Southwest Airlines: Woman removed after viral TikTok shows hair-pulling, spitting over seat dispute

The incident, believed to have occurred on a flight from New York City to Kansas City, involved a woman who refused to sit next to another passenger whom she deemed “fat.” The altercation quickly escalated into a physical assault.

In the video, posted on TikTok by user @leahkay1010, the woman is seen shouting profanities, attempting to grab items from the other passenger’s bag and ignoring repeated warnings to stop. At one point, she yells, “Shut the f*** up!” before pulling the passenger’s hair in a tight grip. She is then heard saying, “I’m sorry, I don’t want to sit next to a f***ing fat lady,” as flight crew and other passengers try to intervene.

As she is being restrained and eventually handcuffed by authorities, she continues to shout insults and profanities, referring to the woman she refused to sit next to as a “fat a** b****” and repeatedly mentioning, “My boyfriend is a f***ing Black guy,” while addressing a man behind her who helped subdue her.

The footage also shows the woman spitting at the fellow passenger and being physically combative with those around her. According to additional images, she was later carried off the plane on a stretcher.

A Southwest Airlines spokesperson confirmed the removal in a statement: “The Customer involved in the incident was removed from the flight and denied boarding. We’ll defer to local law enforcement for anything additional.”

The TikTok video, which has since amassed hundreds of thousands of views, also includes claims that the woman had paid $250 for her ticket and expected a different seating arrangement.

Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the woman was charged. The exact timing of the incident remains unclear. Southwest Airlines has not released further comment beyond confirming the passenger’s removal.