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Viral TikTok Shows Passenger Swearing at Flight Attendant After Hours-Long Tarmac Delay; Removed at Newark

11:32 AM, 12/01/2025
Viral TikTok Shows Passenger Swearing at Flight Attendant After Hours-Long Tarmac Delay; Removed at Newark

What happened: A TikTok video from a Nov. 9 Newark–Charleston flight shows a passenger angrily swearing at a flight attendant after long delays.

Key details: The poster said the flight faced a three-hour delay before boarding and about 90 minutes on the tarmac; the aircraft returned to the gate and the woman was escorted off.

Context: Federal guidance lists multiple causes for delays, and a pilot warned that passengers standing during delays can prevent crews from pushing back.

A video that went viral on TikTok shows a passenger angrily confronting a flight attendant after a lengthy tarmac delay on a Nov. 9 flight from Newark to Charleston, S.C. The clip, posted by fellow traveler @haleyrose99, had nearly 500,000 views by Nov. 30.

The footage opens with two passengers being escorted from their seats. When a third woman attempted to stand, a flight attendant blocked her path.

"I'm getting up. I'm allowed to stand up. When you keep us on the tarmac for an hour, I'm allowed to stand up," the woman says before continuing with profanities: "Really not a problem for me to want to f------ stand. F------ c----."

The traveler briefly looks toward the person filming from another row, stares at the camera, then looks away and shakes her head. Fellow passengers described the scene as tense and silent as the woman continued to rail at crew members.

In a follow-up video, the TikToker provided context: the flight had reportedly been delayed about three hours before boarding, then sat on the tarmac for roughly an hour and a half. Passengers were later told the aircraft was "number 30 in line" with an additional estimated 90-minute wait. According to the poster, exhaustion and frustration among passengers had reached a breaking point.

Another passenger tried to calm the upset traveler, but the attempt failed. Crew members reportedly asked some of the physically larger passengers to sit next to the woman as a precaution. Once the aircraft returned to the gate, the disruptive passenger was escorted off; witnesses said she put on sunglasses and muttered, "Thank God." Many passengers praised the flight attendants for remaining calm under pressure.

Federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation lists many causes for flight delays, including bad weather and mechanical issues; airlines consider some delays controllable, such as maintenance, crew availability, cabin cleaning, baggage loading and fueling. A Republic Airways pilot, Rob Donnelly, noted that passengers getting up during gate or tarmac delays can sometimes prevent crews from pushing back, explaining that the flight crew must wait for passengers to be seated before the aircraft can move.

Newark Liberty International Airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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