According to the Independent, a Frontier Airlines passenger refused to comply with exit row instructions from a cabin crew member forcing everyone on the flight to deboard.
However, In a viral TikTok posted on 9 May, travel blogger Tia (@travelwithtia23) shared with viewers that the incident became more about the woman’s attitude vs. exit row rule compliance.
“This lady right here, when she first got on the plane and acknowledged the exit row, she said, ‘Oh, I’m not going to save anybody. If something happens, I’m going to save myself,’” Tia explained. “That was her attitude throughout the seating process. And I already knew something was about to pop off when she had that attitude.”
The video shows the woman arguing with a female flight attendant, gesturing to another flight attendant: “Yeah, she talking to me – what is the problem?”
”Cause she don’t wanna tell us her name?” she interrupted the airline worker as she set down her drink on the aircraft floor. The flight attendant attempted to finish her sentence, “If it’s gonna be a problem-”
“A problem? What’s the problem?’ the woman interrupted as the flight attendant continued to try to relay the exit row instructions mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “We ain’t got no problem with that. We understand we gotta help people get off the plane and help Betty White if something happens.”
“What’s the problem? We agreed,” she repeated as passengers began to laugh in the background and the flight attendant walked away. “You wasting your breath. Is they gonna take this plane off the ground?”
The woman then set her phone on the ground female passenger and picked up a snack before turning to the other flight attendant, saying: “Get out my damn face.”
“Did you ask her to agree? You ain’t doing your job,’ she continued as the flight attendant employee put her hands in front of the passenger’s face. The passenger recoiled and opened up her snack. “You better get out my face is what you need to do, Betty.”
After they exchanged a few more words, the flight attendant walked away, but as she began to eat her snack another employee came to her to deliver a piece of paper.
Immediately, the passenger became upset, with the employee attempting to talk her down. The employee said, “They said you were not listening-”
The woman tried to plead her case, saying that people witnessed her agreeing with the instructions, but the airline employee waved over another flight attendant.
“We all agreed. Everybody can witness that,” the woman saying that she was flying to take care of her 4-year-old grandson while his mother was on vacation. “And my grandson is getting off, out of school, and his mama took a flight to Mexico, and I’m not getting off this plane.”
The captain then got involved, announcing to the passengers: “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll be underway here shortly, we gotta take care of this issue. Law enforcement will be arriving.”
@travelwithtia23 When keeping it real goes wrong. Irrate lady refused to deplane, because of her non compliance and disrespect towards the flight attendant. We all had to deplane and she was then arrested. #travelwithtia #travelwithtia23 #blackvloggers #fyp #travel #traveltiktok #xyzbca #viral #traveltok #vacaciones #vacation #budget #budgettravel #tsa #tsaprecheck #airport #selfcare #airplanemode #clt #frontierairlines @Frontier Airlines ♬ original sound – Travel With Tia
and
@travelwithtia23 let’s clear something up real quick! #travelwithtia #travelwithtia23 #blackvloggers #fyp #travel #traveltiktok #xyzbca #viral #traveltok #vacaciones #vacation #budget #budgettravel #tsa #tsaprecheck #airport #SelfCare #airplanemode #clt ♬ original sound – Travel With Tia
She was eventually escorted off the plane by police officers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, but unfortunately, all passengers had to deboard with her.
Twitter had mixed reactions:
The fact this woman on Frontier Airlines who decided to make a thing about the exit row has her attorney on speed dial tells you everything. https://t.co/S2Igtgh9fM
— ultrapurwater (@ultrapurwater) May 20, 2024
and
That Frontier exit row lady somehow single-handedly ruined the entire flight for everyone else. I’ve never seen an entire flight get de-boarded over one person. There was no fight, no altercation, nothing. Just a foolish woman trying to be a smart a$$ at the wrong time smh.
— Juice (@SirJuice_116) May 20, 2024
and
So we have “alleged” quotes of what the woman said that are NOT included in the video. What the video shows is her agreeing or saying she agrees with exit row requirements. Why did this require police and deplaning? https://t.co/QwyC9P5SG8
— Will Saunders (@WSaundersMusic) May 21, 2024
and
Everyone was wrong and stupid here. The woman in the exit row shouldn’t have made a big production out a standard question asked when sitting in that row. The crew didn’t need to escalate it by bringing in the police. They could have asked her to move her seat. They late 4 nothin https://t.co/DIBV7TGQOZ
— MWP (@MPsWilly) May 20, 2024
