Alaska Airlines flight attendant fired for twerking on duty, launches GoFundMe for support

A flight attendant from Alaska Airlines, Nelle Diala, has been fired after a video of her twerking on the job went viral. The TikTok, which also gained traction on Instagram, showed the crew member shaking her hips while waiting for the captain during a two-hour delay on a flight. 

In the clip, Diala captioned, "ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you." The incident occurred shortly after the flight attendant celebrated completing her probationary period, marking the end of her new hire phase.

Unfortunately for Diala, her celebration did not go as planned. Just six months into her employment, Alaska Airlines terminated her contract over the viral video. 

While many criticized her behavior, Diala stood by her actions, posting a new version of the video with the caption, "Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before." She included the hashtag #discriminationisreal, suggesting that she felt unjustly treated.

In response to her firing, Diala has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money while she looks for new job opportunities. "I never thought a single moment would cost me everything," she wrote on the fundraising page. 

"Losing my job was devastating." She went on to explain that her position as a flight attendant had allowed her to meet new people and see the world, and that she used her income to fund her growing lingerie and dessert businesses. The campaign has raised $182 of its $12,000 goal.

The controversy surrounding Diala's firing sparked mixed reactions online. Some supported her, while others criticized her actions. 

One user on The Crew Lounge, an aviation-focused Instagram page, argued, “You don’t respect the uniform, you don’t respect your job then.” Another commenter mocked her GoFundMe, stating, “Support for wrongly fired flight attendant?? Her GoFund title says it all. She still thinks she was wrongly fired. Girl you weren’t wrongly fired. Go apply for a new job and probably stop twerking in your uniform.” 

Another critic added, “The fact that you don’t respect your job is one thing but doing it while in uniform and at work speaks volumes. You’re the brand ambassador and it’s not a good look.”