An American Airlines passenger had a meltdown after being told she would be removed from her flight for repeatedly listening to videos without using headphones, and video of the incident is now going viral.
In late February, @jcmack03 posted a two-minute video to TikTok in which a woman he describes as “drunk” threw a fit prior to being kicked off an American Airlines flight from Miami to Tampa, Florida.
According to the TikToker, the woman had been “loudly playing videos from her phone.” After being asked by a flight attendant to use headphones before they left the gate, and seemingly at least one additional time, the flight crew decided enough was enough.
“I played a video for 30 f***ing seconds at 50% sound!” the woman protests at the start of the first clip. “And that’s the f***ing reason you’re kicking me off?”
Police escort the woman off the plane
Two more clips stitched together show the woman telling an employee that the flight attendants were just upset with her for suggesting “that sounds like a you problem” and insisting that she stopped playing her videos “after the second warning.”
@jcmack03 elaborated on the situation further by noting that the passenger was being “angry, rude and belligerent,” “shouting and cursing at employees and other passengers” until law enforcement officers boarded the plane to remove her.
“I am in the right. It’s okay for me to play a 30 fucking second video,” she tells them. “Is this not a free speech America? Or are we being assholes to literally everybody?”
Use your headphones, folks!
The very end of the video shows the other passengers clapping and thanking the officers as the woman is removed. This has become an almost standard send-off when it comes to viral videos of belligerent airplane passengers.
But this incident in particular seemed to really resonate with folks watching at home—namely, those who are sick and tired of this new wave of people thinking watching videos in public without headphones is somehow acceptable.
“There’s nothing worse than being in a restaurant or other public location while someone’s blaring,” @wizziewiz commented.
“America should enact laws that it’s illegal to play videos, songs, speakerphone calls, FaceTimes in public without headphones. It’s so unbelievably rude,” added @black_velvetcrush.
“this should be done in buses and subways as well,” said @emma.brown58. “even 30 sec loud music is 30 sec too long.”
It seems like American is going the way of United Airlines, which updated its passenger conduct rules late last month to include a headphone requirement, stating that the company “has the right to refuse transport” to passengers who “fail to use headphones while listening to audio or video content.”
Bring back basic courtesy!
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