Airline passenger calls out airline over flight-ruining 'invalid ticket' issue

A TikToker called out Hawaiian Airlines after a strange “invalid ticket” issue allegedly caused him to miss a flight.

On July 2, Ryan DeMarre (@ryandemarre) was on a flight to Hawaii with his daughter when airline staff approached him. According to his video of the event, the employees said there was an issue with his ticket and asked him to leave the plane.

DeMarre and his daughter stood up and walked off the flight, which appeared to be fully boarded. At the gate, he tried to make sense of what was happening.

@ryandemarre
Hawaiin airlines kicked us off the flight for an “invalid” ticket. How do we get through security and on a plane with a minor with an invlaid ticket? #hawaiianairlines #kickedout #maui
♬ original sound – R Demar

“Are we making this flight?” he asked the Hawaiian Airlines employee.

“No, your ticket is invalid,” the employee answered. “It’s not even valid.”

DeMarre appears confused, unable to understand what the employee is referring to.

“How do we get through TSA and on a plane with an invalid ticket and a minor?” he captioned the video.

To make matters worse, the video showed employees telling DeMarre that he would be separated from his luggage, which was already on the plane.

“They’ll be in Maui when you get there,” the employee told him.

In a follow-up, DeMarre tried his best to explain the situation. He started by saying that he bought his tickets months ago on the Hawaiian Airlines website, using a Hawaiian Airlines credit card.

At the gate, DeMarre apparently offered to run his card again, but the employees turned him down. As his plane took off, the staff told him that the next flight wasn’t until the following day.

Thankfully, DeMarre managed to book a flight the same day through Delta, and he and his daughter reached Hawaii without interrupting their vacation too much. However, the additional tickets had cost him an extra $2,000.

@ryandemarre
Hawaiian Airlines meased up. Explanation #hawaiianairlines #deltaairlines #fyp #maui #kickedoffmyflight
♬ original sound – R Demar

At the end of the clip, DeMarre called out Hawaiian Airlines directly, demanding a refund.

A few days later, the company responded. In his final video, DeMarre said the airline apologized and admitted that the “invalid ticket” situation had been due to mistakes on their part. It also offered to refund the cost of his Hawaiian Airline flights, as well as all his expenses involved — including his Delta flights.

@ryandemarre
Replying to @adamefamily76 part 3 Hawaiian Airlines made it right #hawaiianairlines #kickedoffmyflight #fyp #hawaii #maui #thankyou #georgiaguidestonesvandalized
♬ original sound – R Demar

DeMarre seemed satisfied by the outcome, although he said he wished the airline had responded more quickly.

“I’m sorry it took so long,” he said. “But ultimately, I think the right thing happened in the long run.”

TikTokers were highly supportive of DeMarre’s videos, but many criticized the airline for taking so long to respond.

“They apologized because it went viral,” one commenter claimed.

“2 million views I’m sure they did call you,” another added, referring to DeMarre’s original clip.

DeMarre’s now-famous situation comes amid a summer full of delayed or canceled flights, as well as pent-up frustration from travelers.

Those frustrations have often found their way to TikTok, such as when a Southwest Airlines passenger filmed the flight attendants singing to help passengers pass the time during a four-hour flight delay.