Let’s face it, sometimes people get crazy up in the air. Whether it’s the stress of travel, too much alcohol, too many prescription drugs or a combination of all three, it normally does not end well for the perpetrator. Regardless of what may trigger these incidents, disturbances in the air are no joke and there are rather severe penalties involved for those who choose to misbehave at an altitude of 35,000 feet.
US Federal law prohibits passengers from interfering, physically assaulting or threatening to physically assault airline crew members. If convicted, flight crew interference incidents can result in up to 20 years’ imprisonment and fines of up to $250,000 according to the #FBI. Using a “dangerous weapon” (basically any object that can cause serious bodily injury or death) will result in even stiffer penalties. Apart from actual assault, a passenger who gets in the way of a crew member’s ability to perform his or her job can be fined by the US Federal Aviation Administration or even prosecuted on criminal charges, depending upon the severity of the incident. Acts of interference that do not rise to the level of criminal conduct can still result in hefty fines by the FAA. In fact, they can propose fines of up to $25,000 per violation for unruly passenger violations. Similar laws with differing penalties are on the books worldwide.
So, if a flight attendant tells you to do something, just do it. If a flight attendant tells you to stop doing something, stop doing it. Without doubt, it’s in your best interest to listen up and follow orders. If not, you just might find your first destination to be a scary jail cell, then perhaps a visit with an experienced criminal defense attorney and finally, a courtroom where your fate will be decided.
While this seems like relatively straightforward advice, unruly passenger incidents abound. Here are 2 which I personally witnessed. A number of years ago, I was headed to Seoul from #fly2ohare with a connection in Tokyo. I was flying up front on a #united B747 aircraft. Prior to takeoff, the gentleman seated behind me repeatedly and loudly demanded a Korean newspaper. Our flight attendant kindly explained at least 3 times that those would be brought aboard the aircraft after landing in Tokyo. Right now, all she had to offer were US or Japanese newspapers. A few hours later I heard loud, angry voices coming from the galley and signaled to a passing flight attendant that perhaps she should summon the captain. “That’s who he’s arguing with,” was her reply. I remember glancing at the moving map and noticing that we were still over Canada. I also recall wondering why we weren’t offloading this disgruntled passenger. However, I soon forgot all about it and fell asleep.
Some time later, I was awakened by an announcement from the cockpit, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll be making an unscheduled stop in Anchorage.” Now I knew the answer to my previous question - the captain wanted to touch down on US soil. It was November and some snow had already settled over the beautiful Alaskan Rockies as we made our descent. No sooner had the aircraft door opened when 3 police officers quickly came aboard. Turning around, I saw 2 of them forcibly removing the gentleman seated behind me (I had no idea he was the one making all the fuss) while the 3rd officer opened the overhead bin to retrieve his luggage. He asked me if I’d seen this traveler drinking either before or during the flight. I hadn’t. They also took down my statement of events and noted my name and address for their records. I asked the officer what would happen to him. “He’ll be charged with interfering with a flight crew and will also be responsible for the cost of the jet fuel which had to be dumped so that the aircraft would be light enough to land,” was his reply. Wow! Once airborne again, the captain announced it would be another 7 hours to Tokyo. Was it drink, was it drugs or both? I’ll never know but I do know I was fortunate as that very aircraft flew me on to Seoul. Many others were not so lucky. After arriving at United's Tokyo hub, they ended up missing their connecting Asian flights-all because of one man’s disruptive behavior.
The second incident I witnessed also occurred on a United Airlines flight. This time I was traveling from #Airport_FRA to #Dulles_Airport aboard another B747 aircraft. I remember it was my birthday and I was headed home on #lufthansa from South Africa with a United connection in Germany. I had no sooner taken my seat in Row 2 when another very loud and boisterous gentleman boarded. I recall he was wearing a cowboy hat and carrying a duty free bag. He took his seat in Row 1 and we eventually taxied out and took off heading west. His noise level continued through the meal service after which I feel asleep (I seem to do this a lot on long haul flights but, in all fairness, this trip did originate the night before in Cape Town, South Africa.)
A few hours later I woke up and, passing the purser en route to the lavatory, said, “That loudmouth sitting in front of me is being a real jerk today.” The purser informed me the passenger’s behavior was alarming the flight attendants and so he made the decision to refuse him any additional alcohol. I thought that was a good idea and didn’t give the matter another thought until it came time to land. Soon after the cabin announcement was made to fasten our seat belts, I saw several flight attendants physically attempting to fasten his belt because he was unable to do so himself. He had passed out! After landing, several Dulles police officers came aboard and ended up carrying him off the plane. They next questioned me as well as those nearby. That's when I overheard the gentleman seated next to him inform the officers he started drinking from his duty free bag once the cabin crew decided he had had enough. I don't know whatever happened to that fellow, but I'm sure he paid some consequence for his bad behavior. And so he should.
Just last week, on September 20, an #AmericanAir flight from #PHXSkyHarbor to #mspairport was forced to make an unscheduled stop in #DENAirport after a male passenger started punching seats, smoking cigarettes in the bathroom and yelling “you’re all screwed” at the other passengers. About 20 minutes after the bizarre incident started, the flight landed and Denver law enforcement removed the offending traveler from the aircraft and transported him to the hospital.
Incidents involving drunken passengers, fistfights, marital arguments and rowdy sports teams’ disorderly airplane conduct routinely appear in the press, I can tell you from personal experience that mid air incidents of any nature are very upsetting to other passengers. More importantly, unruly behavior can cause dangerous situations aboard commercial aircraft and that’s why most carriers have a “zero tolerance” policy. If you’ve ever witnessed such conduct aboard any of your flights, please let me know.
Until next time…safe travels.
Guess your stories just show that those passengers in the better seats do not necessarily demonstrate better behaviours... my suggestion would be to sleep for longer!