Erin was banned from flying for having sex with a man. She's a lesbian.

Erin Wright arrived at the airport 90 minutes before her flight, determined to have a smooth journey to her sister's bachelorette party in New Orleans. But from the moment she tried to check in, something was seriously wrong.

On TikTok, the 24-year-old shared her story.

After she was unable to check in for her flight at the self-service kiosk, she approached the help desk.

"They're like, 'Oh don't even worry. You probably just put your name or your birthday in wrong when you were entering your information when you bought the flight," Erin recalled. "'Let us call someone and get it fixed.' "

Ten minutes later, the airport worker delivered news that left Erin bewildered.

"She's like, 'Ma'am, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but you've actually been banned from flying American Airlines.'" Erin said. 

Erin was shocked. "I've never done anything, what did I get banned for?" she asked.

But the answer didn't come readily, and the worker told Erin she would have to call customer service to learn why she'd been banned from the airline. She did, but was told that due to "internal security", she would have to contact customer relations — which she could only do via email.

"I've never done anything, what did I get banned for?" Image: TikTok/@erin_wright_

At this point, Erin realised she was going to miss her flight. In a rush to make it to New Orleans, she quickly booked a $1,000 round-trip to make her sister's bachelorette party. With the new flight not for another eight hours, she spent the time trying to get to the bottom of what happened. 

"While I cry and call my mum, I start emailing customer relations saying that I'm really confused and I don't know why I've been banned," Erin recounted.

Combined with her initial flight, which cost $400, Erin was out $1,400, and requested that they refund her the money for the mix up.

It wasn't until after the bachelorette party that Erin heard back from customer relations. But what she received wasn't an answer — it was another hoop to jump through. 

"They said they [couldn't] tell me what happened, they [needed] to reach out to corporate security to get them to contact me to tell me what happened."

Twelve days passed before she eventually got an answer.

"I finally get an email from corporate security telling me I have been banned because I was having sexual relations with a man on a flight while intoxicated," she said.

"Let me tell you, I am a 24-year-old lesbian. Do you see me? Am I having sexual relations with any man? No."

Erin told them as much in her response. She asked to be taken off the no-fly list and that the airline reimburse her for the error. In response, Erin said that corporate security requested that she file an official appeal over email and prove that she wasn't the passenger in question.

Erin denied having sex with a man, seeing as though - you know - she's a lesbian. Image: Instagram/@erin_wright_

"I [sent] them a very serious email — but also somewhat funny, because in it I'm like, 'I don't really know how to prove that it wasn't me except for the fact that I'm literally a lesbian, and I can like get you letters from other people telling you that that's the truth,'" she said.

Three months went by with no response. Then her mum jumped to the rescue, and sent an email to the law department at American airlines. Two days later, Erin received a call from corporate security.

They said: "We've reviewed your case and we've determined that it was most likely not you, so we're going to take you off the no-fly list until further notice, until we figure out if it was actually you or someone else."

When asked if they could call her back once they figured out what happened, corporate security said no, as it would be confidential if the person in question wasn't actually her. Oh, and Erin only got refunded $400 for the original flights, and for what they deemed the "inconvenience" of the error.

"So, life is really silly. I ended up on the American Airlines no-fly list by accident and I am now out $1,000," Erin finished the video.

@erin_wright_ Thanks for being the worst @American Airlines #storytime #funnystory #funnyvideos #airlinetiktok #airplanestory #funny #fyp ♬ original sound - Erin Wright

Comments on the TikTok were understandably stunned, and many encouraged Erin to take the matter further.

"File a complaint with the Department of Transportation," one user wrote. "They are legally required to not only refund you, but to provide you with an answer."

Another perplexed commenter added: "Why doesn't American Airlines notify the passenger if you get banned so that you don't find out the day of your flight??"

"Everything else aside, how did they let you book if they banned you?" a third queried. 

"Crying and calling my mum is the first thing I would do; that is insane," another comment read. 

"A ban should automatically have a file with proof right??" a further user penned. "Like why would they not have a traceable process with something as serious as that?"

After the video went viral, Erin shared an update with PEOPLE on the situation as it stands.

"Most of the feedback I've gotten on TikTok has been pretty helpful," she told the publication. "A complaint through the Department of Transportation or bringing them to small claims court, which can all be done now."