Lisa Vanderpump isn’t known for flying under the radar. This time she was just trying to fly. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star posted a frustrated video from Miami airport after what she described as a 12-hour American Airlines delay, complete with repeated boarding and deplaning.
Online comments quickly turned it into their own kind of entertainment because of the irony of this woman, with her privilege, standed like everyone else.
The video originally appeared on her Instagram reel on Sunday, and if we take her “12 hours” as literally, she’d have been traveling (or trying to!) on Saturday.
The concept of being stuck in an airport departure lounge with LVP #RHOBH pic.twitter.com/Rc1DvlxhhB
— Dorinda Deadly (@dorindadeadly) January 11, 2026
Okay, American Airlines. I’ve been waiting now, and I’ve been on three planes. I’m gonna be taken off them with all these other people because of mechanical issues. So we’re on our third plane. Been waiting nine hours. About to lose my mind. Everybody listen up, American Airlines. Unbelievable. Stuck here at Miami Airport. or it’s actually 12 hours now and two planes have mechanical issues and have said we can’t fly so we’ve sat on the plane twice not a good look for you guys don’t like posting something negative however sorry give me no other option
What’s so irresistible is seeing the luxury brand celebrity stuck in the same miserable ops as everyone else. Commenters immediately go to “fly private then.” And they also note she looks camera-ready. Discussion breaks into 3 camps:
- “This sucks, American is a mess”
- “Mechanical issues = good, stop whining” — safety first, suck it up.
- “You’re rich, fly private” and “American airlines? Oh she’s broke. Fly DELTA”
While air travelers have a higher average income than the country as a whole, it really is small-d democratic and when mechanical issues and crew availability issues hit they hit us all equally.
My guess is that even if LVP was flying commercial, she was still sitting in First Class and not in the row by the rear lavs. Some people are naturally blessed with looking “camera ready” at all times. LVP may be one of those people, I am most certainly NOT!!!
I don’t care who this person is, like, at all.
The real issue is that we do not have air passenger rights legislation in this country. If it were ‘mechanical’ issues, that’s the airlines’ fault, not the passengers. Currently, affected passengers can get a refund or a rebooking, that’s it. Sometimes, if stranded overnight, airlines offer hotels, but it’s usually substandard, and not always required.
We deserve better. UK/EU 261, Canada’s APPR, and other countries have better programs and baselines for compensation, often $250-800, depending on the distance/duration of the delay, in addition to refunds or rebooking, to compensate for the inconvenience caused by the airline. It does not make fares unaffordable or bankrupt airlines (see Ryanair in Europe, which operates under EU/UK rules, still offers dirt cheap fares and is profitable). Yes, you should also already get personal travel insurance to cover prepaid expenses and medical. C’mon folks, we know this.
@Lucky Larry — While many will likely get distracted by the ‘celebrity’ (psh) nature of this story, we should instead be reminded of how relatively unprotected we as consumers are in these situations, regardless of wealth or fame, during IROPS that significantly delay or cancel flights. I wish DOT, Congress, everyone who flies regularly would be more passionate about passing better rules here.
Oh, wow she had to wait it out in the FL lounge. The horror she endured. I fly 2-3 times a week and hate delays but understand it’s part of the process. I’m very happy when I’m at an airport with a FL lounge to wait it out and maybe staff that will give a damn.
You’re so rich and important, then go fly private. I know that if I was rich and important I’d be flying private.
“Better” costs money. Is the flying public willing to pay for it?
if this was a EURO airline would she get double compensation for 2 planes going mechanical ?
She flies commercial because she cannot afford to fly private…or she would have. A lot of people are not as wealthy as they’d like you to think. They are leveraged up to their eyeballs.
Funny things for me is the entitlement. She honestly believes the rest of us care that she’s stuck in Miami while we are all trying to live our lives. This kind of inappropriate moral outrage is why people hate Karens.
@Denver Refugee — No, it doesn’t cost consumers, again, see LCCs in those other markets that have such compensation rules; yes, it could cost the airlines, as they’d then pay you, the passenger, when they mess up, instead of keeping your money, but they can mitigate those risks by running more reliable operations, hiring and properly supporting workers, and not selling tickets for routes they know they cannot operate, which would be a win-win for them and consumers.
@JOJO — It’s possible; each incident is judged separately. If it’s a multi-segment itinerary, heavily delayed under their control, they are liable just once. However, you could have two claims if a rebooking then has it’s own, separate mechanical issue. It’s not supposed to be a windfall for passengers scamming airlines (rarely does anyone ever pull that off); it’s meant to cover the costs and inconvenience caused by the airline (which is helpful, reasonable, and should be a thing here.)
I have had layovers longer than that spent in airports (and I have some coming up) but I understand her frustration. American Airlines should be doing better.