8 Bizarre Moments That Took Place On-Ground And Mid-Air

Woman In Exit Row Kicked Off Flight For Disrespecting Staff After Refusing To “Save Others”

A May flight from Chicago turned chaotic when a woman was kicked off for refusing to comply with exit row safety regulations — which involves helping to save other passengers. The woman allegedly began causing a ruckus, arguing with flight attendants, after she refused to leave the exit row despite the safety requirements.

According to a statement from the airline, she “became increasingly belligerent,” leading to authorities being called to remove her from the flight. “Her disruptive behavior put the safety of the other passengers at risk, and we had no choice but to remove her from the flight,” a spokesperson for the airline stated.

In the viral footage shared by TikTok account, TravelWithTia, the woman seated in the exit row could be seen and heard refusing to state “yes” to helping other passengers in case of an emergency. “Oh, I’m not going to save anybody. If something happens, I’m going to save myself,” she could be heard asserting. Tia claimed the woman was only “joking,” but still refused to give a verbal “yes” to the question, a legal requirement of taking that particular seat.

Tia also claimed the woman disrespected both attendants, calling one of them the N-word. “I don’t know why you brought the ni**a over here thinking she’s going to be one of us and get me to calm down,” she reportedly said. See below.

Woman Arrested While Yelling “This Is George Floyd”

In March 2024, a woman quickly became viral after erratically shouting about the late George Floyd during a confrontation with flight attendants. The woman was allegedly having a meltdown aboard a Vegas flight, causing authorities to intervene before takeoff. Reportedly, the since-deleted videos of the incident did not show what led to the outburst.

“Why did you do that to me?” she asked the officers as they delivered a “final warning” requesting she deplane. According to TMZ, she continued to yell “I will walk out on my own,” as law enforcement attempted to grab her wrists and remove her from the flight. “Can I do that with freedom? All I care about is freedom,” she continued.

After being told she was being arrested, she proclaimed “I’ve been there before, I’m not scared. I’ve f**king been there before…You’re hurting me, sheriff [screams]…Why are you touching my leg? I can’t breathe. This is George Floyd.”

Sandra Denton Of Salt-N-Pepa Kicked Off Southwest Airlines Flight

In July of last year, Sandra Denton, also known as Pepa from Salt-N-Pepa, became part of a viral incident involving Southwest Airlines where she says she was wrongly kicked off a flight and treated like a criminal.

Reportedly, Pepa had purchased two seats for extra legroom because of a knee injury but was not wearing a protective brace at the time. Before the Vegas flight headed to Nashville departed, another passenger requested to use one of her seats, claiming he was traveling to a funeral. Pepa felt the man was being dishonest about his situation and denied the request. According to the “Push It” rapper, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant then instructed her to grab her belongings and exit the plane.

From there, Pepa began recording the encounter, which upset the attendant and caused another flight attendant to shout “You, Denton, off!” After complying, Pepa was met by three police officers and escorted out. In result, she was refunded $2,500 but remained upset about the mistreatment. Southwest Airlines stated that Pepa was removed for not following instructions, though they did not specify the instructions.

Flight Attendant Fired After Her Twerking Video Goes Viral

Nelle Diala, a former Alaska Airlines flight attendant, was fired after posting a viral TikTok video of her twerking. In the video, Diala, dressed in her uniform, performed a twerk dance to the song “Ghetto” by E.K.E. on an empty plane. The video, recorded during a layover and after completing her probationary period, was reportedly meant to celebrate the accomplishment.

Initially, Diala captioned the video “ghetto bih till I D-I-E,” but later updated it to, “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive.” Despite her explanation that the video wasn’t intended to harm anyone, Alaska Airlines terminated her employment for violating their social media policy. After her termination, the former flight attendant created a GoFundMe and expressed regret over her decision, noting the video’s unintended consequences.

Alaska Airlines released a statement following the stories overwhelming responses, stating: “Alaska Airlines has a strict social media policy that employees are required to follow. We take these matters seriously to maintain the professionalism and trust our customers expect. While we respect our employees’ right to express themselves on personal social media accounts, we expect them to uphold the values and image of Alaska Airlines while representing the company, whether on or off duty. In this instance, we reviewed the situation and made the decision to part ways with the employee. We have a responsibility to our customers and our team members to ensure that our brand is represented in a manner consistent with our values.”

Woman Has a Meltdown Over Phone Being Left At Gate

In October 2024, a viral video showed a woman having a bizarre outburst on a Frontier flight after realizing she left her phone at the airport gate. The incident took place as the plane was preparing to depart San Diego for Las Vegas.

The unidentified woman began yelling at crew members, demanding the plane be turned around to retrieve her phone. She also accused the crew of being racist, shouting, “If I was white and in a suit, you would stop the f**king plane.” Even more bizarre, the woman also claimed to be a “sovereign ruler,” stating, “I am the president of this whole goddamn country.”

In the video, she continued to berate the staff and other passengers, yelling that she has “seen Frontier do illegal stuff several times” and insisted the plane should have been stopped. As passengers laughed, she threatened them, saying, “Keep laughing, watch your a** be on a boat. We shipping people out just for a nice group of expedition. Keep laughing watch what happens. You’ll be expired just like your battery on your watch.”

American Airlines Faces Backlash For Removing Black Passengers

In May of last year, American Airlines found itself at the center of a racial discrimination lawsuit after eight Black men were removed from a Phoenix flight headed to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The incident occurred when a passenger alleged that the men smelled of body odor, prompting the flight crew to escort them off the plane.

The lawsuit claims the men were wrongfully profiled, stating that their removal was based on racial bias rather than any actual disturbance. Drawing significant backlash, many accused the airline of discrimination. Social media exploded with posts about the situation, with many expressing outrage over the treatment of African-Americans on flights. American Airlines pledged to investigate the incident at the time, with a representative stating, “We don’t tolerate discrimination and are looking into this.”

Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Neal filed their discrimination lawsuit through the federal court in May 2024. They claimed that they, along with five other Black men, were removed from the flight “without any valid reason, based solely on their race.” Notably, none of the men knew each other nor were they seated together.

“Imagine a flight attendant ordering every white person off a plane because of a complaint about one white person,” the Plaintiffs said. “That would never happen. But that is what happened to us. There is no explanation other than the color of our skin… clearly, this was discrimination.”

Spirit Airlines Flight To Haiti Struck By Gunfire Upon Landing

In November of last year, a Spirit Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was struck by gunfire as it attempted to land — prompting major U.S. airlines to cancel flights to the country. Amidst all of the chaos, a flight attendant suffered minor injuries from the attack and was evaluated by medical personnel. Reportedly, no other passengers were injured.

The flight was then rerouted to the Dominican Republic, where damage consistent with gunfire was found on the aircraft. The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince suspected the incident was part of gang-led efforts to disrupt travel to and from the city, which included armed violence and road, port, and airport disruptions.

The attack followed ongoing gang violence in the country, including a previous incident where a U.N. helicopter was also struck by bullets.

Woman Strips Down And Has Berserk Outburst On Southwest Flight

A Southwest Airlines flight getting ready to depart from Houston to Phoenix was forced to return to the gate after a passenger stripped naked and caused a disturbance on March 7. In a video obtained by KPNX, the woman could be seen pacing the aisle and screaming before ultimately removing all of her clothes.

According to the Houston Police Department, officers responded at 3:30 p.m. CT and removed the woman from the flight, where she was then transported to the NeuroPsychiatric Center at Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital for evaluation. No charges were filed, and her name was not released. Southwest Airlines confirmed the situation, stating that local law enforcement met Flight 733 upon its return to the gate due to a “customer situation onboard.”

“It was very uncomfortable and really scary,” one passenger recalled. Another traveler shared that the woman expressed a desire to exit the flight before takeoff. “I do remember her saying that she wanted to get off the flight,” they said. Moments later, the woman allegedly started striking parts of the plane, proclaiming she was bipolar, before stripping off her clothes and screaming. “She started, like, jumping up and down, screaming at the top of her lungs,” a witness recounted.

The decision not to press charges left some passengers confused, particularly because there were children allegedly present at the time of the incident. “Considering that she got naked in front of a bunch of kids and anyone else. I’m surprised there weren’t any consequences,” the witness said.