Whitney Miller, 25, and her father Eric Miller, 70, said they were unfairly kicked off the Frontier flight from Orlando (MCO) to St. Louis (STL). The two were on their way to visit a sick relative in St. Louis when their flight, which was scheduled for just after 11:00am was delayed until shortly after 6:00pm — about a seven-hour delay.
According to News 6 in Orlando, after the Millers had boarded, the two said they were having a private discussion in their seats, expressing their displeasure with the delay. A flight attendant overheard the conversation and approached them "aggressively." The two were then escorted off the flight.
Frontier Airlines tells a different story, saying that the Millers were not discussing their feelings privately, but were instead shouting profanities at the flight attendants.
The latter half of the incident was captured on video. You can watch it below.
According to an incident report from Frontier, the Millers were being disrespectful during the boarding process and calling the flight attendants derogatory names. According to the report, the Millers were asked to stop but did not, so the flight attendant notified the captain. A Frontier spokesman told Fox News that had the Millers complied with the crew's orders to stop, they would have been allowed to travel.
The Denver-based carrier has released the following statement following Wednesday's incident: "Our Flight Attendants are customer service and safety professionals who are trained to recognize situations that may impact comfort and safety of passengers and crew onboard our aircraft. The behaviors and comments exhibited by these passengers prior to departure were inappropriate; and as a result they were asked to leave our aircraft. Safety and security of our passengers and crew is our number one priority."
As can be heard in the video, other passengers started clapping as the Millers were exiting at the aircraft. At this time, it's not known if the clapping is in support of the crew or if the father-daughter duo were actually the truth tellers in this situation and earned the applause. In the aftermath of the incident, News 6 is reporting that the two were refunded the cost of their tickets, and they're now driving to St. Louis to see their sick relative.
