A woman was allegedly kicked off a flight with Frontier Airlines following a vote among other fliers after "antagonizing" a couple who were also removed from the plane.
One of the passengers on board, TikToker @lanaisli, who captured the incident in a viral video that had 5.8 million views at the time of writing, told Newsweek that the woman was "voted off immediately" by more than half of the total passengers, including the poster.
The poster said the incident took place while the plane was waiting to depart New Jersey's Trenton-Mercer airport. A man in the viral video can be heard saying: "We got 40-50 people that would like her removed from the flight," which was heading to Atlanta, Georgia, according to text on the video.
According to the poster, the couple were removed from the plane after "arguing with a flight attendant about changing their seats" despite them repeatedly being told this would not be possible.
The TikToker said a woman sitting rows behind was "antagonizing" the man and woman while they were being removed and that caused an argument between the two women.
According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, "incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior are an ongoing problem and airlines have seen rapid growth in occurrences since 2021."
A spokesperson for the federal body previously told Newsweek that the FAA has a "zero-tolerance policy" against travelers who "assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crew member in the performance of the crewmember's duties."
According to the poster of the viral TikTok video, the woman was voted off after the couple were removed from the plane "because she was also in the wrong."
The TikToker said: "It was considered a full flight and more than half voted her off, including myself."
The man in the clip can be heard saying: "If you want her removed from the flight, please raise your hand…if you can hear me raise your hand if you want her removed from the flight," as the camera then panned across the cabin to show some hands in the air.
After shouting was heard between the man and some other passengers, a woman was shown grabbing her belongings from the overhead bin before exiting the plane accompanied by another person.
The video was one of a series of viral clips shared by @lanaisli that captured how the incident unfolded.
In the first of these videos, the woman from the couple can be seen shouting "has he done anything wrong?...so mind your f****** business…he hasn't done nothing wrong," as the camera panned towards a female passenger who appeared to be arguing with her.
The woman was later shown telling a flight attendant: "Ma'am, he literally hasn't done anything wrong…so the fact that you're requesting us to get off the plane is ridiculous," as the couple were seen grabbing their belongings, while a cabin crew member waited for them in the aisle.
The woman was later heard shouting towards the other female passenger, saying: "She needs to get off the plane if anything, f***....you've been talking to us, antagonizing us the whole time…mind your f****** business."
In a later video, the original poster said the woman who was removed from the flight along with her partner was planning to "sue" her "for defamation," sharing screenshots of a TikTok message exchange between the original poster and the woman (who is said to be TikToker Mani Slays).
The videos have seen several TikTokers in stitches.
In a comment that got 19,000 likes, user godfather828music said: "Is this a survivor plane or something… how do you get voted off the island like this."
In a comment that got 13,400 likes, user Lani_805 wrote: "Nooo, the way he said 'if you can hear me, raise your hand' I would be in shambles! Lmao [laughing my a** off]."
User @missmayra33 said: "Never in my life I've seen passengers voting off someone."
Bombmom said "Reminds me [of] a kids field trip school bus, a hot mess."
Newsweek has contacted Frontier Airlines and TikToker Mani Slays for comment via TikTok and email.
Do you have a similar video to share? Send it to life@newsweek.com with some details and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
Soo ... Read more
