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Airport Workers Reportedly Fired After Incident With Check-In
May 8, 2025 | By Rachel Carter
Chaos erupted at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport earlier this week after a check-in incident spiraled out of control, allegedly resulting in the immediate termination of four airline employees. Passengers present at the scene described the confrontation as “aggressive,” “unprofessional,” and “borderline violent,” prompting questions about staff training and airline accountability in high-stress situations.
The incident occurred on Sunday morning at approximately 7:15 a.m., during peak travel hours at Terminal 4. Dozens of travelers had lined up to check in for Air Vista Flight 623 to Chicago O’Hare, only to be met with a delay due to a technical system malfunction, which reportedly prevented check-in kiosks from syncing with the airline’s reservation database.
“I had been waiting in line for about 20 minutes when things started to get tense,” said Lisa Gomez, a passenger en route to a conference in Chicago. “People were getting anxious. The line wasn’t moving. A man went up to the counter to ask a question, and that’s when it all started.”
According to multiple eyewitnesses, the man—identified by authorities as 42-year-old Dennis Bradshaw of Naperville, Illinois—approached the counter to inquire why boarding passes weren’t printing. Instead of a calm explanation, he was met with visible irritation from a check-in agent, later identified as Mia Jansen, a four-year employee of Air Vista.
“He asked a basic question and she snapped,” Gomez recounted. “She told him to get back in line and wait like everyone else. He asked again, a little louder, and that’s when she raised her voice and accused him of harassing staff.”
Another passenger, Kyle Ng, recorded a portion of the exchange on his phone. The video, which has since gone viral on TikTok and Reddit, shows a heated back-and-forth between Bradshaw and Jansen. In the clip, Jansen can be heard saying, “You’re not special, sir. You’ll wait like everyone else,” before two other staff members approach and stand between her and Bradshaw.
Seconds later, a male employee—identified as Deshawn Greer—allegedly shoved Bradshaw’s rolling suitcase off the counter and told him to leave the area. “You’re done,” Greer said in the video. Bradshaw can be seen backing away with his hands raised. “Is this how you treat paying customers?” he shouted.
Air Vista initially released a brief statement Sunday afternoon, confirming that “an altercation occurred between passengers and staff due to technical disruptions,” and that an internal review had been launched. However, by Monday morning, an airline spokesperson confirmed that four employees had been placed on administrative leave, and by Tuesday, they were “no longer employed by Air Vista.”
The employees terminated include Jansen, Greer, and two additional agents—Lourdes Bennett and Tyrell Hughes—who were allegedly involved in escalating the conflict or failed to de-escalate it, according to preliminary findings.
One passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “At one point, I thought they were going to call security on all of us. People just wanted information, and the staff acted like we were invading their home. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The video, which amassed over 2 million views in less than 24 hours, sparked a broader conversation online about customer service in the airline industry. Comments ranged from sympathetic—“You try dealing with rude passengers all day!”—to furious: “If I acted like that at my job, I’d be fired on the spot.”
For his part, Dennis Bradshaw has declined to press charges but says he wants an apology. “I wasn’t yelling. I wasn’t threatening. I was confused. They made it into something it wasn’t. I travel for work all the time, and I’ve never been treated like that,” he told local ABC affiliate KSAZ-TV.
Air Vista has since offered travel vouchers and frequent flyer points to passengers who were delayed by the malfunction and ensuing disturbance. The flight was ultimately delayed by nearly three hours, taking off just before 11 a.m.
“This was not how I wanted to start my vacation,” said Nikki Tran, who was flying to visit her sister in Chicago. “But I’m glad they held the people accountable. It was unprofessional, and honestly, kind of scary.”
An internal memo leaked to the press Tuesday afternoon suggests that the airline had been experiencing technical difficulties with its check-in system for the past three weeks, including a “known synchronization bug” between online reservations and on-site kiosks. Employees had reportedly been instructed to “manage frustrations with empathy” and alert supervisors at the first sign of unrest.
A union representative for the terminated employees has since spoken out, calling the terminations “reactionary and unfair.”
“These workers have been under enormous pressure due to understaffing and ongoing technical failures that are out of their control,” said Elena Torres, spokesperson for Transport Workers United. “Firing them without a proper investigation sends the wrong message and sets a dangerous precedent.”
Still, passenger advocacy groups say Air Vista made the right call.
“Airlines must remember that customers aren’t the enemy,” said David Fischer, director of the National Passenger Rights Council. “No one should feel afraid or intimidated while asking for help at a check-in counter. The staff’s behavior was inappropriate, period.”
Air Vista CEO Andrea Mullins has not commented directly on the incident but said in a statement Wednesday morning that the airline remains “committed to safe, respectful service and a dignified experience for all travelers.”
Meanwhile, Phoenix Sky Harbor officials have said they will review surveillance footage and determine if airport protocol was breached. “Our priority is the safety and comfort of all who pass through this airport,” said spokesperson Renee Valdez. “We are working closely with the airline to ensure this kind of escalation does not happen again.”
As the debate continues online and in aviation circles, the four terminated employees have yet to comment publicly. According to sources, two of them are considering legal action against the airline, citing wrongful termination.
Whether this incident serves as a turning point for how airlines train and support frontline employees—or simply another viral moment soon forgotten—remains to be seen. For the passengers who witnessed it firsthand, it was anything but ordinary.
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