An irate woman was kicked off a Delta Air Lines flight after “screaming” about being seated next to a mother and her 8-month-old baby.
The 19-year-old mother, Marissa Rundell, was traveling with her son Mason on a flight to Syracuse, New York, from John F. Kennedy International Airport when a woman identified as Susan Peirez started making quite a scene by screaming.
The Rochester, New York, resident told the outlet that Peirez was the last one to get on the plane and when she noticed that she’d be sitting near her and the baby, she “came to the back and slammed her bags down.”
In a footage taken and uploaded by Rundell herself, Peirez can be heard complaining about being seated close to a “crying baby” even though Mason was not crying at that time.
The mother also recalled how the furious woman blurted out obscenities and was being rude to her and the baby. At one point, Rundell asked Peirez to watch her language but was told to “shut the f*** up and shove it.”
That’s when a Delta flight attendant stepped in and tried to mediate the situation. But instead of cooperating, Peirez continued with her complaint and even demanded to be transferred.
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However, the flight attendant calmly asked her to sit down, angering her even more. Knowing that Peirez is not letting go easily, the patient staff offered her to take the next flight if she’d prefer.
The angry passenger fiercely declined and asked for the flight attendant’s name, which the attendant, Tabitha, stated along with her employee ID number. Peirez then fired back and threatened her, “Thank you, Tabitha. You may not have a job tomorrow.”
Not taking it lightly, Tabitha called the attention of the other crew members and informed them that the furious passenger must be taken off the flight. Peirez then apologized to Tabitha, adding that she was just really “stressed out.” But the flight attendant had had enough of it.
“No. You just screamed at a woman and her baby,” Tabitha responded. “She was screaming at the baby.”
According to Rundell, the woman was instructed off the plane by the gate agent but tried to talk her way out of it. And when it didn’t work out, she retrieved her things and was swearing up a storm again.
In a statement released by Delta Air Lines, they reiterated that Peirez’s behavior violated the standards that the airline requests of its passengers and crew.
And while Rundell was beyond pleased with how the flight attendant handled the situation, she admitted that she somehow feels bad after the woman was suspended from her government work.
According to Newsweek, Peirez, who works a $95,000-a-year job with the New York State Council on the Arts, was suspended due to the viral altercation.
“I kind of feel bad for this lady. I don’t know her story, she doesn’t know mine. It might have been a misunderstanding. I was sharing [the video] for family members, and it started going crazy.”