A user on TikTok has sparked discussion after posting a video that alleges to show a woman yelling because she was unable to have wine on a flight. As a result, the TikToker says that the flight was diverted.
Across a series of three videos, the TikToker shows a woman arguing with United Airlines flight attendants and other passengers. It’s unclear what actually happened that led to this incident, but TikTok user Blake Perkins (@bperkins33), who posted the videos, claims the dispute occurred due to the passenger’s inability to order wine.
In one of the videos, the passenger is repeatedly asked to sit down and is told that, if she does not comply, the plane will land and she will be arrested.
“Let’s do it,” she says in response.
@bperkins33 Ankther video of the karen who couldnt get her wine. We had to land the plans so she could get escorted off and causing us even more delays than we already had. Over wine.
♬ original sound – Blake Perkins
No matter how many times the flight attendants tell her to sit down, the passenger refuses, instead pointing at someone off-camera and saying that they were “accusing” her of something. What they were accusing her of cannot be made out in these videos.
“You came on the plane with wine,” the flight attendant tells her. “I was nice enough to let you on the aircraft. I could have made you stay in Houston. This is how you’re going to treat me?”
From this detail, the dates of the videos involved, and users in the comments section, it seems the flight took off either late in the night on July 25 or early in the morning on July 26, with the flight taking off from Houston before making a diversion into Arizona. The Daily Dot reached out to United Airlines via email to confirm these details.
The flight attendant’s comments did little to settle the dispute. After the woman argues with the flight attendant a bit more, the flight attendant informs her that the airplane will be diverted and that she will go to jail.
As the woman makes her way back to her seat, the flight attendant continues to plead with her to change her behavior.
“I helped you get on the aircraft. I helped you, and this is how you’re going to treat me?” he asks. “You were crying and I gave you a hug because you told me you were having anxiety.”
Perkins posted other videos showing individual clips of what he said led to the woman’s arrest. According to one of Perkins’ comments, the situation was ongoing for 40 minutes before the flight attendant began yelling at the passenger to take a seat. Perkins also wrote that the passengers were not compensated for their diversion to Phoenix, Arizona instead of their intended destination of Los Angeles.
“United decided to put her in a suite and then fly her first class the next morning,” Perkins commented under one of the videos. “But everyone else that got delayed? Nothing.”
@bperkins33 She couldnt have her wine so they didnt let her have her arrival lmfaoooo fucked me over tho #airport #karen ♬ original sound – Blake Perkins
@bperkins33 So annoyed that we had to land so she could be arrested but also free in flight entertainment lmao #karen #airline ♬ original sound – Blake Perkins
Perkins later documented the events on his Twitter page, sharing a video and posting a tweet reading, “Just had my flight diverted because this lady couldn’t keep her mouth shut lmao now she’s going to jail.”
Commenters’ under Perkins’ video were eager to share their thoughts, with many dubbing the woman in the video a “Karen” and giving her the moniker “Wine Girl.”
“Omg those poor flight attendants,” a user wrote.
“That man is going to retire after this,” another added.
“I just don’t understand why other passengers engage the Karen’s. It causes even more chaos,” declared an additional TikToker.
The Daily Dot reached out to Perkins via Tweet and TikTok comment.
Update 2:21pm CT, July 28, 2023: In an email to the Daily Dot, a United Airlines spokesperson shared the following: “On Tuesday, July 25, United flight 1813 diverted to Phoenix due to a disruptive passenger who continually refused to follow the flight attendant’s instructions to return to her seat. Law enforcement officials met the aircraft on arrival and removed the passenger, and the flight subsequently departed for Los Angeles later that evening. The customer has been banned from future United flights while we review this matter.”
