On an American Airlines flight, a first-class passenger was so freaked out on Wednesday evening that a flight attendant had to be brought to the hospital. Like an eyewitness towards «Daily Mail» explains, it all started with an argument about wearing a mask.
The plane should have flown from New York to Orange County, California. Because of the beating passenger, she had to make a stopover in Denver.
Picked up by the police
The man is said to have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He hit the stewardess twice in the face with his fist. “She had blood splatters on the outside of her mask,” says the eyewitness. After the attack, the attacker was tied to his armchair by crew members and other passengers with duct tape and picked up by the Denver police.
American Airlines head Doug Parker calls it “one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we have ever seen.” The flogger is being banned from American Airlines for life. Looking at the attacker, Parker said in a video message, “I can guarantee you that this person will never be allowed to fly American Airlines again.”
Airline turned on the FBI
Parker calls for a halt to the increasing violence in airplanes. American Airlines turned on the FBI. Everything will be done to ensure that the perpetrator is criminally accountable, says Parker. They are also working with the FAA, which can impose fines of more than $ 50,000 in such cases.
So far this year, airline crews have reported more than 4,940 reports of unruly passengers to the FAA. 3580 incidents were related to the mask requirement. More than 920 investigations have been initiated. According to the FAA, there had been significantly fewer investigations (183) throughout 2020. Because of the increasing number of incidents, the FAA is now pursuing a zero tolerance policy.
The victim is better again
The AFA union published a survey in July that found that 85 percent of flight attendants in the United States had dealt with unruly passengers in the first half of the year. More than half had experienced at least five incidents during this period. 17 percent reported “physical incidents”.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) announced after the latest incident that the victim had meanwhile been released from the hospital. (noo)