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Man Known as Racist Burger King Flew to Jamaica for Facebook Bride, Then Abandoned
Ryan Brewer journeyed to Jamaica to marry a woman he'd met online; after she vanished with his limited funds, he was left homeless and later removed from JetBlue and American flights for racist outbursts.
The gist
A man flew to Jamaica for love, got scammed out of $1,000, ended up homeless, and was banned from multiple flights after racist incidents.
Continuing coverage
All Jetblue →In September 2020, Ryan Anthony Brewer arrived in Jamaica with hopes of marrying a woman he had connected with on Facebook. The relationship, cultivated entirely online, culminated in him booking a flight from the United States to Kingston to meet his prospective bride in person. Brewer brought what he reported was nearly all his savings, approximately $1,000, intended as money for wedding preparations. Upon arrival, however, the woman disappeared, ceasing contact and leaving Brewer stranded.
Unable to return home with an empty wallet and the stigma of a broken engagement, Brewer reportedly spent several nights sleeping on a beach in Jamaica, ashamed and isolated. During this time, he relied on very limited resources, even finding cheap meals at Burger King, where he acquired a plastic crown that would later become a notorious symbol of his public troubles. His family later informed authorities that Brewer had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, adding a layer of mental health complexities to his ordeal.
Brewer’s return journey was marred by disturbing incidents on two separate airlines. On a JetBlue flight from Kingston to New York’s JFK Airport, he engaged in an altercation that began with an argument over overhead bin space but quickly escalated into the use of racial slurs directed at a Black female passenger and crew members. Observers reported Brewer shouting offensive language and even dousing a flight attendant with water. Jamaican police removed him in handcuffs, and JetBlue banned him from future flights.
Shortly after, Brewer attempted to depart Jamaica again on American Airlines, still wearing the Burger King crown. Despite warnings and prior banning, he repeated similar racial outbursts, citing freedom of speech and making inappropriate comments towards fellow passengers. American Airlines also removed him from the flight, reinforcing the severity of his conduct. Contrary to widespread internet misinformation, Brewer was later recorded on another American Airlines flight from JFK to Fort Lauderdale in spring 2021.
The United States Embassy facilitated Brewer’s repatriation, purchasing his return flight on JetBlue. This action likely drew on repatriation loan programs designed to support U.S. citizens abroad who encounter financial or medical hardships. An embassy spokesperson indicated such loans cover transportation and essential needs until recipients can repay the debt. Brewer’s passport may have been restricted under this arrangement.
His story reflects a growing number of cases where online romances result in financial scams and emotional distress. The FBI estimates that confidence and romance fraud charges result in approximately $1 billion in losses annually. Comparable incidents include foreign travelers abandoned by supposed online partners, often stranded in airports or even hospitalized after lengthy waits and false promises.
This episode served as the backdrop to Brewer’s infamous 'Burger King' meme, a symbol that belied a deeper narrative of vulnerability, mental health challenges, and exploitation. His initial journey, fueled by hope for a new life chapter, was derailed by deception and culminated in public disturbances that raised questions about airline passenger safety and support mechanisms for travelers with mental health issues.
As Brewer's case illustrates, the intersection of social media relationships and international travel can have unpredictable, often damaging consequences. The episode prompted scrutiny from airlines and embassies on managing passengers facing crises abroad, balancing security, health, and legal considerations in complex, sensitive situations.
Frequently asked questions
- Why was Ryan Brewer removed from JetBlue and American Airlines flights?
- Brewer was removed from both airlines for using racial slurs against passengers and crew, creating disturbances, and dousing a flight attendant with water, violating safety and conduct policies.
- How did the U.S. Embassy assist Ryan Brewer in returning home from Jamaica?
- The U.S. Embassy purchased Brewer's return flight on JetBlue as part of a repatriation loan program that covers transportation and essential needs for stranded U.S. citizens abroad.
- What was the reason for Ryan Brewer’s trip to Jamaica?
- Brewer traveled to Jamaica to marry a woman he had met on Facebook, who then disappeared with $1,000 he gave her for wedding preparations, leaving him stranded and homeless.
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All Airlines →
American Airlines and Delta Operate Record Long 7-Hour US Flights with Airbus A321neo
The Airbus A321neo is the most versatile narrowbody in commercial aviation, capable of serving routes from one-hour domestic hops to transatlantic crossings in its LR and XLR variants. According to Cirium data for January through December 2026, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are operating the standard A321neo on seven US domestic routes exceeding 2,300 nautical miles (4,260 km), with the longest covering 2,643 nautical miles (4,894 km) and producing westbound block times approaching seven hours.
Marriott Hotels Use Smart Sensors with Microphones to Monitor Rooms, Raising Privacy Concerns
Some Marriott-branded hotels have installed smart sensors with microphones that can detect distress words, aggression, gunshots and occupancy. There's no evidence hotels are recording conversations, but poor disclosure, hacking risk and false smoking-fee complaints raise serious privacy concerns.
Air France and KLM Expand Business Class Seat Assignment Fees to More Markets
In the spring of 2023, we saw Air France-KLM add business class seat assignment fees for flights in many markets, which was of course a controversial move. There's now an update, as these fees have recently been expanded to more flights, including award tickets in all markets, and most routes to North America. I've received some questions about this, so let me explain what's going on. Air France & KLM expand advance seat reservation fees In April 2023, we saw Air France and KLM start charging for advance seat assignments in business class, in what's referred to as the Advance Seat Reservation (ASR) scheme. We've long seen airlines try to monetize the cost of assigning seats in economy, but we've increasingly seen this also spread to premium cabins. Recently we've seen the airline group expand this scheme to more routes , so here's the current state of things: Seat assignment fees now apply to all long haul flights globally when redeeming miles, and also all Business Light and Business Standard long haul tickets, except those originating in the United States (so they apply on tickets to the United States, but not tickets from the United States) Flying Blue Silver, Gold, and Platinum members , Business Flex passengers, and corporate customers (excluding bluebiz), are exempt from these fees Business class passengers continue to be able to select seats of their choice at no fee at the check-in window The cost to assign seats varies significantly, and it can cost $200+, in some situations; the front row business class suites on select aircraft are also more expensive than the standard seat assign fees As you can see, the one exception in long haul markets right now is for revenue tickets originating in the United States. I imagine that's simply due to the joint venture with Delta and how pricing there works, and I'd be willing to bet the fees will be added there soon as well, especially as Delta also introduces its basic business class product . Air France and KLM charge seat fees in business class in most markets How exactly do these seat fees work? For long haul routes, you'll see that during the booking process, "Free standard seat selection at check-in" is listed with Business Standard fares. Air France's warning about seat assignment fees Then when you go through the booking process, you'll be given the option to pay to assign a seat. Just as an example, for an award flight between San Francisco and Paris without elite status, the cost is $171.99, and that shows as being a discount over the "standard" cost of $228.60. You can also redeem Flying Blue miles toward seat assignment fees, though at a horrible rate, typically getting around half a cent of value per mile. Air France's business class seat assignment fees My take on business class seat assignment fees "I love paying extra for seat assignments in business class"… said no one ever. In fairness, this might divide people more than you'd think: Those who can continue to select seats in business class for free might like these changes, as they'll have access to more seat choices closer to departure Those who now have to pay for seat assignments in business class will uniformly not be in favor of this Air France and KLM are following in British Airways' footsteps here, as the airline has been charging for business class seat assignments for years. Air France and KLM have been nicely investing in their premium experience and have been going upmarket, and of course charging for seat assignment feels decidedly "unpremium." Presumably the logic here is as follows (I'm not saying I agree with it): One of the biggest competitors of Air France-KLM is doing this This is an opportunity to generate additional revenue People aren't not going to book with Air France-KLM because of seat assignment fees, if the airline otherwise has the most compelling flight (price, schedule, product) Air France and KLM are following in British Airways' footsteps The reality is that a vast majority of airlines invest in their premium products in some areas, and then try to cut costs and increase revenue in other areas. This is a pretty clear example of that. Does it leave a bad taste in a customer's mouth to be asked to shell out for a seat assignment on a $5K ticket? Of course. But among the major European airlines, who else are you going to fly with? British Airways has been doing this forever. In Lufthansa Group, as we see the rollout of Lufthansa Allegris business class and SWISS Senses business class , we're also seeing seat assignment fees for a majority of seats. At least in the case of Air France-KLM, they have reverse herringbone seats on a vast majority of planes, where there's not actually that much quality difference between seats, so paying for a seat isn't really needed to ensure you have a good flight. That's different than something like British Airways' A380 business class, where you could end up in a middle seat. It also has to be acknowledged that while premium leisure demand is strong, business travel just isn't as robust as it used to be. Leisure travelers are often willing to pay a lot for business class, but they're typically not willing to pay $10K+, as some corporate customers previously may have. So it's not surprising to see airlines using whatever strategies they can to get people to part with more of their money when flying business class. Lufthansa also has business class seat fees on new planes Bottom line In 2023, Air France and KLM started charging for seat assignments in business class in long haul markets, and that has now been expanded to more routes. You'll now pay fees for award tickets in all long haul markets globally, and for Business Standard tickets in all markets, except when originating in the United States. The fees to assign seats vary, and in some cases, can be over $200 per flight. Flying Blue elite members, as well as Business Flex passengers, are excluded from paying these fees. It goes without saying that this is a policy that many people won't like, but it is increasingly becoming the norm in the industry, sadly, at least in Europe. What do you make of Air France and KLM business class seat assignment fees?
Etihad Doubles Upgrade Fees for Exclusive A380 The Residence Suites
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has a small fleet of Airbus A380s, which have The Residence , arguably the most exclusive product in commercial aviation . This is a three-room suite with a living room, bedroom, and private bathroom with shower, and it's an experience I recently reviewed . Ever since these planes were reactivated in 2023, after initially being grounded during the pandemic, monetization has worked differently than before. Well, in recent weeks it looks like Etihad has hugely increased the cost to upgrade to The Residence across the board, with upgrades costing up to twice as much as before. Etihad massively increases cost of The Residence upgrades Back in the day, Etihad sold The Residence as a completely separate class of service, with no ability to upgrade. Tickets typically cost $25K+ one-way, and included butler service, and a completely differentiated soft product. Nowadays monetization works differently. If you are booked in first class (marketed as First Class Apartments on the A380 ), you can pay a fee to upgrade to The Residence. It doesn't matter if you paid cash or redeemed miles, as long as the ticket is issued by Etihad, rather than through a partner airline. Upgrades can be purchased either at the time of booking, or any time leading up to departure, pending availability. The cost to upgrade is also the same, regardless of whether you're one or two travelers. Anyway, in recent weeks, Etihad seems to have significantly increased the cost to upgrade to The Residence. Just to compare some of the before and after pricing: Between Abu Dhabi and Paris, an upgrade from first class to The Residence now costs AED 11,720 ($3,191 USD), compared to the previous cost of AED 5,840 ($1,590 USD), a 100% increase Between Abu Dhabi and London, an upgrade from first class to The Residence now costs AED 13,190 ($3,591), compared to the previous cost of AED 8,780 ($2,391), a 50% increase Between Abu Dhabi and Toronto, an upgrade from first class to The Residence now costs AED 20,170 ($5,491 USD), compared to the previous cost of AED 11,720 ($3,191 USD), a 72% increase The one thing I find kind of illogical about the pricing for The Residence is that the upgrade cost is the same for one or two passengers. You'd think that there would be a discount if you're upgrading two passengers rather than one, since you're opening up an additional first class seat that can be resold. It's not like there are many incremental costs to that second passenger. If you're traveling as a pair and want to upgrade, it almost seems like you'd be better off just upgrading one person, so that you have an extra first class suite as well. Logically, you'd think the airline would almost let two paid first class passengers simply assign The Residence, since it seems like a win-win. Etihad The Residence A380 living room Etihad The Residence A380 bedroom Etihad The Residence A380 bathroom At these prices, it's harder to justify the upgrade It goes without saying that nobody "needs" to fly The Residence. Even if you're very wealthy or a senior executive at a company, Etihad's A380 first class is already excellent, and gives you a large suite with a sliding door. Etihad First Class Apartment A380 seat Etihad First Class Apartment A380 bed As I see it, you fly The Residence for one of two reasons: For the novelty, given that this really is a very exclusive and unique product Because money is no object, and you just want the best, regardless of the cost I suppose for the latter category, nothing has changed, and perhaps the lack of price sensitivity among those customers is why Etihad has decided to increase prices by so much. However, for the person who flew The Residence for the novelty, I think the pricing has gone from being a "splurge" that can sort of be justified, to something that's legitimately very expensive. Etihad completely differentiates The Residence ground experience, and there are some minor differences to the onboard soft product. But ultimately what you're paying for is the added space. Either way, I suppose all of this is still way cheaper than The Residence was back in the day, when it was a separate cabin, and cost exponentially more than the standard first class. Either way, I'm happy I had the chance to fly The Residence last year at the old prices, because I don't think I'd spend the money with the new pricing. It'll be interesting to see if Etihad maintains this pricing, or if it sees a big drop in demand. I wouldn't be surprised to see prices decrease once again. Etihad first class cabin A380 Bottom line Etihad Airways operates a small fleet of Airbus A380s, which have The Residence, a private three-room suite with a living room, bedroom, and bathroom. For the past few years, the way to book this has been to ticket a first class reservation directly through Etihad, and then you could upgrade for a fixed cost. While that continues to be the case, the cost to upgrade has increased by 50-100%. An upgrade from Abu Dhabi to Paris used to cost $1,590, while now it costs $3,191. Meanwhile an upgrade from Abu Dhabi to Toronto used to cost $3,191, and now costs $5,491. I think it's much harder to make the math on this splurge work at the new pricing… What do you make of Etihad increase the cost of upgrades to The Residence?
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