A woman detailed a grueling nine-hour ordeal at Newark Liberty International Airport, during which she was deplaned from two separate flights before her travel plans were completely upended. In a TikTok video, she recounted the experience, which began with a 4:00 p.m. departure and ended with her stranded overnight without her luggage.
The video shows a young woman sitting in a room, explaining that she was back where she started her day after spending the entire time at the airport. She said she arrived at the airport at 2:30 p.m. for her flight, which appeared to be boarding on time. However, after boarding the plane, she said it did not move due to a severe storm.
She described watching thunder, lightning, and heavy rain from her seat. According to her account, the crew eventually announced they had to deplane due to lightning within five miles. As she exited, she said she saw water pouring from the top of the plane into puddles near the flight attendants’ area.
First flight delayed, then canceled
After deplaning, the woman said passengers were told there were maintenance issues and to wait another 20 to 30 minutes. She described spending money on Ubers, food, and compression socks during the extended wait. The flight was reportedly pushed to 6:45 p.m., and she said she began to fear it would be canceled.
At that point, she said she called a friend named Emily, whom she described as the person who handles her flights. According to the video, Emily found a delayed 5:30 p.m. flight and the woman ran to the new gate, arriving at 6:15 p.m. She said no one had started boarding yet, which she thought was perfect.
However, boarding did not begin until 8:00 p.m. Once on the plane, she said she was in a middle seat between two large men. The pilot reportedly announced they were backed up on the tarmac. She described waiting until 9:30 p.m., at which point they were told they were rerouting to avoid bad weather.
At 10:00 p.m., she said the crew announced that all three potential routes were unworkable. They also stated, according to her account, that they had run out of fuel for the only viable option after sitting on the tarmac for two and a half hours. The flight was canceled, and she had to deplane again.
Checked bag stranded on canceled flight
The woman said her checked bag was still on her original 4:00 p.m. flight, which she later learned had been canceled around 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. She described going to baggage claim, where there was a “line out the wazoo” and many angry passengers. She said staff refused to release bags, stating they would be sent to final destinations.
According to the video, she was told she would have to fly to Los Angeles the next day. She said Emily then booked her a first-class ticket for 7:30 a.m. the following morning. “Why would you do that? Why would you do that?” she said in the video, expressing shock at the upgrade. She said Emily told her it was the only option and that they would get a refund. The shock at an unexpected upgrade highlights how airline policies can lead to surprising passenger interactions, like when a Tiktoker was told her fuzzy blanket violated a dress code.
The video ends with her stating, “This was the worst travel day of my entire life.” The video’s caption reads, “DEPLANED FROM 2 diff planes in one day is a record. 9 hours. and once again @lia saves my ass bc idk how to do anything ever.”
The video, posted by user BRIELLE♉️💙 with the handle @brielleybelly123, drew comments from viewers who related to the experience. One comment read, “omfg i would make this everyone’s problem.” Another asked, “how are you still standing.”
One commenter noted a silver lining, writing, “Dude this sucks. Thank god you weren’t bringing your cat with you this time!! I know you fly him every once in a while, so silver lining I guess.” Another viewer pointed out, “Mind u my bag will allegedly be en route to lax.”
Additional comments included, “That would genuinely piss me off,” and a remark about passenger compensation laws in the European Union. One user wrote, “If we were in the EU they would have had to pay you between €250-600 cash for the trouble. We were supposed to have a similar law here but can you take a guess who’s administration scrapped it?”
