Photo: @emily.jeannn/TikTok
The flight attendant said she smelled alcohol.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Dec 04, 2022
Children are a sensitive subject. No one wants to see them put in danger or neglected. That is why so many people find the squabble between a mother and a flight attendant so appalling.
A woman named Emily shared a video she captioned "Just had an interesting flight on TikTok." The video opens with a mother holding a child while tussling with a flight attendant.
A flight attendant is seen arguing with a mother who she allegedly accused of drinking.
It’s unclear who the aggressor is, but it looks like the mother is attempting to walk past the flight attendant with a small child in her arms. The flight attendant appears to be trying to keep her from passing.
As the airline worker blocks the aisle, the woman places her forearm near her neck, almost pushing her into the lap of another passenger. The mother can be heard saying “I will kill you” as others look on.
The entire time, the embattled flight attendant is saying “ma’am” repeatedly but providing no clear instruction and continuing to block the woman’s path.
Finally, another flight attendant shows up and tells the woman, “You need to take your seat. We are landing!” The passenger responds by screaming in her direction, although it is difficult to make out what exactly was said.
The angry mother attempts to move forward down the aisle once again and the flight attendant, now identified as “Sarah” proceeds to chest bump her, pushing her back, seemingly oblivious to the child in between them.
The second flight attendant tells her coworker, “Sarah, step back. Go back, Sarah, step back!” She holds on to the shoulders of the mother to keep the women separated.
Passengers on the flight can be heard telling Sarah, the flight attendant to relax. At this time, you can faintly hear Sarah say, “I smell alcohol.” To which a male passenger replies, “It doesn’t matter what you smell.”
By now the second flight attendant has taken control of the situation and tells Sarah, “It doesn’t matter what you smell. You are out of line.”
The video ends with the second flight attendant walking in Sarah’s direction while pointing at her and imploring her to stop what she is doing.
At first glance, viewers are empathetic to the flight attendant. One person commented, “Sarah… Sarah… you [are] a good woman ‘cause it takes a lot to not react to that.”
Others posted things like, “Somebody just made the no-fly list” and “As a flight attendant myself, I’m so tired of passengers ALWAYS wanting to fight or argue about something.”
People were also concerned about the small child. One viewer wrote, “I feel so bad for that child. They were so scared.” Another user echoed that sentiment, saying, "My heart breaks for the child!”
Others were singing the praises of the flight attendant that intervened. One commenter posted, “That flight attendant at the end was iconic, to be honest.” She definitely was the voice of authority in an unbelievable situation.
Emily, the TikToker that posted the video followed up with a story time as viewers wanted to know what the conclusion was and how the incident started. She said throughout the flight, the mother had been yelling out random, incoherent things.
The flight was traveling from San Francisco to Chicago. As they were landing, everyone was told to remain seated. The woman decided instead to go to the bathroom with her child. Once again, she was asked to sit down.
That is when Emily started recording the incident. In the end, she says the woman was escorted off of the flight and the attendant involved was taken to the hospital. The TikToker does clarify that she does not believe the woman was drunk.
NBC News did post a snippet of the video with a caption that said the woman may have been taking her child to the bathroom to throw up. They said the police and FBI are currently investigating but were uncertain if the woman would face charges.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and the author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment & news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.