A Frontier Airlines passenger’s alleged refusal to follow exit row instructions led to her arrest and the ultimate deboarding drill for the entire flight.
A video of the incident, shared on TikTok by Travel with Tia, captures an unidentified woman visibly enraged with airline employees. Meanwhile, fellow passengers beg her to disembark so they can get the plane in the air.
Passengers seated in an exit row are required by the FAA to read the instructions and verbally agree to perform the physical duties of assisting others in an emergency.
The enraged granny, seated with two others in the exit row, reportedly balked at the requirement.
TikToker “Travel With Tia,” who captured the altercation on video, set the scene.
“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”,’ the TikToker explained.
“That was her attitude throughout the seating process,” the TikToker continued. “And I already knew something was about to pop off when she had that attitude.”
The Passenger Claims She Agreed to the Exit Row Requirements
However, later in the video, the belligerent passenger insists that she eventually agreed to the duties.
“We understand we gotta help people get off the plane and help Betty White if something happens,” the woman exclaims. Betty White seems to be the nickname the upset passenger has given a flight attendant, even though she says multiple times that she herself is a grandmother.
“You wasting your breath. Is they gonna take this plane off the ground?”, the passenger blurts after multiple attendants ask her to exit the plane.”You better get out my face is what you need to do, Betty,” the passenger adds as she opens a snack.
The Enraged Passenger Reveals Her Reason for Traveling
Yet another airline attendant attempts to persuade the passenger to deboard so the flight can get underway. However, the passenger insists she agreed to the exit row instructions.
She also reveals the special reason for her trip.
“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,” she insists. Later, she adds, “No, that is, no, my grandson is four years old and he’s getting out of school.”
Later yet another beleaguered Frontier employee, clad in a neon green shirt and a dark bucket hat, spoke to the passenger. “I’m gonna ask you one more time, nicely, to get off, if not, we’re going to deboard the plane and police will come and escort you off,’ he warns.
However, the enraged granny will have none of it. She gets on her phone, claiming to call her lawyer.
As you might guess, her 4-year-old grandson was disappointed. Or judging by her behavior, possibly relieved.
The Fate of the Frontier Airlines Passenger Who Allegedly Refusd Exit Row Instructions…
The woman adamantly refused to leave and was eventually escorted off by police officers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. As she was removed, all passengers had to deboard, and she was taken away in a police car.
A concluding clip depicts frustrated passengers returning inside the airport. Meanwhile, the woman, now in handcuffs and escorted by multiple officers, is seen exiting the plane.
It’s unclear if the other passengers were allowed back on the plane to go to their destination. Meanwhile, hopefully, Granny’s lawyer picked up her grandson from school.