Woman Who's Hauled Off Her Flight Goes on Homophobic Rant

Image: Unruly passenger Kelci Cashman, who was removed from an American Airlines flight. (image via YouTube/Paddle Your Own Kanoo)
Image: Unruly passenger Kelci Cashman, who was removed from an American Airlines flight. (image via YouTube/Paddle Your Own Kanoo)
Laurie Baratti
by Laurie Baratti
Last updated: 6:25 PM ET, Sun July 25, 2021

In yet another bizarre incident showcasing unruly airline passenger behavior, American Airlines flight attendants last week were obliged to eject from the cabin a woman who was caught on video spewing homophobic slurs at her fellow flyers.

The Texas woman, later identified as Kelci Cashman, had boarded an American Airlines flight headed from Dallas to Orlando, but she and her party, which appears to include two young children, were escorted off the plane prior to takeoff for failing to comply with the federal mask mandate. But, that's not the part that caught media attention.

No one seems to know what set off Cashman's tirade, but someone recorded a snippet of her ranting on unrelated subjects and yelling homophobic slurs at fellow passengers as she was exiting the aircraft.

Evidently in the middle of an argument with another passenger over who-knows-what, the erstwhile real estate agent can be heard shouting things like, "F***ing faggots! You corrupted Disney!"

There are few audible responses from other passengers, including a "Bye, Felicia" and someone saying "cover your mouth!".

One cabin occupant who jumped in said, "I'm in a lesbian marriage and I fought for this country. Please get off this plane."

Cashman comes back with, "You think I talk to my kids about same-sex marriage. No, we don't talk about that. But, if we all want to talk about it, let's talk about it."

From off-camera, a man can be heard telling her, "No one wants to listen to your bigotry. Get off the plane."

A flight attendant arrives to take hold of Cashman's arm and lead her off the plane, eliciting a burst of cheering and applause from fellow flyers. Police were reportedly there to meet her on the jet bridge, but it's unclear whether she was afterward detained.

An American Airlines spokesperson provided Live and Let's Fly with a statement when asked to comment on the incident: "We expect our customers to comply with our policies when they choose to travel with us, and we take action when that is not the case. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated and we thank our team members for their professionalism."


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Laurie Baratti

Laurie Baratti

Assistant Editor

Laurie Baratti is an Assistant Editor for TravelPulse. She is a San Diego-based journalist whose work has previously appeared in publications like TravelAge West, SPACE, Modern Home + Living, Montage, and Sandals Life magazines. Travel writing has long been her passion, and she is always looking for excuses to explore the world outside of her native California. Laurie is also a lifelong equestrian, a proud pet-parent, and an underground advocate of the Oxford comma.

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