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All sorts of things can get a person kicked off a plane. From an American Airlines passenger being removed over a reclined seat argument to a couple being removed from a United Airlines flight for “inappropriate” pictures, the list of no-no behavior varies widely across airlines.

Passengers have even reported seeing flight crew removed from a plane, often without clear explanation.

Recently, a Florida evangelist filmed the moment Alaska Airlines removed her from a delayed flight after she stood in the aisle and began preaching to the passengers around her.

The confrontation happened before Alaska Airlines Flight 708 departed Orlando International Airport for San Diego on Thursday, July 30. Videos posted show the street preacher questioning an airline employee, who she later referred to as “a homosexual” in another clip, as she is told to collect her belongings and leave the aircraft.

She described the incident as “spiritual warfare.”

Despite the passenger’s questions about free speech and religious expression, the airline says it removed her because of her conduct inside the cabin, not simply because her message was Christian. The airline has also blocked her from traveling on its flights in the future.

Evangelist Began Preaching While Flight 708 Was Delayed

Flight 708 had not yet left Orlando when Whitney Lynn, an evangelist content creator, stood in the aisle and addressed her fellow passengers.

In the video, she acknowledged that people were frustrated by the wait before telling them that “God’s timing is perfect” and suggesting the delay might even be protecting them from danger. She then spoke about Jesus and salvation.

Lynn told The Washington Post that the message lasted less than a minute. She also claimed nobody asked her to stop before an employee arrived and told her to gather her things.

A series of videos posted on Lynn’s page capture the removal.

When Lynn asks why she has to get off the aircraft, the employee tells her that the crew does not feel safe with her onboard. Lynn responds by questioning how a message about Jesus could be unsafe.

As she prepares to leave, she describes the disagreement as “spiritual warfare” and says “demons do not like the name of Jesus.” She continued addressing passengers while gathering her belongings and was met by airport security after returning to the terminal.

Alaska Airlines described the situation differently.

“Our flight crew became increasingly concerned about a guest’s behavior on board the aircraft, which was also affecting other guests,” an airline spokesperson told several news outlets, including People. “The passenger was asked to deplane the aircraft for safety reasons.”

The carrier said Lynn would not be allowed to fly on Alaska Airlines flights for “the foreseeable future.”

In Lynn’s “Part 5” video installation, she records her conversation with two Orlando police officers who received her after she was removed from the flight. As she shares her version of what happened, one officer says he isn’t sure what made the crew feel uncomfortable, adding, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Referring to the flight attendant who removed her, Lynn says, “Because he was a homosexual, that’s why. He knows he’s in sin, he knows he’s wrong, so the demons started.”

Alaska Airlines temporarily banned her from three carriers

Lynn initially believed she would be able to continue her trip on another flight.

She told The Washington Post that she was traveling to California for a follower’s funeral and managed to rebook after being removed. She later received a message from Alaska Airlines Corporate Security placing a hold on her ability to travel.

The restriction reportedly applies to:

The letter Lynn shared online said the hold was based on reports involving her recent travel. A final decision about whether she can return to the three airlines will follow an investigation.

Lynn said she received a flight credit but currently can’t use it with the carriers included in the restriction.

An internal airline ban is separate from the federal no-fly list used for national-security cases. The Federal Aviation Administration notes that disruptive behavior can result in an airline placing a traveler on its own internal no-fly list.

Preaching Is Not Automatically Protected Inside A Private Airliner

During the confrontation, Lynn invoked her freedom of speech. However, that argument is unlikely to defend Lynn’s actions.

The First Amendment generally restricts government action. It doesn’t ordinarily require a private company to provide customers with an unrestricted platform for speech. Alaska Airlines is a private carrier, so removing a passenger is not automatically a constitutional violation simply because the passenger’s conduct involved religion.

However, that doesn’t mean airlines can unlawfully discriminate against passengers because of their religion. So, the central question would be whether Lynn was removed because she was Christian or because of how she behaved inside a confined aircraft cabin.

There’s no evidence suggesting that Alaska has a policy against private religious conversations or quiet prayer. This incident involved a passenger standing up and delivering an unsolicited sermon to the entire cabin during a departure delay.

That distinction is even more significant because Lynn has previously discussed using airplanes as preaching venues. In an earlier interview, Lynn said she preaches on most flights because passengers cannot leave and “have no choice” but to hear her message.

Airlines Have Broad Authority To Remove Disruptive Passengers

Alaska Airlines’ Contract of Carriage gives the airline authority to refuse transport to passengers whose behavior is disorderly, abusive, disruptive, or likely to interfere with employees, other passengers, or the operation of the aircraft. It also states that the carrier is not liable for removing a passenger under those provisions when the rules are properly applied.

The captain and cabin crew don’t have to wait for an incident to become violent before acting, either.

A passenger can be removed before departure if the crew believes that person may interfere with safety duties, delay the flight, or create further problems once the doors close. Removing someone at the gate is considerably easier than dealing with escalating behavior after takeoff.

There is no indication that the FAA has fined Lynn or that she has been charged with a crime. Her case currently appears to be an airline disciplinary matter.

While Lynn, whose Instagram page is full of similar public preaching incidents, claimed she was facing “spiritual warfare” on the Alaska Airlines flight she was removed from, people in the comments didn’t seem to see it the same way.

“The religious self-importance here is astounding,” one commenter wrote. “You weren’t kicked off a plane because of ‘spiritual warfare’ or because people are afraid of the word of Jesus. You were kicked off because you were loudly imposing your personal beliefs on a captive audience who did not consent to participate.”

Another added, “After skimming through your page, I’m honestly not surprised you keep getting kicked out of places.”

Some of Lynn’s fans sided with her, particularly on her “Part 2” upload, which shows her being removed from the aircraft.

A few of Lynn’s supportive comments:

• “I would have got off the plane with her! You’re messing With God!!”
• “We are in a WARFARE! But they want the schools to learn about Islam”
• “In Jesus name I ask for the airline to go bankrupt.”
• “I don’t understand how we ever got here???? It makes NO Sense that speaking God’s good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ our dear Lord who freely died on the cross so we can have eternal life with Him in heaven. There’s absolutely nothing threatening about any of that unless you love satan and sin. I’d be very afraid to fly on that flight after she got off the aircraft because it might come down for any number of reasons like engine failure, bird strikes, terrorists, or the vengeance of the Lord Himself!!”

However, even many self-proclaimed Christians saw valid reason in Alaska’s decision to remove Lynn.

“I am also a born-again Christian and devoted follower of Jesus,” one commenter on the People article wrote. “I believe we are called to share the Good News, and to evangelize. However, I believe that forcing one’s preaching and beliefs on a captive audience is counter-productive, and turns people away from Jesus and away from faith in God instead of towards God. Christians are also called to behave with respect and humility, and that sort of ‘evangelism’ shows neither.”

“I’m a Christian and agree with the airline removing her,” another person commented on Instagram.

Lynn says she plans to continue preaching on flights despite Alaska Airlines’ ban

Being removed and banned from Alaska Airlines doesn’t appear to have changed Lynn’s approach.

She told The Washington Post that she intended to speak with an attorney and continue preaching on aircraft. After leaving the airport, she also posted that she shared her faith with security personnel, an airport shuttle driver, and a hotel employee.

Alaska Airlines’ investigation will determine whether Lynn can fly with the Alaska Air Group again. For now, the impromptu sermon has left her with fewer flight options that she can use as her personal pulpit.