A maskless United Airlines passenger was kicked off his flight after threatening to break someone's neck

A United Airlines Boeing 737 airplane.
Philip Pilosian/Shutterstock

A TikTok showing an unruly United Airlines passenger on a flight to Los Angeles went viral this week.
The video shows a man threatening staff and other passengers after refusing to get off the phone and put on his mask.
The video is one incident in a larger trend of uncontrollable customers on flights.

A TikTok video showing an outburst from an unruly and maskless United Airlines passenger after he was asked to turn off his phone has become the latest viral post in a growing trend of disorderly travelers.

The video shows an unidentified man ripping off his mask and screaming at other passengers while threatening to find the personal information of the flight crew. The incident took place on a flight to Los Angeles when the man reportedly refused to turn his cell phone off before the flight, according to Travel Noire.

When another passenger attempted to intervene to help calm the man down, the video shows the maskless man saying "mind your business, because I'll break your neck." Police later arrived on the scene to escort the man off the flight.

The original video, posted by user @starcadearcade, has over 6.4 million views on the platform and is one of a smattering of recent viral videos. Two other videos of the incident were also posted, collectively garnering nearly 4 million views on TikTok.

Federal law currently requires that all passengers wear a face mask that fully covers their mouth and nose during the entirety of the flight to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Passengers that do not follow these protocols "may be refused transport, be subject to fines, and could also lose their travel privileges on future United flights," according to the United website.

United Airlines did not immediately respond to Insider's request to comment.

@starcadearcade
It does not end well… I just wanted to play Pokémon ##travel ##starcade ##la ##plane
♬ original sound - Starcade Arcade

In recent months, airline crew members have reported a rising number of disruptive incidents, including travelers who have hit, yelled at, and shoved staff members. Several of these moments have been captured on video and circulated online, sparking larger conversations about travel safety and COVID-19 precautions.

Last month, Hawaiian Airlines had to divert two flights within a 12-hour span after one customer assaulted a flight attendant and another refused to wear a mask, Insider reported. On a JetBlue flight in September, a passenger choked a female flight attendant with his necktie and begged to be shot.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been nearly 4,000 reports of unruly behavior and more than 2,800 cases of passengers refusing to wear masks in 2021. In a statement in August, the organization said it has proposed more than $1 million in fines against passengers this year.

Transportation Security Administration workers previously told Insider that the increase in disorderly airline passengers has made them want to quit their jobs.

"Me and many of my coworkers really have always felt like we were the bastard children of the federal government," a Baltimore screener, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of jeopardizing his job, told Insider's Nicole Guadiano. "For many, many of us, it's really just like, okay, one day closer to retirement."

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