Top 10 Times Airline Karens Faced Justice

It’s always handy when people let you know they’re going to be a problem on a plane before it's even taken off. In 2023, one woman reportedly had a few too many drinks as she got onboard at Gold Coast Airport, in Australia. She had allegedly been disruptive and refused to listen to the cabin staff. But they apparently had trouble getting her to leave. This led to the police coming and basically dragging her off the plane. As she was escorted out, the other passengers, likely feeling a united sense of relief, burst into song with Steam’s “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.” It was quite moving, really.

In 2021, at Southwest Florida International Airport, Adelaide Gabriel Schrowang refused to wear a mask on the plane. Plus, she was behaving in a generally disruptive manner. According to flight staff and authorities, she even spat at her fellow passengers – something she has since denied. Ultimately, Port Authority officers came to take her away. But it wasn’t exactly easy with her behavior and slurring. Later, she explained her issue, saying she was anxious and hyperventilating. Facing charges and spending just over two weeks in jail, she ultimately entered a no contest plea and received six months of probation. She was also ordered to undergo “psychiatric” and substance use “evaluations.”

One couple aboard a JetBlue flight in Florida decided to fill out the bingo card of offensive and cringey remarks. Having already upset the crew and passengers enough that they were told to get off the flight, the woman descended into a slur-filled rant. She notably talked about “free speech,” called people “sheep,” lamented the state of the country, and more. She also mentioned her love of the controversial Elon Musk. Her hubby, meanwhile, chimed in every now and then. And let’s not forget the threats to sue and ‘Karen’ saying they were being taken off the aircraft due to their support of Donald Trump. That brought numerous groans from those nearby. In the end, the pair faced justice, reportedly being removed from the plane.

Is there anything worse than traveling when someone whips out a speaker and plays music loudly? Apparently, there is. In 2021, singer Jawny recorded a really bonkers moment during a flight. A Karen stood up, armed with a microphone, and went into a rant about how the pandemic was caused by peoples’ lack of “faith” and the Internet…yikes. She also claimed people didn’t mind watching as she was “not terrible to look at.” Hey, nobody can say she didn’t have an ego! The Delta Airlines staff tried to put an end to her antics throughout, even threatening her with handcuffs. Eventually, they managed to take her away as she rambled about her dog.

Even celebrities aren’t immune to being ‘Air Karens’. This time, sources claim we got Angela Deem from “90 Day Fiancé” ruining peoples’ trip. A brief video was uploaded online, reportedly showing her in the middle of an argument with flight staff. Now, we don’t know what sparked the incident. But she uttered lines like “you are not law enforcement” and told the attendant that they started it. That makes us think the crew member is in the right. There was speculation that she was thrown off the flight or left herself, but nothing was confirmed. Nevertheless, the Karen’s reputation was damaged online, which is some form of justice. Hopefully, the worker got a pay bump too!

In 2021, TikTok user Arieana Mathena posted about a disturbing incident that occurred on her flight involving a fellow passenger. She reportedly explained that the cabin crew was traversing the aisle, covertly talking to each other and locking the bathrooms, concerning those on board. It was ultimately revealed that a woman had been restrained with duct tape after behaving dangerously. American Airlines released a statement, explaining there was a “potential security concern” as the aforementioned passenger had tried to open the boarding door. On top of that, they had attacked and hurt at least one staff member. According to reports, the woman was taken to receive medical care after landing.

Many of us have missed flights. It sucks, but once it’s happened, there isn’t much to be done then and there. That didn’t stop one mystery woman at Mexico City International Airport from going full Karen, though. According to Emirates airline, she arrived late to check in. Worse still, her passport was no longer valid. When she was refused travel, she lashed out in a major way. For starters, she attacked at least one worker, swearing profusely in the process. She also vandalized the check-in area, flinging items all over the place. To top it all off, she got on the desk and screamed. Reportedly, security and the police soon arrived to gain control of the situation and escorted her away.

Sometimes, Karens come with degrees and doctorates. And they’re even actually named Karen, which is fun! In 2015, Pennsylvania State University’s Dr. Karen Halnon was traveling to Miami. But the sociology professor took relaxing to another level by lighting up a cigarette on the plane, a big no-no. Halnon then blamed the person next to her. As if that wasn’t enough, she also launched into a chaotic rant about Venezuela-US relations. She was taken into custody when the flight landed, and faced a disorderly conduct charge. In the aftermath of her arrest, Harlon’s employers reportedly stated that while she still had a job, she was no longer teaching.

You gotta love it when someone tries to throw their weight around but has to awkwardly backtrack when it backfires. That was what happened to Susan Peirez in 2018. After she was seated next to a baby on a plane, she went off, apparently yelling at the infant and mother. Peirez then threatened the job of flight attendant Tabitha. But Tabitha wasn’t having it, and demanded that the Karen be removed from the aircraft. The passenger tried to apologize, but to no avail. During the encounter, she also tried indirectly name-dropping then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, presumably hoping that would score her points...it didn’t. The video went viral, and she was “placed on leave” from her job at the New York State Council on the Arts.

Former NFL cheerleader and “Baywatch” actor Patricia Cornwall chose the wrong man to intimidate. As she walked down the plane aisle, she was asked to take a random seat and wait for the trolly to pass. Annoyed, she inappropriately referenced Rosa Parks, which was completely out of line. But that wasn’t all she did. Seemingly bothered that passenger Russell Miller had his face mask down to eat and drink, Cornwall decided to furiously rant at him. He, in turn, didn’t help things by repeatedly calling her a “Karen” among other things. But Cornwall was still way over the top. She even assaulted Miller rather violently. As you can imagine, she was arrested when the flight landed, and the FBI took it from there.