Michael Rapaport posts 'unfriendly skies' rant on TikTok, Twitter after landing in Fort Myers

Actor Michael Rapaport had some strong opinions about his recent flight and how he inadvertently ended up in Fort Myers.

The actor best known for playing Officer Gary aka Phoebe's boyfriend on "Friends," Will Smith's best friend in "Hitch" and Doug in "Atypical" posted a video on TikTok about his experience with American Airlines. Most recently, he appeared in season two of Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building" alongside Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

Warning: There is strong language in Rapaport's videos and tweets about American Airlines.

Actor Michael Rapaport posts American Airlines TikTok rant

Rapaport titled the selfie video "unfriendly skies" and can be seen walking through Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers. In his profanity-laced TikTok, posted Sunday, June 25, the actor shares his frustrations about an 8 a.m. flight from New York to Miami, an apparent delay and eventual reroute to Fort Myers airport, which is about 2 1/2 hours away on the West Coast of Florida.

While chewing gum and walking to baggage claim, Rapaport narrates his experience for his TikTok followers, occasionally showing them parts of RSW: "I had an 8 a.m. flight from New York City to Miami. It was delayed until 4:15 (p.m.). I don't know where (expletive) I am. Fort Myers? Because you didn't have enough gas ... to get us to Miami because you had to circle for 10 minutes?"

The biggest kicker of his TikTok, however, was customer service-related: "And, most importantly, not one apology, not one, 'we're sorry for the inconvenience.' ... All you gotta do is say sorry, give some peanuts, a Diet Coke and potato chips and be pleasant."

As of Tuesday, June 27, his rant had just under 1 million views on the social media platform.

Happy anniversary, RSW! 40 facts with historic photos to celebrate Southwest Florida airport's 40th

A flight status check on American Airlines website shows 8 a.m. flights from New York City to Miami arrive at about 11:10 a.m. without any delays.

Typically, flights from New York to Miami take three hours. Flights from New York − LaGuardia Airport (LGA), John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) − to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers typically take longer because of a stopover. There are no direct American Airlines flights from New York to RSW.

Rapaport's frustrations toward the airline stem from what he says was a lack of an apology: "Traveling all day and not one apology," he said in his TikTok.

His account has 4.6 million followers, 108 million likes and thousands of video views as of June 27. Of his TikToks, many of them filled with curses, his "unfriendly skies" post is the most popular.

Airport security woes: New year, but same 'ol, same 'ol as firearms continue to be intercepted at RSW

Commenters empathized with the "Atypical" actor while others welcomed him with open arms to Southwest Florida and the Fort Myers area.

• "I love this guy, speaks his mind, doesn't give 2 chits lol"

• "Love it Peanuts, Diet Coke, some potato chips"

• "Coming from an American Airlines employee I'm sorry!"

• "Welcome to Florida!!! It's a circus!"

LANGUAGE WARNING:

Actor Michael Rapaport posts Twitter thread about American Airlines flight

Warning: Twitter posts from Rapaport about the American Airlines incident contain strong language, too.

Rapaport posted his RSW video in a Twitter thread late Saturday, June 24. The tweet included previous links from TMZ, a story about the time he stopped a man from opening a plane's emergency door mid-flight, and a screengrab from the media service with the headline: "Michael Rapaport Mile-High Hero ... Saves Airplane From Emergency."

In his Twitter thread, the actor refers to himself as "Air Marshall Mike" and tweets, "I know about safety."

American Airlines responded 20 minutes after Rapaport's initial tweet: "The safety of our customers is a priority and we're sorry for your unplanned stop. The airport team will keep you updated."

The video on Twitter has had almost 180,000 views and 1,500 likes as of June 27.

Like TikTok, several commenters empathized with the actor, many shared their own airport-delay stories and some called him out for his delivery: "Why are you always complaining?"

A few comments mentioned Fort Myers, where Rapaport inadvertently landed: "Damn I could've picked you up in (Fort) Myers and driven you to Miami (way) faster!! (Ft Myers isn't just the airport)"

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Actor Michael Rapaport: Viral TikTok, tweets rip airline landing in RSW