A United Airlines flight descended into chaos when a female passenger erupted into an expletive-filled meltdown after the aircraft sat on the tarmac for more than 90 minutes, witnesses have reported.
The explosive tarmac confrontation
The incident occurred on November 9 aboard a United Airlines flight departing from Newark International Airport in New Jersey, bound for Charleston International Airport in South Carolina. The unidentified woman, described as blonde and wearing a dress with a high slit and leather jacket, began shouting obscenities that echoed through the cabin.
According to passenger accounts, the woman repeatedly screamed "c***, c***, c***, f***ing a**holes" and "f***ing b****" with increasing volume. The outburst came after passengers had already endured a three-hour flight delay before boarding, followed by the extended wait on the tarmac.
Flight crew's calm response to chaos
As the situation escalated, flight attendants instructed the two women seated beside the irate passenger to move from their seats. When the angry traveller attempted to stand, a flight attendant intervened, prompting further confrontation.
"I'm getting up! Yeah, I'm allowed to stand up," the woman insisted, her face contorted with anger. When the flight attendant began to respond, the passenger interrupted: "When you keep us on the tarmac for an hour, yeah I'm allowed to stand up."
The crew member maintained professionalism, simply stating "Not a problem," which only provoked more vulgar language from the distressed passenger.
Passenger perspective and aftermath
TikTok user HaleyRose99, who witnessed the entire incident, described it as "one of the wildest travel experiences I have ever had." In a follow-up video, she explained that the pilot had informed passengers they were number 30 in line for takeoff with an additional 90-minute wait anticipated.
"And we sit there for an hour-and-a-half, and just when we think we're about to take off, the pilot says we're number 30 in line and we have another hour-and-a-half wait," Haley recalled. "At exactly that moment, the woman just loses it."
The situation worsened when another passenger attempted to calm the woman, who responded by telling her to "unalive herself" and screaming "you don't know my life, you don't know where I have to be tomorrow."
Haley commended the flight attendants for handling the volatile situation "perfectly," noting that crew members positioned "the two biggest guys on the plane" next to the disruptive passenger until the aircraft returned to the gate.
Once back at the terminal, the woman was escorted off the plane while putting on her sunglasses and repeatedly shouting "Thank God!" as she stormed away. Haley told the Daily Mail she had seen the passenger drinking before boarding, though it remains unclear if she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the incident.
