Fact Check: Tiffany Gomas Is Not Woman From 'Not Real' Plane Rant

A theory circulating online holds that marketing executive Tiffany Gomas, the woman who admitted being behind the viral "not real" plane video, is not the same person who was recently filmed ranting aboard an American Airlines flight.

In the initial July 2 viral footage, a woman was seen striding down an aircraft's central aisle shouting on a flight going from Fort Worth, Texas, to Orlando, Florida.

She was heard saying "there's a reason why I'm getting the f*** off and everyone can either believe it or not believe it, I don't give two f****, but I am telling you right now that m*********** back there is not real.

Although Gomas recently posted an apology video for her behavior, stating that she took "full accountability for her actions" and called them unacceptable, some believe pictures and videos of her do not look like those of the person in the original viral video.

The Claim

A tweet by the account @lastrealhumans, posted on August 13, 2023, included two photos of Tiffany Gomas: one from an apology video, the other from the viral plane video.

The accompanying tweet read: "No way this is the same person."

The Facts

In her apology video, Gomas did not focus on the viral video itself, and did not reveal the meaning behind the phrase "that m*********** back there is not real."

"I have been unwilling to speak on the viral video but I do finally feel that it is time," she said.

"First and foremost I want to take full accountability for my actions, they were completely unacceptable.

"Distressed or not, I should have been in control of my emotions and that was not the case. My use of profanity was completely unnecessary and I want to apologize to everyone on that plane, especially those that had children aboard."

The unusual nature of the video—and the lack of explanation by Gomas since—seems to have spurred some to look deeper into its meaning and content.

The claim, however, that Gomas is not the person in the video is not evidenced. Apart from the fact that Gomas has come forward about the incident, she was also captured on film by Dallas Fort Worth Police Department, as per reporting by the New York Post.

Newsweek has also seen police incident documents produced by Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Police that confirmed Gomas' identity.

Some social media posts sympathizing with the idea that Gomas is not the same person in the plane video were based on clips from a conspiratorial TikTok channel. Newsweek viewed a series of videos from that channel about Gomas, one of which was viewed 447,000 times. None of their videos provided verifiable or even credible evidence to prove Gomas was not the person in the viral clip.

In police documents seen by Newsweek, authorities said the incident began when Gomas "was arguing with a family accusing them of stealing her [AirPods]."

"The female then started claiming the aircraft was not safe and did not want the aircraft to leave due to her believing it would not make it to its destination," the July 2 complaint reads.

"Due to the statements, the flight attendants felt the aircraft needed to be rescreened. [The airline manager] explained that the passenger was denied boarding and they wanted her escorted to the public side."

When Gomas was eventually removed from the plane, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel arrived to conduct a full rescreening of the aircraft.

When officers arrived, Gomas was reportedly "distraught" and was attempting to get back on the plane. When asked to speak with the authorities, she refused.

"[The airline manager] gave Gomas a verbal criminal trespass notice, explaining she was denied boarding and needed to depart the secure area," authorities stated.

Despite the actions of the airport authority, after being escorted to the public area of the airport, Gomas attempted to go back through TSA screening and into the boarding area multiple times.

Police were able to eventually track Gomas down to the terminal curbside where she was waiting for a taxi.

She was given a criminal trespass notice but refused to sign it and also declined to show her ID, according to the documents.

She was never formally arrested or taken into custody over the incidents.

The Ruling

False.

Gomas was the person who went viral in the "not real" plane rant video, both by her own admission and local authority records seen by Newsweek.

Newsweek has found no evidence that suggests these documents or Gomas' account should not be trusted.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team