A passenger aboard an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Miami caused the aircraft to be delayed by three hours Friday evening after she was found hiding in the first class section of the plane. As flight number AA2205 was boarding for the 2hr 20 min flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Miami International Airport (MIA), one of the passengers in economy decided to visit the first class section of the plane.
The crew noticed a passenger was missing. Photo: Getty Images
The 19-year-old Boeing 777-200 had already been delayed for 90 minutes after a catering truck hit a cargo door. The woman used the delay as an excuse, telling a fellow passenger that she was going to talk with a friend in first class.
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It was supposed to be a YouTube stunt
Somewhat surprising in these days of COVID-19, the plane was full and it alerted a flight attendant because there was an empty seat in economy. Aviation website a View From The Wing reports a passenger on the plane saying that he saw the woman crawl under the television consul and hide behind an ottoman. The plan was to stay there for the entire flight, hoping that it would drum up social media interest and drive viewers to her YouTube channel.
The passenger hid under the TV console. Photo: AA
Now realizing that a passenger has gone missing, the crew announced that the passenger should immediately return to her seat, saying otherwise the plane cannot take off. On hearing this, the woman hiding decided to try and sneak back into economy
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but was immediately caught by crew members.
The plane returned to the gate
The captain then came on the tannoy to announce a security issue onboard the aircraft and that he was returning to the gate. The woman that had been hiding then took off her face mask and shouted that she had been “disrespected” she said she had paid “good money” for her ticket and had a “child at home” waiting for her.
The captain returned to the gate so the passengers could be removed from the plane. Photo: Getty Images
Now back at the gate, the hiding passenger is removed from the plane, and as they ask her accomplice to leave, she then kicks off and refuses to go. At this point, the captain comes out of the cockpit and tells the woman to get off his plane. She tells him she is not going anywhere, forcing the police to board the plane and drag her off. Now totally fed up with the delay, another passenger starts swearing at a flight attendant forcing the police to remove him. In the end, the aircraft managed to take off from Dallas and arrive in Miami three hours late.
What is wrong with people?
As if flying isn’t stressful enough these days with all the added safety measures brought in to combat the coronavirus, two crazy women plan a stunt for their YouTube channel. What were they thinking would happen? Did they honestly believe that one of them could hide in first class and that no one would notice the open economy seat? In my opinion, they both need to be heavily fined as a deterrent to stop other knuckleheads from seeking their 15-minutes of fame.
What do you think about how the woman behaved? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments.
