- A TikToker racked up millions of views with a series of videos documenting a dispute with an airline.
- Dyana Villa said passengers were told their carry-ons were too large, despite fitting in the rack provided.
An airline passenger posted an extensive series of TikToks and racked up millions of views after she said she was overcharged for luggage and rejected from a flight for filming the incident.
On March 6, TikToker Dyana Villa, whose LinkedIn profile says she's a journalist at Univision, uploaded part one of what became a 25-video series shared over a two-day period, documenting what she said was dispute with Frontier Airlines over the size of a personal item she wished to take onboard.
The clips have been circulating in recent weeks and gone hugely viral with almost 40 million views combined. They've also divided viewers — some expressed sympathy for Villa, while others questioned Villa's story.
Villa began filming while waiting to board a flight
In the initial upload, which received over 200,000 views, Villa filmed two passengers, one of whom in a later video said her name was Sandra Romero, placing a bag inside the personal item section of a baggage size-check rack at an airport, beneath a sign that read, "Bags must fit COMPLETELY WITHIN the boxes below."
Villa could be heard saying, "Ma'am these bags fit," before the video showed what appeared to be a Frontier Airlines employee, who responded, "They don't fit if you're forcing them down."
@dyanavilla.tv Please make this go viral! The frontier front desk and supervisor were not cooperating with their guest. PLEASE HELP US GET THIS TO FRONTIER! #frontier #viral #flying #flight #carryon #personalitem #frontierairlines ♬ original sound - .
Three subsequent videos received a further combined 9.7 million views, as Villa continued to film various interactions at the airport.
In one video, recorded in Spanish, Villa wrote in an on-screen caption that she had been charged $100 for her carry-on which was deemed too large. She showed herself placing what she said was "one of the suitcases the airline said didn't fit" in the bag checker, where it appeared to fit.
The Frontier Airlines website says that "personal items can be no longer than 14" tall, 18" wide, and 8" long" and they "must fit completely within the personal item portion of the bag sizer." The Frontier Airline policy allows just one personal item per passenger, and places additional charges on extra or larger items.
In an email statement to Insider, a representative from Frontier Airlines said one of the passengers in the video had "more than one bag," which was too large to be combined to fit in the personal item box. They said a second passenger was only able to make their bag fit in the sizer by "removing much of its contents." They did not specify which passengers they were referring to.
The TikToker said she was not allowed to board the plane
A later video showed Romero and Villa saying they had both been told were not allowed to board the plane. Villa said this was because they were filming, while Romero said she had been told there was an issue with her ID.
Another video appeared to capture a conversation between Villa and an airline employee, who said Villa was holding up the line by "taking pictures and stuff," and that they were unable to board because the gate had closed.
Frontier Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding whether or not the passengers were allowed to board the plane.
@dyanavilla.tv THIS IS NOT FAIR! PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THIS NEWS! #frontier #flying #viral #carryon #personalitem ##frontierairlines##flying##carryon##frontierairlines ♬ original sound - .
Following the dispute, Villa launched a petition with the title "STOP FRONTIER AIRLINES FROM OVERCHARGING PASSENGERS."
In the description, she wrote the incident took place as she was flying between Washington Reagan National in DC, to Denver International Airport, and then to Salt Lake City International Airport.
In the statement to Insider, Frontier Airlines said, "Most customers pay for their bags in advance, in accordance with our policies, and we provide multiple reminders and opportunities to do so at a lower price in advance of departure. Allowing these customers to board without paying would be inequitable to every other customer who was already onboard with paid bags."
Frontier Airlines employees receive bonuses for ensuring 'compliance'
Villa's two dozen videos about the incident were extremely critical of the airline. In one, Romero described the events as a "very bad experience," and said she felt discriminated against as only "three Hispanic ladies" were told their bags were too large, leading her to have to publicly remove clothing items and throw them away. In another, Villa said she was still trying to receive a full refund for the flight she was not allowed to board. (Frontier did not directly respond to these claims when reached by Insider for comment.)
In an upload posted on March 8, Villa said she received many comments from viewers who suggested Frontier Airlines employees received a bonus on each bag they charged for.
In response to this claim, the airline wrote in their statement to Insider, "It is simply an incentive for our airport customer service agents to help ensure compliance with our policies and that all customers are treated equally.
@dyanavilla.tv Replying to @c4re.b3ar_ 10 bucks dude…fr ? #frontierairlines #cancelfrontierairlines #foryoupage #frontier ♬ original sound - .
Thousands of comments reacted to the video series. Many sided with Villa, saying they believed the bags clearly fit inside the personal slot and couldn't understand what the problem was. Some shared their own grievances with airlines over their baggage policies.
A number of commenters suggested she report the airline to the US Department of Transportation, which takes consumer complaints relating to flight delays and cancellations, baggage, discrimination, and refunds, among others, according to its website.
But others questioned whether there was more to the story. Some observed the bag in the initial video appeared empty, questioning whether the passenger had removed items in order to make it fit.
Videos documenting travel disasters frequently go viral on TikTok. Most notably, in December 2022, thousands of flights were canceled over bad weather conditions, and stranded passengers posted clips showing the chaos at airports.
TikTok viewers tend to skew critical of airlines. In February a post by Southwest Airlines was widely mocked on the platform as viewers thought the airline was trying to ingratiate itself to potential customers after it canceled thousands of flights on the day after Christmas, causing travel mayhem across the country.
Villa, who has 88,000 followers on TikTok where she posts clips of her work as a broadcaster, initially responded to Insider's request for comment, but did not respond to further questions regarding the incident.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.