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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Travel
Lucy Thackray

Couple kicked off plane after homophobic slurs, rant about US ‘becoming China’ and praising ‘king’ Elon Musk

TikTok/@CharlotteDalessio

A US couple were kicked off a JetBlue flight after an explosive rant in which they called fellow passengers “f****ts”, praised “the king” Elon Musk and claimed America was turning into China.

In the video, posted to TikTok and Reddit on Monday, a blonde woman insults flight attendants and fellow passengers before crew decide to have her and her husband removed.

At this point she starts ranting about freedom of speech, saying: “This is ridiculous… Do you guys see what is happening in America?

“He didn’t like what we said, and now we’re getting kicked off of a plane, and all of y’all are going to have to wait.

“This is f****** outrageous… You guys, we’re going to turn into China, it’s coming.”

“You don’t like the words coming out of my mouth,” says the unidentified woman at one point. “’No words, no words, free speech is dead.”

At one point her husband claims he used to work for the FBI, while the woman praises Elon Musk saying, “He’s the best… he’s the f**king king.”

The caption on the TikTok video posted by Charlotte D’Alessio reads: “Couple yelling racist & homophobic slurs wouldn’t deboard plane today leaving West Palm Beach. A free show to all on board.” It has already had over four million views.

In the colourful three-minute rant, in which the male passenger only interjects a couple of times, the woman covers a lot of ground, claiming that she “used to dance on Broadway” and adding, “I’m not getting that f****** vaccine”.

She confirms at one point that they are Trump supporters, claiming that is why they are being kicked off the flight.

She refers to the passengers opposite’s masks, calling them “sheep”, and threatens to sue the individual filming, before retaliating and filming them back. She also says she will sue the airline.

When the couple are finally removed from the cabin, the disruptive woman pipes up, “Excuse me, it’s our anniversary.”

Disruptive passenger incidents spiked across the US during the pandemic, with the average reported incidents still higher than prior to the pandemic.

The rise in cases has prompted US airline Delta to call for an airline-wide No-Fly List, while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said its “zero tolerance” policy on unruly passengers will become permanent.

The Independent has approached JetBlue for comment.

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