Lindsay Lohan's Rough Trip: "Stressing Big-Time" Before Bailing on Her First Flight From New York to L.A.

Eyewitness tells E! News that the rehab-bound starlet had a "scared little girl moment" when she learned their plane was going to be taking a detour

Lindsay Lohan ultimately made it to court today, where she learned that in the near future she'll be spending 90 days in locked rehab.

But the actress didn't make the trip to Los Angeles in the manner which she had originally planned, having bailed on a Virgin America flight (that she had already boarded, let alone arrived on time for) from JFK to LAX in favor of a private jet.

Sounds like a decision anyone would make, but Lohan obviously took a lot of heat for it because she, presumably unlike her fellow travelers, had to be in court first thing in the morning.

So, why did she deboard again? And just how much did she annoy her fellow passengers?

It turns out that Lohan didn't cause any disruption whatsoever, nor did she delay the flight, an eyewitness exclusively tells E! News.

"I'm on the plane last night getting ready to take off from JFK to LAX. Lindsay Lohan is sitting across the aisle from me. They announce that we're going to have to stop in [Las Vegas] for a refuel because of some fairly routine maintenance issue that will require us to fly at lower altitude than typical," the source said.

"Ms. Lohan freaks out a bit, announcing to those of us nearby, 'I have to get to court in the morning! I don't want to go back to jail!' And while the flight is waiting for approval for takeoff, she's stressing big-time, pacing and making a string of phone calls," the witness recalled. "The flight crew was awesome, very professional and kind, working to accommodate her. At the last moment, she apologetically gets off the plane."

The insider said that the flight crew announced the delay at about 7:50 p.m., with the flight scheduled to take off at 8:05 p.m.

Lohan "fretted a lot while they were waiting for an offical clearance to take off," but she did not delay the flight, the eyewitness assured us, adding that two others left the flight before her.

 "I think that was the tipping point for her," the source said. "Honestly, I feel for her. It truly wasn't a...diva moment. It was a scared-little-girl moment."

Ironically, after all that, the plane didn't even end up stopping in Las Vegas and they arrived at LAX on time.

Lohan, meanwhile, secured herself a seat on a private plane provided by energy drink maker Mr Pink. And the rest is L.A. Superior Court history.