Celebs’ epic airport meltdowns… reality queen’s F-word rant over a SANDWICH to Hollywood star told he’s ‘too fat to fly’
AIRPORTS can be stressful, even for celebrities, and when stars lose their cool, it’s sure to end up on the internet.
BBC Comic Rachel Jackson has gone viral for her rant at Nashville airport when she was allegedly denied access to the Delta Airport lounge.
The Scottish actress, 37, was caught on camera swearing at the cops and even screaming “I am Titanic. I am White Lotus” during her rant.
Her erratic behaviour was captured on police bodycam footage, and she was eventually arrested for disorderly conduct.
Unsurprisingly, she isn’t the first celebrity to cause a scene at the airport and likely won’t be the last.
We look back at some of the strangest celebrity airport meltdowns.
Naomi Campbell
Supermodel Naomi isn’t well known for being level-headed, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that she has lost her cool in an airport.
In 2008, the cover girl, 54, threw a tantrum in front of passengers after missing a transatlantic flight because she turned up just 11 minutes before takeoff.
Witnesses to the outburst at Heathrow Airport saw her start off by stamping her feet and saying: “You have to let me on. Come on.”
In a bid to calm the model, British Airways bosses offered to put her on the flight to New York‘s JFK and send her bags on a later one – which she deemed unacceptable.
She yelled: “You are joking. You are always losing bags and I don’t trust you with mine in a million years.”
And then went on in a fury, declaring: “I can’t believe you won’t allow ME on your flight. What is this? Who must I speak to?”
She eventually chose to leave the airport and her representatives later claimed Naomi had been “disappointed” but had accepted BA’s stance.
Jennifer Aydin
Reality star Jennifer, 47, bizarrely posted a video of her airport meltdown at a sandwich shop in the terminal.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member filmed her interactions with staff at Jersey Mike’s and tagged them in the social media post.
Jennifer was furious at the wait time for the food she had ordered, and claimed someone who ordered after her got their food first.
In a video obtained by a fan account, she is seen telling another customer: “I am a f***ing celebrity, you asshole!”
She then goes on a rant about the employees.
She said: “The 80-year-old that was working there, the amount of time she took to cut that bread was almost as much as we were waiting on that line. Geez.”
One of the employees she filmed posted an emotional response, claiming Jennifer had been holding up the line, struggling to decide what to order and placing orders for people who weren’t in line.
She claimed that the reality star started lording her celebrity status when told to rejoin the line to get additional items ordered.
Jennifer was said to have threatened the workers with lawsuits.
Wayne Rooney
The former Manchester United ace was held in a cell for four hours after a drink-fuelled outburst at the city’s Dulles Airport on December 16, 2019.
Wayne, who was playing for Washington’s DC United at the time, was arrested for public intoxication and swearing after a 30 minute fracas in which he reportedly told officials to “f*** off”.
An onlooker said the disorientated star kicked off after triggering an alarm as he “tried to get back on the plane” following a flight from Riyadh.
It’s believed he had been mixing alcohol and sleeping pills during a 14-hour flight from Riyadh where he had been on a promotional event.
Worse than the four hours in the cell was the wrath of wife Coleen – who reportedly banned him from leaving the house alone after being “mortified” at his latest antics.
Georgia Toffolo
The Made In Chelsea star was understandably emotional when a passport problem meant she faced missing her Christmas celebrations, in 2019.
In an emotional series of social media posts on December 23, she was in floods of tears as she revealed she had been held at Maldives airport.
“Basically my passport was damaged and I am now being effectively deported back to London,” she said.
“So, any tips on how to get an emergency passport because I am not spending Christmas on my own.”
She added that she was facing “four days in a centre ” over Christmas before being able to board a flight home, but the authorities were refusing to let her leave.
She sobbed: “I really had planned such a lovely Christmas here in the Maldives… I just find it really horrible.
“This is so bad, I don’t know how it is even legal.”
Luckily, Georgia was released a few hours later after UK officials stepped in.
Air rage
Latest IATA figures show that over 24,500 incident of air rage – or disruptive passenger behaviour (DPB) – were reported in 2023.
Over 50 operators across the globe reported incidents and there was one report for every 480 flights.
This is an increase from 2022, when there was one incident per 568 flights, according to the IATA.
Latest figures show there 1,028 cases were reported by UK airlines in 2022.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has called for a limit of two drinks per passenger to help halt the rise.
Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice was far from chilled after missing a flight from Peach State to Nebraska in 2016 – launching a rant at Delta employees.
A woman who recorded the “temper tantrum” claimed Ice missed his flight after being on his phone and arriving at the gate ten minutes after the cut-off time for boarding – despite being in the airport an hour before.
But he blamed airline staff ranting: “No one has called me. No one said final call. Nothing. You didn’t board me! I’m sitting in the freaking line … You didn’t even say anything.”
He lost his cool even more when a fellow passenger told him: “You gotta watch the monitor, dude.”
“I don’t need any information from you, man,” Ice ranted. “Shut your f***ing mouth … You don’t work here. Shut up!”
Susan Boyle
In 2016, Susan Boyle was left incredibly upset and frighten after struggling at Heathrow Airport and having a meltdown which she attributed to her Asperger’s syndrome.
The Britain’s Got Talent star, 63, claimed cops treated her like an animal when she was having a stress-induced argument in the airport with staff.
She told The Scottish Sun: “My Asperger’s meant that I was extremely anxious and upset at Heathrow that day. The overcrowding, checking-in, luggage, getting to right gate etc.
“I can’t remember what the argument was about, but I am sorry for my part in it.
“But what I would say is the airport just thought, ‘she’s distressed and disruptive, let’s do something with her’.
“The police shouldn’t have surrounded me like an animal. It made me frightened.
“It didn’t need eight police officers, I’m only 5’2”. They should’ve gone away.”
Susan added that she wanted to send her apologies to BA staff and felt that treatment from police was “humiliating and degrading”.
Helen Flanagan
Soap star Helen, 34, had an airport meltdown in Australia after struggling with panic attacks.
The former Coronation Street actress refused to speak to reporters and fans, or smile for pictures, as she made her way through Brisbane airport ahead of her appearance on I’m A Celebrity.
She headed straight for her car – which turned out to be locked.
“I’ve just got off a two-day flight, and I’ve got people coming towards me,” she moaned.
“I hate flying. They put me on a two-day flight and I can’t handle it.”
Helen doesn’t seem to have much luck in airports, as she was seen crying in Dublin airport back in 2013 when she missed her flight.
The star was told the next one to her destination wouldn’t be for over four hours.
She was seen crying and rearranging her suitcase in the terminal before pulling herself together.
Kevin Smith
The Hollywood director took to social media to rant after being told he was “too fat to fly” and booted off a plane.
He was ejected from a Southwest Airlines flight by a pilot who said he didn’t fit properly in a single seat, which he denied in a furious Twitter tirade.
He wrote: “Dear @SouthwestAir – I know I’m fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?
“Wanna tell me I’m too wide for the sky? Totally cool but fair warning, folks: if you look like me, you may be ejected from Southwest.”
The tweets had the desired effect and he later reveals a manager “sprinted over and breathlessly” begged him to stop, before getting him on another flight. He was also given $100 voucher in compensation.
The Clerks star says the “nightmare” left him depressed and initially he put on weight before losing it again.
He has since shed over 7st following a heart attack in 2018.
James Corden
Gavin and Stacey star James was spotted taking part in an altercation in Lisbon Airport following his BA flight being diverted, last summer.
But in an unusual turn of events, he was actually trying to defuse the situation rather than flying off the handle like most famous faces.
Severe turbulence meant that the flight from the Algarve to London was diverted shortly after it took off.
Once landing in Lisbon airport, passengers claimed they weren’t treated well and James is seen in the pictures telling staff about those concerns.
Terry Watts, who was seen in photos of James telling staff off, said: “At no point was James rude or shouting. And I thank him for making it clear to staff that the situation was not good enough.
“I think it’s sad that people are so quick to judge him as a bad guy.
“James and my husband were simply speaking to the BA staff to recount the poor service they had experienced. The BA staff were shocked and disgusted by the lack of response from staff.
“James and my husband spoke to them for a while and then returned to the queue where us as their families were waiting for them.”
He had spent most of his time in the airport joking with fellow passengers about the ending of the Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special and posing for photos.