Taking trips on planes these days seems to be more and more of a headache with delays, long lines, and other factors contributing to the overall experience.

And here’s a new issue you can add to the list: what kind of food you carry on a plane.

A woman named Dara shared her story in a series of tweets about what happened to her when she flew with her 3-year-old nephew from St. Louis to Dallas on American Airlines.

Dara said that a flight attendant took her nephew’s custom-made snack box away and Dara ended up throwing the box away after some back and forth.

She was obviously pretty fired up about what happened and she didn’t hold back while telling her story.

This is how the story started…

Flew @AmericanAir today w/a 3 yr old & his snack box of unwrapped food. flight attendant walked by, snatched it without asking, & took it to show a friend seated near the front of the plane. Was gone several minutes. I had to throw it all out. Im incensed! Contacting corporate. pic.twitter.com/pAdiQ5Olcc

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 12, 2023

And then she decided to get into detail with a series of tweets about what happened next.

Are y’all ready for this?!?!

Hang on tight and see what she had to say.

So since @AmericanAir neglected to see the seriousness of the issue, I’ll post the story in detail here. Fri., I traveled on AA with my 3 yr old nephew from STL to Dallas. We traveled w/ his snack box of unwrapped food for him to eat at various stages of our journey; had his iPad

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

and headphones on, and he and I were playing a game together on his iPad with his snack box sitting on my middle seat tray. The flight attendant was walking around collecting trash & sees the snack box she commented on earlier. I thought she was reaching for the trash on my tray

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

but instead grabbed my nephew’s snack box with all his food in it & INFORMS me that her friend traveling in the front of the plane is a new grandmother,& she was “going to show her this”.

Before I could finish processing her statement, she snatched the snack box & walked off.

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

The woman said the flight attendant and the snack box disappeared for a while and she decided to throw the whole thing away when it was returned to her.

She and my nephew’s food were gone for several minutes, out of my view. I have no idea who or what his food was exposed to while out of my sight & had to throw it all away when she finally returned with it. pic.twitter.com/TRaqrs5wdT

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

And she was so upset about what went down that she decided to have a talk with the flight attendant after the plane landed.

We had to finish our journey without the things painstakingly prepared for him.

I was infuriated but tried to maintain the decorum expected of all people while on federal property and in an enclosed space with other travelers; nor did I want to upset the impressionable toddler

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

by confronting her while in flight & further agitating the situation. I did ask to speak to her as we deplaned.

I asked her to step in to the jetbridge while remaining passengers deplaned & I was able stand my nephew behind me moderating my voice at a steady level so as not to

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

alarm him or cause a scene. Words can not adequately express how emotionally and physically draining it is to have to quell an immediate reaction to condescension and microagressions in order to avoid consequences from people who abuse their authority. Imagine the ramifications

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

& repercussions if I had inadvertently injured her trying to retrieve MY stolen property. I told her that while I understand the fascination with the snack box, as most people think it’s a good idea, it was most definitely not okay for her to just grab someone’s personal property

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

especially unwrapped food to take it to show some other unknown person somewhere else on the plane. Her response was the justification of, “Oh I had just washed my hands”. I told her that was not the point at all. She should not help herself to people’s personal items.

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

The woman said that the flight attendant apologized but she wasn’t satisfied.

She “apologized” but continued to explain why her behavior was okay.
Her hands were clean.
It was her friend.
Her friend is a new grandmother.

Her rationalizations negate any apology, as she was clearly not sorry and felt she had every right to help herself to our belongings

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

She then took on the airline industry as a whole.

It is inconceivable to me that in an industry hit as hard as the travel industry by a global health epidemic that this type of behavior would occur; Add to that the microagressions of feeling entitled to help herself to my property & explaining to me why it was justifiable for

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

her to do so. When I contacted American Airlines via Twitter, all they had to say was, “what an adorable snack box! Our apology the crew member took it from you without asking”. I have zero interest in compliments on how “cute” the snack box is & their response indicates to me

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

it’s values of “always act[ing] with integrity, treat[ing] others with respect, and ensure[ing] every decision we make is a responsible and ethical one.”

— darabraddock (@dynamicallydara) August 15, 2023

Whew! That was quite a ride.

Here’s what people had to say about what happened.

American Airlines actually tweeted at her and apologized for what happened.

What an adorable snack box! Our apology the crew member took it from you without asking first.

— americanair (@AmericanAir) August 12, 2023

This person said this was too much food for a little kid AND added that this woman needs to choose her battles.

Nice snack box but that is too much food for a three-year-old. Shouldn’t have peanut butter on a plane. Calm down. Choose your battles. You have made an ant hill a mountain. The flight attendant was wrong.

— Olivia Covington (@OliviaCovingt13) August 18, 2023

And one reader said this woman acted like a major DRAMA QUEEEN.

I don’t understand why you had to throw it all away. Have you ever been to a fast food restaurant or a buffet? JFC, talk about being a drama queen 🙄

— Itsnotyuengling (@notyuengling) August 18, 2023

Well, the reaction to this was definitely a lot more mixed than I first thought it would be.

You’re okay with people just snatching things from somebody else? If this woman has her own standards of cleanliness, that’s her business, right?

Y’all got opinions!