In an unusual turn of events, an American Airlines flight from Phoenix, Arizona to Austin, Texas, experienced a delay of 15 to 30 minutes after a “disgruntled” passenger allegedly caused a commotion due to his excessive flatulence.
The incident, which occurred earlier this month, prompted the flight to return to its gate, as reported by a fellow passenger on Reddit who described the situation as a “kinda funny story.”
According to the Reddit user, the trouble began when the passenger noticed a man near his row who seemed audibly disgruntled about something, possibly hungover or having a rough day. Shortly after boarding, the situation escalated when the man loudly declared, “You thought that was rude? Well, how about this smell,” before audibly farting.
The Reddit poster expressed bewilderment at the uncalled-for behavior, especially considering it came from a grown man on an airplane. The disruptive passenger’s strange conduct continued as he grew more irate when others began eating snacks or food on the flight.
According to the account, the man condescendingly remarked, “Yeah, everybody let’s just eat the smelliest food possible all at the same time.” Other passengers responded with disapproval, with one suggesting, “If you don’t like it, you can fly private,” leading to a heated exchange.
Flight attendants eventually intervened, informing the disruptive passenger that his behavior was unacceptable. Despite the plane being on the runway, it unexpectedly returned to the gate, and the crew announced, “Apologies for the interruption but we are returning to the gate, we will give you more info when we have it.”
Upon reaching the gate, the flight attendant informed the flatulent passenger that he would not be continuing the journey. The Reddit user praised American Airlines for handling the situation swiftly, stating, “We all breathed a sigh of relief when he was removed; I think most people were on edge about what he may say or do next.”
