Man Sparks Debate After Telling Fellow Plane Passenger to Shut Up on ‘Turbulent Flight’

A man on Reddit sparked a debate after sharing he told a fellow airplane passenger having a "meltdown" on a rough flight to "shut up."

"I was on a flight from Atlanta to LAX last night. Packed flight, everyone just trying to get some sleep. About two hours in, the lights come on and an announcement crackles through the intercom: turbulence ahead, fasten seat belts. Pretty standard stuff," he wrote.

That's when, according to the man, "all hell [broke] loose."

"This woman, maybe late 40s, impeccably dressed, starts freaking out. Screaming about air pockets, demanding to speak to the pilot, the whole nine yards. Flight attendant (super patient lady, bless her) tries to calm her down, explains it's standard procedure, turbulence is normal. Nope, not having it," he continued.

The woman, who he called "Jane," apparently threw a fit.

"Not the screeching, nails-on-a-chalkboard kind, but a cold, steely fury. She accuses the flight attendant of lying, of putting everyone in danger, and demands to be deplaned immediately. Flight attendant says that's not possible mid-flight, and Jane launches into this whole spiel about how she's a doctor (pulls out an ID to prove it), and if something happens, it's on the airline," he recalled.

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"I yell out (probably a little too loudly), 'Look lady, we all get turbulence. It's not a five-star resort, but it's safe. Sit down and shut up before you get yourself arrested!' Everyone stares at me. Jane spins around, eyes blazing, and starts in on me about disrespecting a medical professional. I fire back that a real doctor wouldn't be causing a scene and freaking everyone out. The flight attendant dives in, trying to mediate, but the damage is done. We hit some turbulence, not terrible, but enough to jostle the plane. Jane freaks again, and some people start getting panicky," he explained.

"The flight attendant gives me a look that could curdle milk, but then steers Jane away to talk to her privately. By the time we land, things are calmer, but the tension is thick. Jane gives me a withering look as she disembarks, and a few people mutter thanks under their breath," the man added

Now, however, the man feels bad about his outburst and is wondering if he made the situation worse.

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Users sounded off in the comments, with some agreeing with the man, while others disagreed with his actions.

"The crew are trained to handle these sorts of situations and you in your frustration escalated it. I fly. A lot. I'm also a very big guy who looks like he can handle himself. There's kind of an unwritten rule that if there's an aggressive passenger I sit the fuck down but pay attention, don't jump in, don't risk making things worse in an attempt to fix the issue," one person wrote.

"Yes, [You're the a--hole], you might mean well but in this case this is a job for the flight attendant. Any issues with the plane should be handled by the professionals. Even disagreements with seating, noise, etc. you DO NOT cause a scene in the plane," another user chimed in.

"I will say that sometimes professionals are not enough. There are some type of panic when you need even to slap someone in the face. Talking nice and being professional it's not always a way. Looks like Jane needed something stronger and OP gave it. That's only my opinion," a third person commented.