Woman calls passenger ‘racist’ then stuck next to him on 4 hour flight

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A black woman called an airline passenger sitting next to her after she caught him sending racist and homophobic messages.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I decided I wanted you to feel as uncomfortable as I did, and I want you to know that I saw your text messages and I think you’re disgusting” , she said in the TikTok clip that went viral over the weekend. When the passenger apologizes after being humiliated, the social network user replies: “You’re sorry because I saw it”. She did not identify the airline, flight date or passenger in her TikTok posts documenting the recent incident.

Passengers sit on a plane as they travel from Charlotte, North Carolina to Washington, DC on July 2, 2022. A woman recently called a passenger after catching him texting her texting and making racist and homophobic comments. DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty

TikTok user Taila Rouse, who goes by the name of taila.thecreator on the popular social media platform, said she “peeked” at the other passenger’s phone. The man shared an argument with her on a four-hour flight from Puerto Rico to Atlanta last week. When she looked up, she saw the words “tall black woman” on her phone, so she said she kept reading.

“Yes, I could have minded my own business, but why should I let it slip,” she asked in the viral TikTok which garnered more than 13 million views Sunday night, just one day after being shared on the platform. In the post, which also garnered nearly three million likes and around 60,000 comments, Taila Rouse can be heard attacking the passenger next to her in the middle seat.

“He and his family kept talking about the woes of being stuck sitting next to black people and gay people,” she said in the caption. “Then I see this man say he hopes the airlines keep raising prices so these people are weeded out. If you’re bold enough to pull your phone out of the middle seat of an airplane and speak freely in a disrespectful of black people, so I’m going to be bold enough to tell you something.”

@taila.thecreator

Sat next to a racist on my four hour flight from Puerto Rico to Atlanta this week. Yes, I could have minded my own business, but why should I let it slide? I happened to glance over and see the words tall black woman, so I kept reading. He and his family talked endlessly about the woes of being stuck sitting next to black, gay people. Then I see this man say that he hopes the airlines will continue to raise prices so that these people are eliminated. If you’re bold enough to pull out your phone in the middle seat of an airplane and speak freely and disrespectfully of black people, then I’ll be bold enough to tell you something. What would you have done? #traveltiktok #racistoftheday #racistencounter #airplanedrama #travelingwhileblack #blacktravelfeed

original sound – Taila Travel Tips

Newsweek reached out to Taila Rouse via email and social media.

Such cases are not uncommon. Earlier this year, a video of an alleged “racist encounter” on a WestJet flight went viral on TikTok, where it had millions of views. A clip from 2022, which also went viral on the social media platform, showed a Spirit Airlines passenger shouting “racism” at a Las Vegas airport.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) 2022 report, there has been “a long-term trend of increasing frequency and severity of unruly passenger incidents”, which may include harassment and verbal abuse.

An IATA spokesperson told Newsweek previously: “Passengers and crew have the right to expect to enjoy their flight without any form of disruption. Airlines and crew take it very seriously any reports of racial and other harassment It is essential that all passengers [who] is either a victim of harassment or a witness, he immediately informs a member of the cabin crew so that protective measures can be taken.”

Tammy Jones, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, told Newsweek in an email that the incident rate of unruly passengers has been “down more than 80% from record highs in early 2021, but unacceptable behavior keep happening.”

In 2023, so far, there have been over 700 reports of such behavior.

It is unclear whether Taila Rouse has filed a formal complaint with the airline or the FAA. However, she responded to several comments on her viral TikTok, answering some of the most common follow-up questions about her ordeal in subsequent videos.

When asked how the rest of the flight went after confronting the man for his text message thread, she replied that he hadn’t moved from his seat and they were stuck sitting in the one next to the other.

“He wouldn’t even think in my direction when the plane landed,” Taila Rouse said in the post, which shows a video clip of the passenger being turned away from her.

@taila.thecreator

In reply to @mamamimi1976 He wouldn’t even think in my direction when the plane landed. #racistsinthewild #airplaneencounters #blacktravelers #embarrassed

original sound – Taila Travel Tips

One user tried to shame him for staring at someone else’s phone screen, complaining in a rude comment that people “can’t even text our family about how you are unpleasant”.

In response to the user, Taila Rouse shared an enlarged video of the controversial middle seat passenger text thread. The clip displayed several of the derogatory messages with the caption: “Not in the middle seat sitting next to me, NO.” This TikTok clip received 1.7 million views on Sunday night.

She said that person’s comment “is exactly why I did what I did. I started recording after reading more than one racist/homophobic remark… At this point , the text was for me.”

@taila.thecreator

In response to @TXSM9999 This comment is exactly why I did what I did. I started recording after reading more than one racist/homophobic remark. At this point, the text was mine.

original sound – Taila Travel Tips

She also responded to one of the many TikTok users praising her for calling out the man’s racist behavior and shedding light on the situation. In another clip that went viral, she thanked everyone who expressed “appreciation” for her decision to publicly shame the passenger.

“Boiling with blood, I sat with myself for a while on this one trying to decide what I wanted to do, if anything. In the end, you’ll see the decision I made . Story time soon,” she said in a TikTok, which has garnered over 800,000 views.

@taila.thecreator

In response to @Jess, I appreciate everyone who took the time to share their thoughts and appreciation for my decision. Blood boiling, I sat with myself for a while on this one trying to decide what I wanted to do, if anything at all. In the end, you all saw the decision I made. Soon story time.

original sound – Taila Travel Tips

As the wave of support for Taila Rouse continues to mount, several TikTok users have also praised her for sorting out the situation without revealing the identity of the passenger.

“The fact that you didn’t put his ID here.. class act 💯💯 better than me 😅,” one person said in a comment that received over 4,000 likes.

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