The short version

Gailen David is a 24-year airline industry veteran and the creator of the Aluminum Lady, a satirical character at the center of a growing media universe at aluminumlady.com. In 2012, American Airlines fired him and sued him over his parody videos. The story was covered by TIME, NBC, and Texas Monthly. Today, the character the airline took to court is a trademark, federal registration pending, with her own series. This page has everything you need to cover the story: verified background, downloadable photos, and direct contact.

What’s real and what’s fiction

The firing is real. The lawsuit is real. The 24-year airline career is real. The journalism published on this site is real, sourced, and verifiable.

The airlines, executives, and government agencies depicted in Aluminum Lady content are fictional. The satire targets institutions and industry behavior, never individual workers or passengers.

One claim about this work deserves careful wording, so here it is exactly: insider fluency, public sources. Everything in the content traces to the public record. What 24 years inside the industry buys is knowing which public details matter and what they mean. No confidential information from any employer appears in this work, past or present.

Timeline

• 2007Gailen David begins appearing in the media discussing airlines and Jetiquette, his campaign for a more civil travel experience. He launches his public travel persona, Sky Steward, and helps American Airlines develop customer service training programs.
• 2008The Jetiquette Customer Experience Program receives the Magellan Award from Travel Weekly.
• 2011American Airlines enters bankruptcy and uses the proceedings to cut labor agreements its employees had already taken concessions under. David launches the Aluminum Lady, a satirical executive character, to push back on behalf of the coworkers he’d flown with for two decades.
• 2012In March, American Airlines fires David after 24 years. In April, the airline sues him. TIME, NBC, and Texas Monthly cover the story. The full account is at The Aluminum Lady Story.
• 2026The Aluminum Lady, a fixture among airline crews since 2011, launches As The Carousel Turns, a new series taking on everyday issues in the travel space through satire.

In the Press

The origin story drew national coverage. The character has been building her audience ever since, and new coverage is welcome: see Interviews below.

• NBC6 South FloridaMiami Flight Attendant Behind Popular Videos FiredNBC6 broke the original story.
• NBC 5 Dallas Fort WorthAA Flight Attendant Expects to Be Fired Over Parody VideosNBC6 broke the original story.
• Huffington PostGailen David, American Airlines Flight Attendant, Behind Parody VideosNBC6 broke the original story.
• Texas MonthlyVideos Starring Cross-Dressing Flight Attendant Blasting American Go Viral
• LoyaltyLobbyAmerican Airlines Sues Gailen David aka The Aluminum Lady

Photos and assets

High-resolution images, cleared for editorial use. Build note: these must be true downloads at original resolution (direct file links or a zip), never lightbox previews. A journalist on deadline will not fight a gallery.

Aluminum Lady character portraitsDownload full resolution

Gailen David, out of characterDownload full resolution

HDQ logo filesDownload logo pack

As The Carousel Turns key artDownload full resolution

Interviews

Two formats are available, and outlets are welcome to choose: