Air travel has been testing people’s patience for months.
Cancellations.
Weather chaos.
Missing crews.
Last-minute gate changes.
But one traveler says her recent experience with American Airlines pushed her past frustration and straight into disbelief.
Her verdict?
She’d “rather chew glass” than fly with the carrier again.
A trip that went wrong from the very start
In a TikTok that quickly racked up more than 100,000 views, Jessee Gettins (@jaii.bee2.0) described what she called a domino effect of failures.
First, she says she was directed to the wrong terminal.
Then came a plane swap.
The replacement aircraft, she claims, had no working bathrooms.
Three hours.
No toilets.
“I’ve seen flights delayed because an armrest is broken,” she said. “But bathrooms apparently aren’t necessary.”
(For what it’s worth, aviation rules do allow planes to depart without functioning lavatories in certain situations.)
Still — not a great start.
@jaii.bee2.0 @American Airlines ♬ original sound – JB | Have a Day 🇨🇦🇺🇸
Then came the connection nightmare
After landing in Toronto, Gettins expected to continue on toward Orlando.
Instead, she says the airline told passengers the flight was delayed and began offering rebooking options.
That’s when she saw the route that made her jaw drop.
Toronto → New York → Miami → Orlando.
To travel south, she would first go north… then further south… then finally back north again.
She called the alternative so ridiculous that “the devil himself would not have invented it.”
Wait — actually, maybe it’s NOT delayed?
Believing she could still make her original connection in Philadelphia, she stuck with the plan.
Other passengers rebooked.
Then came another twist.
Just 15 minutes before boarding, travelers received a new notification:
The delay was gone.
The flight would leave as scheduled.
So she ran from the lounge to the gate.
And found…
No airplane.
“They’re saying we’ll board in five to ten minutes,” she recalled. “We don’t even have a plane.”
The explanations didn’t add up
Soon, passengers were told the aircraft was still arriving from Washington.
Yet somehow, boarding was still supposedly right around the corner.
Gettins was skeptical.
First the plane has to land.
Then passengers must exit.
Then cleaning crews go in.
Then safety checks happen.
She said she’d never seen all of that done in 20 minutes.
Eventually, the airline officially admitted what everyone already knew:
The flight was delayed.
Again.
And then came the kicker
According to Gettins, staff said they couldn’t locate the entire flight crew.
With no pilots or attendants available, departure time slid backward to where it had been originally — before being pushed later once more.
“So we’ve gone delay, revert, minor delay… now back to delay,” she summarized.
By that point, her connection was gone.
A “free” flight that became expensive
She decided she would fly to Philadelphia and hope something better opened up from there.
“This was a free flight, and I’m paying for it,” she said.
Lost time.
Stress.
Uncertainty.
Never again, she vowed.
Why things might have unraveled
The video was filmed in late January, when winter storms had recently torn through major U.S. hubs.
Airlines across the country struggled to reposition aircraft and crews.
Passengers everywhere reported similar issues: staff shortages, last-minute swaps, and confusing information.
Even when the weather clears, the ripple effects can linger for days.
Still, understanding the reason doesn’t necessarily make the experience easier.
She eventually found a way out
In an update, Gettins said she was ultimately transferred to WestJet and managed to secure a direct flight later that evening.
She described that airline as great.
But her frustration didn’t end there.
The compensation dispute
At the airport, she says agents encouraged her to file a claim.
Later, however, she was told the disruption was weather-related — meaning no compensation would be offered.
She insists employees at the gate had described the delay as avoidable.
Customer service disagreed.
According to her, the company’s position was final.
“You couldn’t pay me to fly with them again,” she said.
The internet had opinions
In the comments, viewers piled on with their own horror stories.
Some argued airlines face no accountability anymore.
Others shared tales of missed connections, overnight detours, or renting cars to finish trips themselves.
One person compared modern air travel to cattle herding — at luxury prices.
Love flying? Hate flying?
Either way, stories like this are becoming familiar.
The real question is whether they’re becoming normal.
What do you think — unlucky timing, or unacceptable service?
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