An American Airlines flight attendant, Elizabeth Braley, recently shared her harrowing experience of being targeted by an angry passenger in a road rage incident. In a TikTok video posted earlier this week, Braley recounted how she was driving home on the interstate after an international flight when a red Sedan kept cutting her off at speeds of 80 mph.
.gif)
Braley said she tried to cross multiple lanes in an attempt to stay clear of the car, which she claimed was "trying to run me off the road". "I get to the farthest left lane and I'm going as fast as I can to try to get away from her and she pulls up on the side of my jeep and my windows are down, and she looks at me, and says: 'F**k your airline!' and starts throwing shit out of her car," Braley said through tears.
Braley goes on to say that she can understand that American Airlines is "struggling with operations right now" and that passengers feel frustrated by delays or cancellations but urged them not to take their anger out on her. "I just work for them and I get frustrated too because we don't get paid for boarding, we don't have a contract right now," she said.
The union representing the flight attendants is holding a strike authorization vote on what they see as an outdated 2019 contract later this month. "We are so tired too, but like really?" Braley said in the video. "It's just like, I just don't get why people are so cruel sometimes". At the time of writing, the video has racked up more than 125,000 views. Braley and a spokesperson for American Airlines did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. This incident highlights the growing issue of passenger aggression and violence towards flight attendants. Many have reported that the harassment has taken a toll on their mental health. It is important for passengers to remember that flight attendants are simply doing their job and have no control over delays or cancellations. We hope that this incident serves as a reminder to treat all airline staff with respect and kindness.