Southwest Passenger Booted After Meltdown, Throwing Food

Image: Southwest Airlines plane at William P Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas. (Photo Credit: Patrick Clarke)
Image: Southwest Airlines plane at William P Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas. (Photo Credit: Patrick Clarke)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 2:45 PM ET, Tue January 13, 2026

A Southwest Airlines passenger is going viral after cellphone videos captured him melting down on a recent flight.

The unidentified man, who appears intoxicated, allegedly became angry after his wife began talking to another man seated next to her and started arguing with fellow passengers before flight attendants stepped in to intervene.

Video shows the man using explicit language while confronting several passengers, even throwing his food at one person who was recording the incident.

The man was ultimately removed from the plane, but it's unclear whether the incident resulted in any significant delays or if the passenger will face charges as a result.

Southwest's controversial open seating policy—which is presumably the reason why the man and his wife weren't seated together—will only be in effect for two more weeks before the low-cost carrier shifts to assigned seating starting January 27. 


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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