A passenger on a United Airlines flight lost her composure and her seat during a tarmac delay at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Her outburst was caught on video by another traveler and quickly went viral, garnering around 500,000 views after it was shared on TikTok on November 10.
In the clip, a blonde woman can be seen leaving her window seat, walking past a flight attendant in what appears to be a fit of frustration.
While the crew did not respond directly to her, the frustration of other passengers was palpable.
“We’ll be able to stand up if we’re waiting here for an hour!” she complained loudly.
The attendant simply replied, “No problem,” as she moved away from the irate passenger.
“It’s no problem if you want to stand up. This is ridiculous!” the woman retorted, voice raised, but then noticed she was being filmed and abruptly quieted down.
A witness who recorded the incident shared that the flight, headed to Charleston, South Carolina, had been delayed for three hours before boarding and then sat on the tarmac for another hour and a half.
“At that point, most people were just exhausted. Then this woman starts screaming, using profanity, and the cabin fell silent,” the TikToker recounted.
Attempts by other passengers to calm her didn’t work; she became increasingly agitated and was eventually removed from the plane.
Another passenger even mentioned his own struggles, saying, “My mother’s funeral is tomorrow,” but this did little to ease the tension.
As the situation escalated, the flight crew positioned larger passengers next to her, likely as a precaution.
The woman was ultimately escorted off the flight while wearing sunglasses, as bystanders expressed relief that the ordeal was over.
The video contributor praised the flight attendants for their professionalism, noting that everyone remained composed during the incident.
This incident took place amidst a record government shutdown in early November, which had already led to significant delays at many airports nationwide.
