A viral TikTok video has ignited a fierce online debate after a woman claimed she was removed from a Frontier Airlines flight because she is deaf — an allegation the airline strongly denies, insisting instead that alcohol, not discrimination, was behind the incident.

The woman, who goes by the username “legallyswiftie13” on TikTok and Instagram, posted a tearful video over the weekend showing her being escorted off a flight. In the clip, she appears visibly shaken, telling crew members, “This is so embarrassing,” and “This is straight discrimination.”

According to her account, she had indicated on her ticket that she was deaf and could not hear a flight attendant’s instructions. She maintained in the video that she had done nothing wrong and complied when asked to leave the aircraft.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she says as she gathers her belongings, her voice breaking. In the caption, she accused Frontier Airlines of removing her solely because of her hearing impairment.

The video quickly gained traction online, racking up more than a million views and thousands of comments — many of them outraged and urging the woman to pursue legal action against the airline.

But Frontier Airlines is pushing back hard against that narrative.

In a statement, a company representative said the removal had nothing to do with any alleged disability. Instead, they claim the passenger boarded the aircraft with an open container of alcohol, which violates federal law and airline policy.

“According to the flight attendant directly involved in the matter, the passenger boarded with an open container which she admitted contained alcohol when questioned,” the airline said. “When the flight attendant informed the passenger of the violation, the passenger rapidly consumed the remaining alcohol in the cup before handing it over.”

The airline added that the crew made the decision to remove her from the flight based on that violation, and that she was later rebooked onto another flight without further incident.

Frontier also disputed the woman’s claim that she is deaf, stating there was no indication of a disability on her reservation. According to the airline, multiple employees who interacted with her reported that she communicated “clearly and effectively” during the encounter.

The woman has not publicly responded to the airline’s statement or media requests for comment.

However, in a separate video posted months earlier, she discussed being told she was losing her hearing in her 20s after a routine ear exam. In that clip, she described nearly undergoing cochlear implant surgery before deciding against it, saying she realized the procedure would eliminate her natural hearing.

The conflicting accounts have left viewers sharply divided, with some siding with the passenger’s claims of mistreatment and others questioning inconsistencies raised by the airline.