USA Today reports the incident happened aboard American Airlines Flight 377 on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.
Attendant Responds to Threat, But What Provoked Fight is Unclear
The video of the incident was shared online by Saad Mohseni, but taken by passenger Barrie Livingstone. In the 39-second clip, the flight attendant asks the passenger: “Are you threatening me?” before taking a step back. When the attendant turns to go to the front of the aircraft, the flyer strikes him in the back of the head. Other flyers gasp, while the flight attendants decide what action to take.
Violence in the air: a friend was travelling from Cabo to LAX, when a passenger hit a flight attendant for not letting use him the first class bathroom. He was later restrained by other passengers and arrested upon touchdown. The video shot was by Barrie Livingstone pic.twitter.com/PntVqWyWs9
— Saad Mohseni (@saadmohseni) September 22, 2022
The flight was ultimately continued to New York, where the flyer was met by law enforcement and taken into custody. The person involved has not been identified by authorities. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California told USA TODAY they were consulting with the FBI about the incident.
Both the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) – the union representing American Airlines Flight Attendants – and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) were quick to condemn the attacks. In a statement, APFA president Julie Hendrick said they support the crew members involved and will work with authorities to ensure prosecution.
“Thankfully, the crew and passengers subdued the passenger, and the flight landed safely,” Hendrick said in a statement. “This violent behavior puts the safety of all passengers and crew in jeopardy and must stop.”
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA made a similar stand against the violence. Union president Sara Nelson called for “swift and clear consequences for violent acts,” closing her statement with a call for everyone to come together to “help and heal.”
“It’s an incredibly hard day for Flight Attendants to go to work. But all over the country they are doing it,” Nelson said. “They are doing it even in the most persistently dangerous time for their personal safety – not only because they are brave, but because they are committed to bringing people together.”
Disruptions Continue to Remain Problem Aboard Flights
Despite dropping face mask rules aboard flights, disruptive behavior continues to trouble commercial flights in the United States. The latest data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows the agency has received over 1,900 reports of unruly passengers, with an average of two incidents per 10,000 flights as of the week ending September 11, 2022.
Source: frugal travel guy