( CNN ) -- Three women kicked off an AirTran plane bound for New York say a `` bully '' flight attendant is to blame . The passengers -- who did not know each other before the Monday flight from West Palm Beach , Florida , to White Plains , New York , but were seated in the same section of the plane -- say the incident started during boarding when a male flight attendant began roughly handling bags in the overhead bin . `` I said , 'Hey , I have breakables in that , ' `` recalled Marilyn Miller , according to CNN affiliate WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach . But she said the comment only seemed to make his behavior worse . `` It was just like a bully and I found myself shaking . '' Passenger Carol Gray told the TV station that she flagged the same flight attendant for help with another problem . `` I said , 'Excuse me sir , my seat is broken , ' and he looked at me and said , ' I 'm not talking to you , ' and poked me in the arm , '' Gray told WPTV . The passengers said the flight attendant then began to get angry and told them to leave the plane , according to WPTV . That 's when a third woman , who had been watching the situation unfold , told the station she decided to intervene . `` I said , 'This is crazy , they did n't do anything . Why are you doing this to them ? ' And he said , 'Throw her off , too , ' `` Karyn Schorr told WPTV . Palm Beach County sheriff 's deputies were called to the scene and stood by as the women exited the plane and went to another gate , said Eric Davis , a spokesman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff 's Office . The women were not cited or charged with any crimes , WPTV reported . Southwest Airlines , which owns AirTran , said it booked new travel arrangements for the passengers and compensated them as `` a gesture of goodwill for their inconvenience . '' `` Our goal is always to mitigate any uncomfortable situation prior to departure . Our crew assessed the environment onboard and ultimately decided to accommodate the passengers on an alternative flight , '' spokeswoman Brandy King said . `` We always prefer that a passenger walk away with a positive experience when flying our airline ; we regret that did n't happen in this scenario . As we often do in these situations , we will take this opportunity to review the reports and take away any key learnings that we might uncover . ''
Three passengers were asked to leave an AirTran flight . Women tell CNN affiliate an angry flight attendant is responsible for the episode . Airline says it 's reviewing the incident , compensates passengers for `` inconvenience ''