An airline outburst that was caught on camera shows the moment a woman screamed at a counter worker, called staff "rapists" and claimed to have a gun.
The incident, which happened Sunday (January 6), ended with local law enforcement detaining the woman. In the brief clip—uploaded to Instagram by user DreLondon—the unidentified woman can be heard screaming: "God damn it, who does this to a woman like me?"
Read more: Plane diverted midflight after pilot said it was "too large" to land
The woman was supposed to leave on a JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International but representatives from the airline told Yahoo Lifestyle—which first reported the incident—that she was not allowed on the plane because she showed signs of being intoxicated.
The recording was taken by a passenger who said he was delayed 10 hours after a separate JetBlue flight was canceled because of computer failure. "While in Fort Lauderdale airport everyone remained calm apart from this woman who went crazy," DreLondon wrote in the post.
"She said she had a gun [and] many crazy things in front of kids," the user added.
The woman screamed at a male counter worker: "Get me out of this sick f***ed up place. You rapists. Get me out of here. I have a f***ing gun on me because I am homeless."
She then picked up her ticket, placed her bag over her shoulder and walked away. A second video showed the woman on her knees—handcuffed and silent—as police attended to her.
Judging from the recording, the incident occured at a help desk designated for Cuba flights.
In a statement provided to Yahoo Lifestyle, a JetBlue spokesperson said: "The customer in the viral video was scheduled on a flight which did not experience any major delays.
"On January 6, crew members at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport requested assistance from local law enforcement after a customer was denied boarding for indications of intoxication and became disruptive."
Last year, JetBlue removed a passenger from a flight because his emotional support animal was taking up a seat. "The traveler did not comply when he was asked to remove the emotional support animal from a seat, reserved for human use only," a spokesperson told Newsweek.
At the time, the passenger fumed on Twitter that the animal's paw was "barely touching the seat." In February last year, court documents alleged that a female JetBlue customer had been accused of drinking glasses of wine and "inappropriately" touching a male passenger.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jason Murdock is a staff reporter for Newsweek.
Based in London, Murdock previously covered cybersecurity for the International Business Times UK ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
