Unruly Passengers Getting Out of Hand

[j.k.]

I've noticed an significant uptick of passenger problems on my flights. Looking back over the last three months it works out to 1 in 5 flights there has been a passenger disturbance, all mask related disturbances to varying degrees up to requiring police at the gate on arrival. 

People have to know that causing a disturbance on an airplane never goes well, indeed I know a few of those that chose to mouth off were planning on connecting to other flights... and well that didn't happen for them after their behaviour...

Nobody likes the masks, but everyone knows - right or wrong - there's a rule, it's not the airline's rule or the crew's rule, it just is what it is so just pull it over your nose and let's all carry on. I don't get why that's so hard for some people.

[J.O.]

They’ve been emboldened by attention seeking people who post nonsense on social media.

[Airband]

“With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.” - Oscar Wilde

Toronto man threatens Air Canada agent at Florida airport, saying he has bomb in his bag

Wegal Rosen, 74, checking in at the Fort Lauderdale airport to fly home to Toronto, was angered by the carry-on baggage fee

Tue Jul 13, 2021 - National Post
by Shari Kulha

Here’s what you do and don’t do when preparing to travel by air.

First, you read the fine print before purchasing a ticket. You know up front what extra fees — say, for baggage — that you’re going to be responsible for. Then, when you get miffed at check-in, being told you have to pay to take your carry-on on board, you don’t walk away, leave the bag and tell the agent there’s a bomb in it.

A 74-year-old Toronto man, checking in at the Fort Lauderdale airport to fly home for a cardiologist appointment, became overstressed about the fee and walked off in a huff, muttering about an explosive device in his bag. Security shut three terminals of the international airport, and within minutes eight flights were cancelled, some 50 flights delayed, and travellers ferried outside to wait four hours while security and threat-management teams did their due diligence — including closing area roads, which, causing traffic jams, expanded the incident area beyond the airport.

Wegal Rosen found himself arrested instead of on-boarded.

The Deerfield Beach resident was taken to the Broward Main Jail for a weekend think. On Monday, he appeared in court, where bond was set at US$20,000.

Security at any airport is on high alert at all times, but a 2017 incident at the same airport taught them not to take this man’s threat lightly. A gunman had opened fire in the baggage claim area, killing five people and wounding six. The attack saw panicked travellers running out of the terminal and onto the tarmac.

If convicted of the second-degree felony, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says, Rosen could be sentenced to 15 years in prison and be fined US$10,000. And he could be on the hook for restitution to cover the costs and damages arising from his false bomb threat.

The judge said he could fly back to Toronto only after posting bail. But she warned Rosen that he would have to find an alternative route home.

“You cannot return to the Fort Lauderdale airport, Mr. Rosen, do you understand?” He said he did.

According to the Washington Post, his lawyer acknowledged that Rosen had “said the magic words you do not say.”

Oh, and in the bag he left by the ticket agent’s desk? His CPAP machine for treating sleep apnea.

[j.k.]

74 years old and you don't know better.

And there isn't even a carry on baggage fee...

[Airband]

The pride a parent must feel.....

Passenger Arrives Taped to a Seat and Is Charged With Assaulting Flight Attendants

Maxwell Berry, 22, of Norwalk, Ohio, punched a Frontier Airlines flight attendant and groped two others on a flight from Philadelphia to Miami, the authorities said.

Tue Aug 3, 2021 - The New York Times
By Neil Vigdor

Quote

'Mr. Berry graduated in May from Ohio Wesleyan University, where he received a values in action award from the Greek life community for being a “perfect role model” and for leading “the fight to dismantle fraternity stereotypes.” 

A Frontier Airlines passenger assaulted three flight attendants, punching one and groping the breasts of two others, on a weekend flight from Philadelphia to Miami, prompting one crew member to tape him to his seat until the plane landed, the authorities said.

Part of the altercation was caught on video by other passengers, who jeered as the man was restrained for the remainder of Flight 2289, which left Philadelphia at 10:41 p.m. on Saturday and landed 2 hours and 37 minutes later.

Frontier Airlines said in an initial statement on Tuesday that the flight attendants would be “relieved of flying” while it investigated, which drew sharp criticism from the Association of Flight Attendants, the nation’s largest flight attendants union. Later on Tuesday, the airline said that paid leave was in line with “an event of this nature.”

The Association of Flight Attendants said that the encounter was emblematic of the hostilities faced by airline crews since the loosening of travel restrictions that had been put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. It came amid a surge of reports filed by airlines with the Federal Aviation Administration about unruly passengers, who have faced steep fines for disruptions.

In one video, which was obtained by several television stations and received widespread attention online, the man, who police said had been drinking, repeatedly cursed at other passengers and at the crew. He said that his parents were worth “two million goddamn dollars.”

The Miami-Dade Police Department identified the man as Maxwell Berry, 22, of Norwalk, Ohio, who it said in a criminal complaint had been charged with three misdemeanor counts of battery.

It was not immediately clear if Mr. Berry had a lawyer. Messages left by phone at his family’s home in Ohio and by email on Tuesday were not answered.

Mr. Berry was booked into the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department on Sunday and was released later that day. Court date information was not immediately available from the department.

The trouble began when Mr. Berry ordered his third alcoholic beverage of the flight and brushed his empty cup against a flight attendant’s backside, according to the criminal complaint, which said that the flight attendant told him “don’t touch me.”

Mr. Berry, who had been sitting in seat 28D, then emerged from the bathroom shirtless after spilling his drink, prompting a flight attendant to tell him that he needed to be fully dressed, the complaint said. The flight attendant helped him get a shirt out of his carry-on luggage, and Mr. Berry walked around the cabin for about 15 minutes.

That’s when he groped the breasts of another flight attendant, who told him not to touch her and to sit down, the authorities said. In the criminal complaint, officers wrote that Mr. Berry later put his arms around the same two flight attendants and groped their breasts.

When a male flight attendant approached and asked him several times to calm down, officers said, Mr. Berry punched him in the face with a closed fist.

Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said in a statement on Tuesday that the encounter was one of the worst disruptions experienced by airline crews this year.

“A drunk and irate passenger verbally, physically, and sexually assaulted multiple members of the crew,” Ms. Nelson said. “When he refused to comply after multiple attempts to de-escalate, the crew was forced to restrain the passenger with the tools available to them onboard. We are supporting the crew.”

In their complaint, officers said that several other passengers had helped to restrain Mr. Berry, whom the video showed being secured to a seat by a male crew member with what appeared to be packing tape. A seatbelt extender was also used as a restraint, the police said. Some other passengers laughed and pulled out their cellphone cameras to record the scene.

“Frontier Airlines maintains the utmost value, respect, concern and support for all of our flight attendants, including those who were assaulted on this flight,” the Denver-based carrier said. “We are supporting the needs of these team members and are working with law enforcement to fully support the prosecution of the passenger involved.”

But the flight attendants union criticized the airline’s response.

“Management suspended the crew as a knee-jerk reaction to a short video clip that did not show the full incident,” said Ms. Nelson, the union’s president. “Management should be supporting the crew at this time, not suspending them.”

Frontier did not answer questions about the airline’s policies and procedures for restraining unruly passengers, including whether tape had been approved for that purpose.

In the criminal complaint, the arresting officers said that they had referred the matter to the F.B.I., but that it had declined to pursue federal felony charges against Mr. Berry.

Mr. Berry’s legal problems may be just beginning, though.

The F.A.A. has fined several passengers tens of thousands of dollars this year for clashing with airline crews over mask requirements and other safety instructions. Earlier this year, the agency imposed a zero-tolerance policy for interfering with or assaulting flight attendants that carries a fine of up to $35,000 and possible jail time.

An F.A.A. spokesman said in an email on Tuesday that the agency investigates all reports of unruly passengers, but that it could not comment on individual cases.

“Cabin crews are responsible for deciding how to respond to unruly-passenger incidents,” said the spokesman, Ian Gregor.

Mr. Berry graduated in May from Ohio Wesleyan University, where he received a values in action award from the Greek life community for being a “perfect role model” and for leading “the fight to dismantle fraternity stereotypes.” The university posted a Zoom video of the presentation.

“Ohio Wesleyan is saddened to learn of this situation with one of our graduates,” Cole Hatcher, a spokesman for the university, said in an email on Tuesday. “The case does not involve the university, and the incidents depicted do not reflect Ohio Wesleyan’s values.”

[deicer]

And again...

https://news.yahoo.com/watch-american-airlines-staff-duct-111231364.html

• Witnesses told CBSN LA that a boy became disruptive about an hour into an American Airlines flight.

• They said the boy became physical with his mother and tried to kick out a window.

• A video shows passengers helping to restrain the boy as a staff member approached with duct tape.

•  

[Specs]

" ....On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said it had investigated more than 600 reports of unruly passenger behavior in 2021 - nearly double the combined number of incidents in 2019 and 2020........''

 

From the associated Press

"....Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration said airlines had reported 3,715 incidents of unruly passengers this year, more than 75% of which involved reports of people refusing to wear federally required face masks on planes.

Of the nearly 4,000 reported incidents, the FAA said it had started investigating more than 600 — nearly double the combined number it investigated in 2019 and 2020, according to the Associated Press.

The agency said it had proposed fines in 99 of those incidents...."

 

I wonder sometimes if we emphasized that the masks were to protect others rather than ourselves would it improve compliance?  I suppose if somebody is ignorant enough to think they won't ever get it or that can deal with it if they do, they probably expect everybody else to think the same way?

 

 

[Junior]

Best thing to do is just ban them from any airline flying across North America in a coordinated manner. No fly list.

[st27]

I am amazed at the attitude of passengers lately…..the airline HAS to transport me, the airline HAS to depart on time, the airline HAS to seat us together…….

I watched a Toronto morning show and the two hosts were condemning some poor sob who paid extra for a seat with more legroom, because he wouldn’t move to accommodate a late boarding family of SIX….so….you can read between the lines….cheap seats with no boarding priority wanting to move a higher fare passenger. I was shocked that no one had the POV  that if the family wanted to sit together,  then they could have PAID for advance seat selection so they could be together.

[Innuendo]

Seeing a report that American is suspending the sale of alcohol in Coach until sometime in 2022. Standby for increased BYOB events.

[Don Hudson]

On 8/19/2021 at 4:58 PM, Innuendo said:

Standby for increased BYOB events.

. . . and hopefully then, arrests.

Carriage of alcohol across provincial/state/country borders is an illegal act and warrants arrest at destination, or, where physical abuse threatens the flight's progress and/or passenger safety, whereever the captain deems is the nearest suitable airport to land the aircraft.

Such landing at an unscheduled airport can have unanticipated, serious personal/legal outcomes for individuals who may also have immigration, arrest-warrant, tax or other such outstanding matters which could be of interest to authorities in that country. Life can rapidly become very complicated these days for a momentary loss of personal control. 

Further, to counter any abusive behaviour that threatens flight safety, IATA needs to implement a worldwide "No-Fly" roster so that those committing the most serious offences involving physical attacks on crews, even just once (first time), are banned from all air travel everywhere and not just the country in which the aircraft is registered.

[Guest2]

1 hour ago, Don Hudson said:

. . . and hopefully then, arrests.

Carriage of alcohol across provincial/state/country borders is an illegal act and warrants arrest

Appears that is no longer the case. Provinces agree to raise personal exemption for interprovincial booze sales | CBC News

[Don Hudson]

Hi Skeptic - thanks, yes, I do recall that decision now and wondered about that statement; still, in Canada & the U.S., it is illegal to open & consume one's own alcohol on board an aircraft.

[Airband]

First Class Trash

Flight attendant suffers broken bones in ‘one of the worst displays of unruly behavior’ in the skies

The incident prompted the pilots to divert the flight to Denver, where a passenger was detained

Fri Oct 29, 2021 - The Washington Post
By Lori Aratani

A flight attendant for American Airlines suffered broken bones in her face and had to be hospitalized after a passenger allegedly attacked her Wednesday in an incident the company’s chief executive called “one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we’ve ever witnessed.”

The incident occurred on a flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif. It prompted the pilots to divert the flight to Denver, where the passenger was detained.

The flight attendant apparently bumped the passenger while moving through the first-class cabin, according to Julie Hedrick, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents those who fly for American Airlines. The flight attendant apologized, but the passenger left his seat, confronted her as she stood in the aircraft’s galley, then punched her in the face, Hedrick said.

Hedrick said the flight attendant was taken to a hospital for treatment of broken bones in her face. She was later released.

The incident echoed one from earlier this year in which a Southwest Airlines flight attendant lost several teeth after a passenger allegedly punched her in the face. The attacks come on the heels of an increase in incidents in which passengers have shouted obscenities, pushed and shoved flight attendants, harassed other passengers or even attempted to open the cockpit door.

Hedrick said problem passengers are not a new phenomenon, but recent incidents have put flight attendants increasingly on edge. The Federal Aviation Administration, which is charged with enforcing rules on airplanes, has seen a sixfold increase over two years in its investigations of unruly passengers.

“We’ve never had passengers assault us like this,” Hedrick said. “I think for flight attendants going to work today, the mental exhaustion of ‘what am I going to be dealing with?’ — you just don’t know what’s going to happen on your flight today.”

Hedrick said the number of incidents involving unruly passengers has declined from peaks during the summer. Even so, she said, “it doesn’t matter when something like this happens.”

In a strongly worded video message on Instagram, American Airlines chief executive Doug Parker said the carrier would push to have the passenger “prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.” He said the person would be banned from traveling on American.

“This type of behavior has to stop,” Parker said, adding that the airline also is working with the FAA, which is authorized to levy fines of up to $50,000 in such incidents.

The number of airline passengers cited for what the FAA terms “unruly behavior” has skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the confrontations are fueled by disagreements over federal requirements that passengers wear masks when boarding aircraft. According to the FAA, of nearly 5,000 reports of unruly behavior this year, more than 3,500 involve disputes over masks. Others have involved alcohol, prompting some airlines to temporarily suspend sales.

In January, the agency implemented a “zero-tolerance” policy for bad behavior on flights. According to its most recent figures, the FAA is investigating 923 incidents and has begun enforcement action in 216 of those. In 2019, when record numbers of people were traveling, the FAA investigated 146 cases of unruly behavior among passengers.

Hedrick said there is no indication that the incident on Wednesday involved a dispute over masks. She said it also is not clear whether alcohol may have been a factor. American is among several carriers that have limited alcohol sales on domestic flights. The carrier does offer alcohol in its first-class cabins.

Denver International Airport officials referred calls to the local office of the FBI, which is looking into the incident. In his video message, Parker said the passenger had been arrested. The FBI office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hedrick said the union also is looking into an incident that occurred Wednesday in Honolulu. During the incident, a passenger allegedly spit at and slapped a flight attendant while exiting an airplane.

She said her union and others continue to push for a federal “no-fly” list that would bar such passengers from flying. Airlines maintain their own “no-fly” lists, but those are not shared among carriers. Hedrick said aviation workers also are pushing for increased police presence and more follow-up on what happens to passengers who are arrested.

“It’s not just the masks,” Hedrick said. “Our passengers have changed. Their behavior on our flights, the safety of our flight attendants, the safety of our passengers — every day is being threatened here.”

[Guest1]

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