Viral TikTok Shows Woman Restrained With Duct Tape After She Tried to Escape the Plane Mid-Flight

American Airlines has not gotten the best press lately. First, they stood out among other airlines for its lack of social distancing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now, they apparently duct-taped a passenger to her seat in an attempt to retrain her when she threatened to get off the flight.

They did seem to have good reason, however. The commotion began when the two-hour flight on July 6, 2021 from Dallas-Fort Worth to Charlotte, North Carolina, was delayed three hours before it finally took off at midnight. But just an hour into the trip, chaos ensued.

According to the one of the passengers on board, the flight attendants were the first hint into something going on. No one knew what was happening, but “we see all flight attendants running up and down the aisles, frantically kind of like whispering to each other,” said TikTok user @lol.ariee, who captured footage of what happened on a viral video. The video has since been removed.

However, just before the plane landed, it became more obvious was going on. Apparently, the woman “had an outburst and like, had the urge to get off the plane. And she was saying, ‘I need to get off this plane,’ and she went up to the exits and started banging on the doors, saying, ‘You need to let me off this plane!’” the woman explained in her video.

“I guess it took all five flight attendants to subdue her and like literally take her down so,” she continued. “They pretty much took her down, put her in the seat and duct taped her.”

It’s been confirmed by American Airlines that the woman assaulted and bit—yes, bit—a flight attendant after she tried to open the boarding door. They had no choice but to restrain her in a way that ensured everyone stayed safe. Once the flight landed, law enforcement took over to handle the situation.

For the safety and security of other customers and our crew, the individual was restrained until the flight landed at CLT and could be met by law enforcement and emergency personnel,” an American Airlines rep for told TMZ.

The woman was taken to a local hospital, which consequently put her on American’s no-fly list pending an investigation.

So crazy! What would you have done if you witnessed this on a flight? Do yu think American Airlines handled the situation well? If not, what do you think they should have done differently?