How chaotic do your fellow passengers need to be for an airline to give you compensation?

MW How chaotic do your fellow passengers need to be for an airline to give you compensation?

By Aditi Shrikant

One flier told MarketWatch that a fellow passenger sprayed them with perfume. She contacted the airline's CEO.

"Whether you're on Delta or Spirit, I don't think there is that much of a difference anymore," travel blogger Jessica Nabongo says. (Photo subjects are models.)

Kiki Monique considers herself a Delta Air Lines loyalist after flying with the carrier for more than a decade. Sitting in first class on a flight in 2023, however, Monique, who hosts a podcast about reality-TV news, ended up the victim of some Bravo-like drama herself.

"This passenger sitting behind me kept accusing me of passing gas - and it was not the case," she said. "She was being very loud about it. It was so embarrassing and disruptive, and she kept calling the flight attendants over."

Monique felt a mist fall over her and realized the passenger was spraying her down with perfume. She could smell the scent in her clothes and hair as she got off the plane.

"It was mortifying," she said. "Imagine being accused of something you're not doing, and something as disgusting as that. As if I'm some animal that can't go to the bathroom."

'It was mortifying.'Kiki Monique, who says another airline passenger harassed her and sprayed her with perfume

The flight attendants tried to appease and quiet the complaining passenger. And while Monique didn't want to draw any more attention to herself, she did want Delta $(DAL)$ to know how uncomfortable she felt.

She called the customer-support line, but they weren't helpful. She then posted on social media about her experience, and someone commented that Delta CEO Ed Bastian sometimes answers emails directly. She sent him a message and, to her surprise, he responded. "He spoke to me for about 20 minutes and was very apologetic," she said.

Delta refunded her the cost of her flight and gave her 100,000 miles.

Cases like Monique's highlight that gray area between passengers behaving badly, your own feelings of safety as a passenger, and official U.S. Transportation Department guidelines for claiming compensation.

"The top priority for every Delta flight attendant is to ensure the safety and comfort of all customers while providing exceptional service," a Delta spokesperson told MarketWatch in an email. "Flight attendants undergo extensive, ongoing training to manage a wide range of onboard scenarios."

Increased anxiety around flying

While the Transportation Department doesn't explicitly state that passengers should be compensated for subpar flight experiences, travelers like Monique believe that requests for such compensation are warranted.

"When there is a lot of anxiety in the world, there tends to be more anxiety on the aircraft," said Josh Rosenberg, a flight attendant and the second vice president of TWU Local 556, the labor union for Southwest Airlines $(LUV)$ flight attendants.

And the world right now can feel a bit chaotic as a result of the angst created by the war against Iran, coupled with economic uncertainty at home and a surge in oil prices.

Flight attendants are there primarily to ensure safety, Rosenberg said, not to referee social dynamics: "There should not be an expectation that flight attendants will settle armrest disputes."

But neither should passengers hesitate to approach a flight attendant about their comfort. "It's always OK to go to a flight attendant. Sometimes they can help," he said. "They might let you stand in the back with them. We can't change your neighbor's personality, but we can try to make you more comfortable."

There are Transportation Department rules rules about flight refunds and other forms of compensation. For instance, if bags are lost or "significantly delayed" - by at least 12 hours for a domestic flight or by 15 to 30 hours for an international trip, depending on its duration - customers are entitled to a refund of their baggage fee.

In many situations, however, the rules vary by airline. The government agency has a chart outlining what kind of compensation each major airline offers customers.

Last March, an American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Detroit due to an unruly passenger.

Many disruptive incidents don't neatly fall into any specific scenario. In November 2025, an American Airlines $(AAL)$ flight en route from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., was forced to make an emergency landing because of a drunk, disruptive passenger. The airline released a statement at the time, saying "law enforcement met the flight and removed the customer, and the flight later redeparted."

Last month, another American Airlines flight, from New York to Chicago, made an emergency landing in Detroit because an unruly passenger was demanding that the plane land. At the time, American Airlines issued a statement about a "disruptive customer," saying that "law enforcement and medical personnel met the flight and the customer deplaned. We appreciate our customers for their patience and thank our crew for their professionalism."

American Airlines did not respond to MarketWatch for a request for comment on these incidents, and whether passengers were offered any compensation.

There is, of course, no accounting for other passengers. In 2019, Jessica Nabongo - a travel blogger and public speaker who says she has visited every country in the world - was on a Alitalia (now known as ITA Airways) flight from Rome to Tel Aviv, when a passenger refused to sit next to her.

"He cited religious reasons," she recalled. "The flight attendant asked me if I would move, and I said, 'No. This is a commercial plane. I'm not moving to accommodate someone who is claiming they won't sit next to me because of their religion.'"

Ultimately, the crew resat him elsewhere, but the ordeal took some time. "It held up our flight since I refused to move from my assigned seat," Nabongo said. She thought about asking for a refund, but, in this instance, decided against it.

Time to shop around?

The Federal Aviation Administration has strict rules and a "zero-tolerance" policy regarding unruly passengers. Interfering with crew and making threats of violence can result in severe civil penalties and criminal prosecution.

"The rate of unruly-passenger incidents steadily dropped by over 80% since record highs in early 2021, but recent increases show there remains more work to do," the FAA says on its website.

Yet the number of incidents involving unruly passengers has not gone unnoticed. The FAA says "incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior are an ongoing problem."

Nabongo said she hasn't always had positive experiences with flight crews or passengers, in part due to the fact that she travels so frequently. Nabongo is a Delta Diamond Medallion member - the top tier of Delta fliers - but she doesn't always believe she is treated like one.

She once received a refund after a flight attendant made a disparaging remark about how she was dressed. "I was wearing this matching set and a bralette you could partially see, and the flight attendant said to me, 'They let you board like that? They let you get on the plane like that?'" she recalled.

When the flight attendant saw where she was sitting, Nabongo said, she took a friendlier tone. "She kept coming back and trying to compliment me, like, 'Oh my god, I love your nails,'" she said. "I asked, 'What's your name?' and I absolutely filed a complaint."

'Airlines don't want to get bad PR.'Meghna Maharishi, an airline expert at Skift

In another instance, Nabongo had a first-class ticket but didn't board with that group. She tried boarding using the Sky Priority line - but upon showing her ticket, she was told she had to go to the back of the line, even though Delta policy states that passengers sitting in first class can board ahead of economy passengers using the faster queue. Nabongo complained, and got a partial refund.

Experiences like this have encouraged Nabongo to shop around more, she says, despite her elite status with Delta. "Loyalty to an airline isn't as important as it used to be," she said. "Whether you're on Delta or Spirit, I don't think there is that much of a difference anymore. It's more important to do what makes sense and is affordable, and focus on getting points and miles via your credit card."

If you do want to file a complaint, first look at the airline's contract of carriage. That's the often-overlooked written agreement with the airline that a passenger signs off on when they purchase a ticket. It spells out what behavior the company deems acceptable, and what it doesn't.

Delta's contract of carriage states that it may remove a passenger if their "conduct is disorderly, abusive or violent, or the passenger appears to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs." United Airlines' $(UAL)$ contract also says it can remove passengers "who are barefoot, not properly clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene or offensive." Similarly, American Airlines says it will remove passengers who are "uncooperative, abusive, harassing, or show the potential to be while onboard."

However, loyalty does make airlines more likely to offer a refund, said Meghna Maharishi, an airline expert at Skift, a platform focused on travel-industry intelligence. "If you have status on an airline, they are more obligated to give you something if you have a bad experience, because they do care about that," she said.

Even if you don't have frequent-flier status, negotiating some sort of reimbursement is still worth it, Maharishi said, as it's in an airline's best interest to appease disgruntled customers.

"Airlines don't want to get bad PR - and they tend to get a lot of bad PR already on a daily basis with crazy flight experiences," she said. "There is some minor pressure to avoid that."

-Aditi Shrikant

MW How chaotic do your fellow passengers need to be for an airline to give you compensation?

By Aditi Shrikant

One flier told MarketWatch that a fellow passenger sprayed them with perfume. She contacted the airline's CEO.

"Whether you're on Delta or Spirit, I don't think there is that much of a difference anymore," travel blogger Jessica Nabongo says. (Photo subjects are models.)

Kiki Monique considers herself a Delta Air Lines loyalist after flying with the carrier for more than a decade. Sitting in first class on a flight in 2023, however, Monique, who hosts a podcast about reality-TV news, ended up the victim of some Bravo-like drama herself.

"This passenger sitting behind me kept accusing me of passing gas - and it was not the case," she said. "She was being very loud about it. It was so embarrassing and disruptive, and she kept calling the flight attendants over."

Monique felt a mist fall over her and realized the passenger was spraying her down with perfume. She could smell the scent in her clothes and hair as she got off the plane.

"It was mortifying," she said. "Imagine being accused of something you're not doing, and something as disgusting as that. As if I'm some animal that can't go to the bathroom."

'It was mortifying.'Kiki Monique, who says another airline passenger harassed her and sprayed her with perfume

The flight attendants tried to appease and quiet the complaining passenger. And while Monique didn't want to draw any more attention to herself, she did want Delta (DAL) to know how uncomfortable she felt.

She called the customer-support line, but they weren't helpful. She then posted on social media about her experience, and someone commented that Delta CEO Ed Bastian sometimes answers emails directly. She sent him a message and, to her surprise, he responded. "He spoke to me for about 20 minutes and was very apologetic," she said.

Delta refunded her the cost of her flight and gave her 100,000 miles.

Cases like Monique's highlight that gray area between passengers behaving badly, your own feelings of safety as a passenger, and official U.S. Transportation Department guidelines for claiming compensation.

"The top priority for every Delta flight attendant is to ensure the safety and comfort of all customers while providing exceptional service," a Delta spokesperson told MarketWatch in an email. "Flight attendants undergo extensive, ongoing training to manage a wide range of onboard scenarios."

Increased anxiety around flying

While the Transportation Department doesn't explicitly state that passengers should be compensated for subpar flight experiences, travelers like Monique believe that requests for such compensation are warranted.

"When there is a lot of anxiety in the world, there tends to be more anxiety on the aircraft," said Josh Rosenberg, a flight attendant and the second vice president of TWU Local 556, the labor union for Southwest Airlines (LUV) flight attendants.

And the world right now can feel a bit chaotic as a result of the angst created by the war against Iran, coupled with economic uncertainty at home and a surge in oil prices.

Flight attendants are there primarily to ensure safety, Rosenberg said, not to referee social dynamics: "There should not be an expectation that flight attendants will settle armrest disputes."

But neither should passengers hesitate to approach a flight attendant about their comfort. "It's always OK to go to a flight attendant. Sometimes they can help," he said. "They might let you stand in the back with them. We can't change your neighbor's personality, but we can try to make you more comfortable."

There are Transportation Department rules rules about flight refunds and other forms of compensation. For instance, if bags are lost or "significantly delayed" - by at least 12 hours for a domestic flight or by 15 to 30 hours for an international trip, depending on its duration - customers are entitled to a refund of their baggage fee.

In many situations, however, the rules vary by airline. The government agency has a chart outlining what kind of compensation each major airline offers customers.

Last March, an American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Detroit due to an unruly passenger.

Many disruptive incidents don't neatly fall into any specific scenario. In November 2025, an American Airlines (AAL) flight en route from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., was forced to make an emergency landing because of a drunk, disruptive passenger. The airline released a statement at the time, saying "law enforcement met the flight and removed the customer, and the flight later redeparted."

Last month, another American Airlines flight, from New York to Chicago, made an emergency landing in Detroit because an unruly passenger was demanding that the plane land. At the time, American Airlines issued a statement about a "disruptive customer," saying that "law enforcement and medical personnel met the flight and the customer deplaned. We appreciate our customers for their patience and thank our crew for their professionalism."

American Airlines did not respond to MarketWatch for a request for comment on these incidents, and whether passengers were offered any compensation.

There is, of course, no accounting for other passengers. In 2019, Jessica Nabongo - a travel blogger and public speaker who says she has visited every country in the world - was on a Alitalia (now known as ITA Airways) flight from Rome to Tel Aviv, when a passenger refused to sit next to her.

"He cited religious reasons," she recalled. "The flight attendant asked me if I would move, and I said, 'No. This is a commercial plane. I'm not moving to accommodate someone who is claiming they won't sit next to me because of their religion.'"

Ultimately, the crew resat him elsewhere, but the ordeal took some time. "It held up our flight since I refused to move from my assigned seat," Nabongo said. She thought about asking for a refund, but, in this instance, decided against it.

Time to shop around?

The Federal Aviation Administration has strict rules and a "zero-tolerance" policy regarding unruly passengers. Interfering with crew and making threats of violence can result in severe civil penalties and criminal prosecution.

"The rate of unruly-passenger incidents steadily dropped by over 80% since record highs in early 2021, but recent increases show there remains more work to do," the FAA says on its website.

Yet the number of incidents involving unruly passengers has not gone unnoticed. The FAA says "incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior are an ongoing problem."

Nabongo said she hasn't always had positive experiences with flight crews or passengers, in part due to the fact that she travels so frequently. Nabongo is a Delta Diamond Medallion member - the top tier of Delta fliers - but she doesn't always believe she is treated like one.

She once received a refund after a flight attendant made a disparaging remark about how she was dressed. "I was wearing this matching set and a bralette you could partially see, and the flight attendant said to me, 'They let you board like that? They let you get on the plane like that?'" she recalled.

When the flight attendant saw where she was sitting, Nabongo said, she took a friendlier tone. "She kept coming back and trying to compliment me, like, 'Oh my god, I love your nails,'" she said. "I asked, 'What's your name?' and I absolutely filed a complaint."

'Airlines don't want to get bad PR.'Meghna Maharishi, an airline expert at Skift

In another instance, Nabongo had a first-class ticket but didn't board with that group. She tried boarding using the Sky Priority line - but upon showing her ticket, she was told she had to go to the back of the line, even though Delta policy states that passengers sitting in first class can board ahead of economy passengers using the faster queue. Nabongo complained, and got a partial refund.

Experiences like this have encouraged Nabongo to shop around more, she says, despite her elite status with Delta. "Loyalty to an airline isn't as important as it used to be," she said. "Whether you're on Delta or Spirit, I don't think there is that much of a difference anymore. It's more important to do what makes sense and is affordable, and focus on getting points and miles via your credit card."

If you do want to file a complaint, first look at the airline's contract of carriage. That's the often-overlooked written agreement with the airline that a passenger signs off on when they purchase a ticket. It spells out what behavior the company deems acceptable, and what it doesn't.

Delta's contract of carriage states that it may remove a passenger if their "conduct is disorderly, abusive or violent, or the passenger appears to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs." United Airlines' (UAL) contract also says it can remove passengers "who are barefoot, not properly clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene or offensive." Similarly, American Airlines says it will remove passengers who are "uncooperative, abusive, harassing, or show the potential to be while onboard."

However, loyalty does make airlines more likely to offer a refund, said Meghna Maharishi, an airline expert at Skift, a platform focused on travel-industry intelligence. "If you have status on an airline, they are more obligated to give you something if you have a bad experience, because they do care about that," she said.

Even if you don't have frequent-flier status, negotiating some sort of reimbursement is still worth it, Maharishi said, as it's in an airline's best interest to appease disgruntled customers.

"Airlines don't want to get bad PR - and they tend to get a lot of bad PR already on a daily basis with crazy flight experiences," she said. "There is some minor pressure to avoid that."

-Aditi Shrikant

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April 10, 2026 18:01 ET (22:01 GMT)

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