The identity of the woman who exited an American Airlines flight after a tirade about a passenger who she claimed was “not real” has been revealed, according to reports.
In the viral video, which circulated after the 2 July incident, the woman could be seen screaming at fellow passengers about her reasons for exiting the plane while standing in the aisle of the aircraft.
“I’m telling you, I’m getting the f*** off, and there’s a reason why I’m getting the f*** off,” the woman could be heard yelling as she walked up the plane aisle. “And everyone can either believe it or they can not believe it. I don’t give two f***s.
“But I am telling you right now, that motherf***er back there is not real.”
The woman then continued the profanity-filled tirade, adding: “And you can sit on this plane and you can f***ing die with them or not. I’m not going to.”
In a statement to The Independent at the time, a spokesperson for American Airlines confirmed the incident had taken place aboard a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, to Orlando, Florida, and that the incident involving the “disruptive customer” had forced the plane to return to the gate.
“The flight was met at the gate by local law enforcement and the customer was removed from the flight. Safety and security are our top priorities, and we thank our customers for their understanding and our team members for their professionalism in managing a difficult situation,” the airline said.
The woman has since been identified by The New York Post as Tiffany Gomas, a marketing executive who lives in Dallas, Texas.
According to The Post, which reviewed police documents about the incident, Gomas, 38, was allegedly unwilling to leave the flight despite her rant, and “had to be removed by staff”.
The police documents also described the issue that reportedly sparked Gomas’ tirade, with The New York Post reporting that Gomas had allegedly gotten into an argument with family members she was travelling with over a pair of missing AirPods. According to the outlet, Gomas accused her relatives of stealing her AirPods.
“The female then started claiming the aircraft was not safe and did not want the aircraft to leave due to her believing it would not make it to its destination,” the 2 July complaint states, adding that flight attendants then “felt the aircraft needed to be rescreened”.
The other passengers aboard the flight were then forced to exit the plane so they could be screened through security again, The New York Post reported.
The original poster of the video, who shared the clip on TikTok, previously claimed the incident delayed the flight by three hours, according to the DailyMail. The TikTok user also claimed the woman “somehow didn’t get arrested and got back through security after the whole plane had to deplane”.
Comedian Scott Thompson, who is known by his stage name Carrot Top, and who was allegedly on board the plane when the incident took place, also opened up about the experience. According to Thompson, who filmed himself in the airport after he was allegedly forced to deplane alongside the other passengers, the incident occurred because the woman “lost her earbud”.
“This is on my airplane,” Thompson said in a since-deleted Instagram video, before turning the camera towards himself to tell his followers: “Well, this is why we’re all sitting here in f***ing Dallas now because she lost her earbud.”
In a follow-up video allegedly taken after the incident, Thompson revealed that he and the other passengers had finally made it to Orlando, Florida.
“Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know I made it home. I give my hats off to everyone at American Airlines today for how they handled that situation with the nut job that just lost her mind in front of the whole plane,” the comedian said. “Five hours later, we’re here in Orlando.”
According to the paperwork viewed by The New York Post, “TSA personnel arrived at the scene to conduct a full rescreening of the aircraft” after Gomas’ comments.
The paperwork also reportedly states that Gomas was “distraught” by the time officers arrived at the gate and was attempting to board the plane again. She then reportedly refused to speak to Dallas-Fort Worth Department of Public Safety police.
Gomas was reportedly given a “verbal criminal trespass notice” by the airline manager and told that she was denied boarding and “needed to depart the secure area,” according to the documents reviewed by the outlet.
However, Gomas continued to try to “come back through TSA screening and into the boarding area multiple times,” the documents state, noting that she was eventually found sitting on the curb outside the terminal, where she was waiting for an Uber.
According to The New York Post, she was given a ticket for criminal trespass notice, which she allegedly refused to sign, and did not show police her ID.
The complaint allegedly states that Gomas was never formally arrested or taken into custody.
The outlet reports that the 38-year-old Oklahoma State University graduate previously served as vice president of client services for Elevate Brand Marketing and lives in a $2m home in the Lakewood neighbourhood of Dallas, according to public records.
Industry publication PPAI Media previously named Gomas on its “20 Most Watchable Young Leaders” list in 2017. While speaking to the publication about the honour, Gomas was asked to reveal her inspiration, to which she named her mother.
“My mother - for so many reasons. Her courage and conviction are second to none. She is the first to lend a hand when someone needs help,” Gomas said. “She’s my sounding board, my sanity, my coach, my confidante. She’s simply amazing.”
On her LinkedIn profile, which has since been deleted, Gomas was listed as the owner of Uppercut Marketing, LLC, an advertising firm, according to Insider. As of 8 August, the website for Uppercut Marketing appears to have been removed.
Gomas’ Instagram account has also been made private.
The Independent has contacted Gomas and the Dallas-Fort Worth Department of Public Safety office for comment.
