value for our customers, team members and shareholders,’ the statement continued.