The user, referring to herself as ‘Magic‘on social media,was boarding an Austin-bound airplane from Chicago that had been delayed for three hours. She was in the process of moving her backpack when the passenger next to her stood up and started yelling.
In a matter of minutes, staff escorted Magic — who was seated in first-class and had paid $1,000 — back into the airport, physically pushing her in a removal attempt.
Since then, the woman has made multiple videos on TikTok describing the situation, with almost three million viewers tuning in to her updates and explanations.
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Image credits:Airborne YVR/Pexels (Not the actual photo)
According to Magic, she had initially put her backpack below her seat before a flight attendant came over and said that any personal belongings had to be placed in the compartments above.
She stood up and briefly touched a bag to move it, creating space, when the passenger next to her yelled, “Do not touch my bag! Do not touch my stuff!”
“And I said, ‘okay, I’m sorry, my bad, I can put my bag somewhere else,” Magic recalled in her viralvideo.
Image credits:lovergirlmagic
A member of the cabin crew then helped her place her baggage in another area, with the TikToker’s only request being that her belongings stay close to her as she had aMacBookand iPad inside — and she didn’t know anyone else on the plane, beside her partner.
After she got settled, Magic said she noticed the same person who had previously yelled at her leaned over to whisper in his wife’s ear.
It didn’t take long for the situation to escalate after that.
“He got up and he said, ‘I’m threatened, I feel threatened,’” Magic said. “And he yelled at the people on the plane and [told] them that he felt threatened and that he felt uncomfortable.”
The altercation started when Magic touched the passenger’s bag to move it out of the way
She continued, saying the passenger claimed it to be “a race thing,” and felt intimidated due to the fact that he was white and Magic was Black.
The man allegedly tried to convince staff that she had mentioned something “racist” toward him, but the social media user seemed to remember things differently, claiming she’d only spoken to him to apologize about the baggage and never interacted with him again.
At the end of the day, however,American Airlinesforcibly removed her and her partner from the flight with only one explanation: “It’s a race thing.”
In the clip Magic posted, one of the attendants could also be seen waving at her as she stepped back out on the platform, repeating, “Happy New Year.”
“I asked, ‘What’s the race problem?’” she said in the video. “If there’s a race thing, it should be against me more than anything.”
Her last update on the incident was from December 31, 2024.
“It’s a race thing” was the only explanation for Magic’s removal
Internet sleuths quickly used their research skills and discovered the name of the white man to be Andrew “Andy” Swanson, reportedly from Optimal teleHealth — and noted that American Airlines has always had a negative reputation with racism.
“American Airlines is trash. They are racist as hell and hate people with disabilities,” threw in a previous passenger. “I booked my seat where I did because of mydisabilityand they told me THEY would assess if I WAS disabled.”
“I’m so sorry this happened. You were so incredibly calm throughout all of this,” someone sympathized. “I so look up to your calmness but god you didn’t deserve this and I hope this is made up to you.”
A third offered, “This is crazy. So sorry this happened to you both. Please get a lawyer and sue American Airlines and that Andrew guy. This is completely unacceptable and ridiculous.”
Comments were, unsurprisingly, all in favor of Magic suing the airline company
“The condescending attitude of that attendant makes me sick,” said another, referring to the employee who wished her a “Happy New Year. “
The entire altercation with the airline left a sour taste in Magic’s mouth.
“I felt isolated because I was the only person of color in first class and the flight attendant did not wantt o show me where to charge my phone and then asked me to put my bag away without helping,” she toldBored Panda.
She also added that it’s always important to “stay alert and pay attention.”
“ALWAYS RECORD,” she emphasized.
Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, Xavier Veal, and five other unidentified passengers were booted off an American Airlines flight in January 2024 after a white attendant complained about their body odor.
The eight men filed a lawsuit shortly thereafter and, as of last month, the case is now officially closed.
“We are very pleased that American Airlines took our complaint seriously and we hope this never happens to Black passengers or any other people of color again,” said Jackson, Joseph, and Veal in astatementin December 2024.
“Our goal in speaking out has always been to create change. We are proud that we used our voices to make a difference in the lives ofBlack Americans.”
Image credits:Forsaken Films / Unsplash
While what happened to Magic is an ongoing investigation, a spokesperson for the airline company said, “We take all allegations of discrimination seriously and our team is working to get in touch with this customer to learn more about her experience.”
Anecdotes poured in from social media users and many called out the flight attendant who had wished Magic a Happy New Year
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