Atlanta Woman Boards Plane, Gets Kicked Off When There’s No More Room. Then A ‘Red Coat’ Appears

Flying isn’t getting any easier.

After the government shutdown rocked air travel, passengers are still encountering a variety of issues both before takeoff and during flights. For example, some passengers are reporting repeated flight cancelations. Others have simply noted that in-flight etiquette seems to be getting worse.

But as the days get shorter and colder, the temptation to jet off to somewhere sunnier gets stronger by the minute.

Sometimes, passengers get the opportunity to fly standby. But this doesn’t mean they’ll always get to actually reach their destination, as one passenger learned firsthand.

What Happened During This Woman’s Flight?

In a video with over 46,000 views, TikTok user and flight attendant Shannon Shanaye (@shannonshanaye) says she was flying standby and managed to get on the flight. However, things suddenly took a turn for the worse.

“The gate agent does her little sweep, and I have my headphones in. I didn’t realize she was standing there,” Shanaye recalls.

Soon, Shanaye realized that the gate agent was trying to get her attention. The reason? Shanaye was flying standby—and the original person who had her seat finally arrived.

“This never happened to me before, but I’ve seen it happen to a lot of people,” Shanaye states. The TikToker then gathered up her belongings and began what she called a “walk of shame” off the flight.

That is, until a Red Coat arrived.

What Did This Red Coat Do?

Once the Red Coat entered the plane, Shanaye knew her flight was saved.

“He was like, ‘Um, excuse me? This flight is closed,’” Shanaye recalls. From there, the Red Coat coordinated seating for the remaining passengers, including Shanaye. Soon, the TikToker was on her way to her final destination.

“The way he was speaking, as if, like, I was his actual daughter,” the TikToker continues. “Like, he was not playing about me at all.”

While Shanaye says she was okay with getting kicked off the flight, as that’s “just the name of the game” when flying standby, she appreciated the effort the Red Coat put in to make sure she and others got to their destination.

“Flying standby is not for the weak,” she summarizes in the caption.

Who Or What Are ‘Red Coats’?

Seeing this, many commenters wondered what exactly the aforementioned “Red Coats” are.

As reported by ABC News, “Red Coats” are Delta employees who are trained to resolve a wide variety of travel issues—per the article, “a kind of super-agent who can handle virtually any task.”

This role was first introduced in the 1960s. However, budget cuts caused the role to be eliminated in 2005. In the years since, Delta has brought them back, beginning the return in 2009 and continuing to this day.

Now, Delta passengers can approach a Red Coat if they encounter an issue similar to what Shanaye went through. Red Coats can also assist with flight rebooking, printing food vouchers, and more.

Is This Normal For Standby Flying?

Other commenters were confused about the concept of standby flying in general.

Back in the day, one could simply show up at the airport and buy a standby ticket. This would allow passengers to purchase last-minute tickets for undersold flights at a hefty discount.

Now, however, standby flying has changed significantly. In the modern era, “standby tickets” are typically offered when a flight is undersold or when a passenger fails to show up.

But who can actually get these tickets? As noted by Business Insider, passengers can generally only get standby tickets if they already have a ticket and want to go on a different flight. Alternatively, if their flight gets canceled, they may be able to secure a standby ticket for a later flight.

Otherwise, standby tickets are largely reserved for flight staff, even if they’re not on duty. One of the perks of the job is being able to fly standby for free. While this does not guarantee a seat, it’s a significant benefit—even if it occasionally means dealing with awkward situations, such as what happened to Shanaye.

Commenters Say The Red Coat Was Right

In the comments section, users commended the airline worker for their handling of the situation.

“They’re not supposed to clear you and take it back,” stated a user. “Unfortunately, the passenger missed their boarding period etc.”

“I fly standby and someone came a literal second after they gave me her seat and they told her she had to get on a new flight cause boarding was closed,” offered another. “She was cool about it tho.”

“He’s a real one! They should never pull you if they’ve scanned you,” declared a third.

BroBible reached out to Delta and Shanaye via email.