Flight Attendant Fired for ‘Twerking on’ the Job Speaks Out After Viral Video Costs Her Career
At 35 thousand feet above ground level a flight attendant sought to bring laughter to work but instead exposed herself to termination from her professional airline career.
Social media users discovered Nelle Diala who worked as a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines when her video reached high popularity which generated wide public discussion.
An ordinary self-expression resulted in career termination through an incident which led to extensive public discussion.
During her first six months as a member of Alaska Airlines staff Diala earned a reputation for being highly energetic at work.
She took her camera to record a short TikTok video in an empty airplane aisle during the first part of November 2024.
She recorded herself moving to music while wearing her work uniform while performing playful dance moves that included twerk motion and added the words: “Ghetto bih till I D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you.”
She clarified the footage was made when she waited for pilots to come on board yet she never expected this action to result in major penalties.
The airport dance served Diala as a recreational method to commemorate her probationary completion with her social media audience.
The video quickly gained wide distribution throughout online platforms within several hours after its initial posting which caused diverse emotional reactions from online community members
The unexpected wave of notice and subsequent extreme response from her employer came as a surprise to her.
The airline notified Diala she had violated the formal social media regulations established by Alaska Airlines.
She states the airline stopped her employment instantly after her termination without allowing any discussion for defense.
“The video went viral overnight, but instead of love and support, it brought unexpected scrutiny,” she said.
She admitted that posting the clip was a “poor decision,” but she never imagined it would cost her what she called her “dream job.”
Diala maintains the video avoided naming Alaska Airlines and served only for amusement purposes.
“Without warning, they terminated me. She elaborated that they dismissed her without permitting any discussion about the matter or allowing her to defend herself nor conducting an appropriate investigation of the event.
Diala expressed her upset through social media when the company decided to terminate her employment.
She rephrased her video post using these words: “Now you need to be completely hiding yourself due to the world’s excessive sensitivity.”
She stated “Working people should have nothing against watching myself dance before my shift.” Public reactions show that people pretend to have no history of such behavior.
Using GoFundMe as a way to obtain financial support Diala managed her living expenses during her job search until she found employment.
She launched a campaign titled “Support for a wrongfully fired flight attendant,” explaining her struggle to stay afloat.
Many people joined to support Diala after the fundraiser began to thrive so she received donations exceeding $3,000.
Flight attendant Diala maintained two business operations with her income which included lingerie sales and dessert production.
The unexpected job termination harmed her monetary stability and endangered both her businesses.
The company has not discussed this issue besides stating that employees must uphold professional standards.
Many people are skeptical about whether the disciplinary measures match the severity of the conduct during the ongoing work behavior and personal display discussion.
Since Diala’s social media situation arose it has led people to discuss both the career effects of social media usage and work-life balance areas.
People disagree whether her behavior was trivial enough to justify firing her as an airline employee or if uniformed workers must maintain high-quality standards on duty.
Diala maintains optimism about aviation and devotes her time to search for opportunities to return to the industry.
“I put on such a proud face every time I stepped on that plane, and for them to terminate me without giving me a chance… it just was unfair,” she said.
Her current focus consists of business expansion and platform utilization to inform people about corporate employee rights and policies.
The cautionary lesson from her experience demonstrates both the strength and risks of social media which can transform a career through a single social media post.
The digital era reveals diminishing boundaries between professional and personal lives which makes Diala’s experience warn us about the dangerous aspects of this phenomenon.
She maintains her determination to keep moving ahead as she wishes her one mistake will not control her destiny as a pilot.
