We’ve all heard of unruly passengers on flights, but what about disruptive flight attendants?
This is what happened on March 13, 2023 when two American Eagle flight attendants caused a two-hour delay in departure after they left the flight following a heated argument over seat assignments.
Although the flight route is not known, the flight attendants were working on behalf of American Eagle, and the flight was operated by Skywest Airlines.
The aircraft doors were closed, and the flight was preparing for departure when the incident occurred. According to a passenger on the flight, ESPN reporter Ashley Brewer, a passenger from first class requested to swap seats with a passenger in economy class.
One of the flight attendants reportedly agreed to the request, while one flight attendant said no. It is important to note that there are only two flight attendants on any Skywest Airlines flight, as reported by Paddle Your Own Kanoo.
Brewer, who noted on Twitter that she had been on the flight to visit her fiance, also documented the incident and uploaded it to TikTok.
“My flight attendants got into a fight, and are refusing to work together,” a TikTok voiceover tool narrates.
Brewer said that a gate agent from the airport came onboard to mediate, but one of the flight attendants was seen walking out of the aircraft with his belongings.
A replacement crew was found an hour later. However, at this time, the other flight attendant also chose to disembark the aircraft.
A second replacement flight attendant was found, and the flight was able to depart two hours later than scheduled.
Brewer’s TikTok video garnered plenty of comments, including one from a user who introduced herself as the replacement flight attendant.
“I was the first replacement FA sent for this flight. Thank you so much for being so kind and understanding about the chaotic situation!” the comment read.
One comment jokingly added that it was a “fight or flight situation”.
American Eagle has yet to provide a statement on the incident.