3 Travelers Battle With Aeromexico : Airlines: Employees of a law firm say authorities ordered them off a plane at gunpoint after they complained about service.

A Fourth of July weekend trip to Mexico ended on a sour note Monday when three U.S. tourists were ordered off an Aeromexico flight at gunpoint in Puerto Vallarta, the passengers said Thursday at a news conference.

The passengers accused the airplane’s pilot of using heavy-handed military tactics against them, although Aeromexico officials denied any wrongdoing and described the passengers’ ejection as a basic safety precaution.

Maria Munoz-Gavilanes was taken off the plane by security and military forces after Aeromexico officials told her to stop complaining about the airline’s services.

Munoz-Gavilanes, a legal assistant with the Beverly Hills law firm Newson & Silverman, had been traveling with her husband, Erick Gavilanes, and six other staff employees and family members.

Traveling with Aeromexico had been a nightmare for the eight friends, Elena Bravo-Navarro, 27, said. The party had missed its original flight from Los Angeles last Friday because of a scheduling error by the airline, Bravo-Navarro said. And on Monday morning, Aeromexico told them that they did not have reservations for a return flight.

Eventually they got reservations on Aeromexico Flight 432. But when they got to the airport, they found they were to be seated in the plane’s smoking section. Bravo-Navarro said she told airline personnel that she was unable to sit in a smoking section for health reasons.

Airline representatives promised the group that they would be seated together and that the pilot would prohibit smoking on the nearly three-hour flight, Bravo-Navarro said. The group, however, found themselves scattered throughout the rear of the plane and they and other passengers began to complain about the service, Gavilanes said. Meanwhile, Bravo-Navarro said, some passengers were grumbling about not being allowed to smoke as flight attendants described the eight as troublemakers.

Munoz-Gavilanes was told to “shut up or get off the plane” by the pilot, Bravo-Navarro said. When she refused, airport security and military personnel boarded the plane and pointed guns at Munoz-Gavilanes and her husband. The couple and fellow passenger Eric Valle got off the plane and were taken to a police station where they were questioned and released.

According to an Aeromexico report on the incident, Munoz-Gavilanes was removed from the flight for refusing to take her seat, trying to incite other passengers and cursing loudly, said Albert Coroy, the airline’s consumer relations manager.

“My understanding is that the airport security called the marines, or the army troops, or whoever was stationed at the airport, to help them,” Coroy said.

Munoz-Gavilanes, her husband and Valle returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday aboard Delta Airlines.

No formal complaint has been filed by Munoz-Gavilanes or members of her party, Coroy said. “Right now we’re more concerned with the public knowing about it than getting recompense,” said Neil Newson, president of Newson & Silverman.

“For anyone to point a gun at me because I complained about their service is hard for me to comprehend,” Munoz-Gavilanes said.