Georgia woman removed from Delta flight for refusing to get off the phone

A Delta Air Lines flight had to return to the gate in Miami after a Georgia woman refused to get off her phone while the plane taxied.

A passenger, identified by police as Shannon Harris, 46, of Tyrone, Georgia, about 23 miles southwest of Atlanta, refused to get off her phone as the crew gave safety instructions, according to WAGA-TV.

Due to the belligerence of Ms. Harris, the pilot returned Delta Flight 1323 to the gate, where Ms. Harris refused to get off when asked by an airline supervisor.

Video taken from the flight shows at least one passenger chanting for Ms. Harris to “get off the plane,” but ultimately the over 160 passengers on board all had to deplane, according to WTVJ-TV.

This prompted one of the passengers to complain that “we’re all supposed to listen and [she] doesn’t?”

Ms. Harris is accused of subsequently trying to get off the plane with everyone else, which led to her arrest according to WAGA-TV. She is facing misdemeanor trespassing charges, according to Miami-Dade County court records.

The flight, scheduled to take off from Miami International Airport for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at around 4:53 p.m., eventually left Miami at around 6:12 p.m., according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

“The safety of our customers and crew comes before all else, and Delta has zero tolerance for disruptive behavior. We apologize to our customers for this experience and delay in their travels,” a Delta spokesperson told WUPA-TV.