Flight attendant refuses to entertain disruptive influencers on a domestic 5-hour flight by getting their beverage privileges revoked: 'There is a volume threshold in shared spaces'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Apr 17, 2026 2:30 PM EDT

Never forget that flight attendants have the ability to make a passenger's experience a living nightmare.

This off-duty flight attendant was headed back home on a 5-hour flight as a regular passenger when a group of entitled influencers unfortunately surrounded her on all sides. With all due respect to the social media-obsessed kids out there, these were not decent people. They were loud, relentless, and performative. They refused to use their "indoor voices" or to respect other passengers, who were trying to rest and enjoy some peace. 

Thankfully, the flight attendant pulled someone on duty aside and figured out the perfect way to make their "girls trip" a little less fun. 

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  • A blonde passenger speaks with a flight attendant while boarding the plane
    via Unsplash+ (Andrej Lišakov)

    A blonde passenger speaks with a flight attendant while boarding the plane 

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "The Influencers Who Lost Their Party Privileges"

    This is your reminder that your flight attendant controls your snacks, your drinks, and― occasionally-your experience.
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  • There is a version of flight attendant professionalism that exists in the training manuals. And then there is the version that exists in real life. Real life will train you in ways that the well-
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  • intended official training could never imagine was possible, or even necessary. That's the main reason my motto became "Everything is fine, until people."
    via MaigenUX
  • In training, we set the intention to be poised and prepared for any event, no matter what it turns out to be. We intend to be gracious. We intend to show up like it's still the heyday of air travel. We intend to be the calm, capable
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  • presence at 35,000 feet, ensuring safety while delivering beverages with a perfect smile and a perfectly crisp napkin.
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  • In real life? We are human beings in a metal tube with 150-300 other human beings, some of whom are delightful, and some of whom...are testing the outer limits of our patience. Sometimes resulting what I like to call quiet, contained pettiness. |
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  • And listen. I am not proud of these moments. But I am also not not proud of them.
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  • An annoyed off-duty flight attendant puts her head in her hands while sitting on a plane.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    An annoyed off-duty flight attendant puts her head in her hands while sitting on a plane.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • This one was on my day off, which somehow makes it worse. I was non-revving with my partner, which means I am just a regular passenger (except my ticket was free). Also, except I am absolutely not a regular passenger because I cannot turn off the part of my brain that is clocking everything happening around me.
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  • We are headed to CUN* and are seated across the aisle from two women in their early twenties. They are in seats A and B, while we were in D and E. And from the moment we boarded, it was clear that they had brought a very specific energy onto that aircraft.
    via MaigenUX
  • You know these people: every public action is an audition for Bravo. Loud. Performative. Every sentence designed to be overheard. Lots of "oh emmmmm geeeee" and exaggerated reactions and narrating their own lives like they were filming a reality show that, unfortunately, the rest of us had not consented to participate in.
    via MaigenUX

  • What is with people who seem to be performing in public places? No, I'm not talking about legitimate performers. I'm talking about people who project on the phone so that everyone around them can hear about what they're going through. I'm talking about people clearly want to be seen and recognized at all times, even if they're in the wrong environment for that. 

    Where does this constant need for attention come from? Well, it's no surprise that in this instance, these people were influencers, comparing follower counts and trading stories that were probably not as glamorous as they sounded. 

    People like this tend to think that the world on their social media is the world at large. In other words, there is a kind of self-delusion in which people start to think they are the main characters of the entire world just because they have an online following. 

    There is a place for influencers. They can be informative. They can be creative. They can even use their platform well. I don't have anything against them, as someone who also produces material for the internet. But we need to remember that our perceptions of how things are based on what's online is not necessarily the truth, and basic levels of human decency and respect are still required, no matter who you are. 

    Here's hoping these passengers learned their lesson for the rest of their dry flight!

  • And listen: I am not the fun police. I am not here to shut down joy. If you want to laugh and have a good time, I genuinely love that for you. Giggle it up. I love to have a good time, too. But there is a volume threshold in shared spaces. I think we can all agree when we're flying. commercial airlines, you need to share the air.
    via MaigenUX
  • These ladies blew past any reasonable person's tolerance levels about ten minutes into boarding. It escalated over the boarding process and through takeoff. It got to the shrieking, scream-laughing stage about 45 minutes into the 5 hour flight.
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  • So I leaned forward, caught one of their eyes, smiled and waved a friendly hand. In the calmest, most neutral tone I could manage I said, "Hey, would you girls mind bringing it down just a notch?" | gave the international hand signs for 'take it down a bit' like i'm dialing a volume k. No attitude. No edge. No attempt to embarrass them. Just a polite, adult request that they take a second to recalibrate.
    via MaigenUX
  • Which they did not appreciate. Because immediately, I hear, not even quietly, "This b is telling us to shut up," followed by a full recap of the interaction to the person who was also witness to the exchange, who is still sitting 11 inches from their face.
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  • Over. And over. And over again. At this point, I am still behaving. I am still minding my business. I
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  • beverage service. The flight attendant comes by, and the girls order b s. Interesting. Because I had seen them at the gate. And they were not starting from zero.
    via MaigenUX
  • So when the flight attendant turned to me and asked what I wanted, I leaned in just slightly and said, very calmly, "Hey, just a heads up-I'm a flight attendant with Delta, and I saw those two girls having quite a bit to drink at the gate. I just want to make sure we're not over-serving."
    via MaigenUX
  • And that was that. No more drinks for the girls for the rest of the flight. Not a dramatic consequence. Just a quiet inconvenience that would slightly dampen their vibe for the rest of the flight.
    via MaigenUX
  • And I sat back in my seat like the pettiest version of myself, fully aware of what I had just done. Was it necessary? Debatable. Did it feel incredibly satisfying, as if I had single-handedly brought slightly more balance to the universe?
    via MaigenUX
  • Absolutely. Almost as satisfying as the vodka club sodas I drank the rest of the way.
    via MaigenUX

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flight attendant flight plane petty revenge influencers funny entitled people
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