Passengers of an American Airlines aircraft flying from Miami to Los Angeles experienced uncomfortable moments due to an unruly female passenger behavior this Wednesday. It happened when she reportedly approached other passengers saying loudly, “We’re all going to die,” during the flight. The pilot diverted the plane to El Paso because of the incident. There, the police arrested the unruly female passenger.
Daniel Leon-Davis, who was on the flight, told local media that the woman was standing in the front aisle while screaming, “Repent! Redemption is coming,”. Then, according to Leon-Davis, the female passenger allegedly tried to rush passengers before flight attendants could detain her and call the police. The plane took off after police and firefighters arrived at the location to check the aircraft. The plane camera captured the whole incident.
LeonXDavis shared the video of the incident on Twitter. In the clip, a flight attendant was heard informing the passengers in Spanish that local police would enter the aircraft to remove the woman from the flight. According to Derek Walls, a spokesman for American Airlines, the plane departed from El Paso and arrived in Los Angeles in the afternoon of that day.
Incidents on flights drop in 2022
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, incidents involving unruly passengers on flights have dropped by nearly 60 per cent since record-highs in early 2021. As of September 20, 2022, there are 1,973 reports of unruly passengers, 680 investigations initiated, 468 enforcement action cases created, and 2.0 incidents per 10k flights for the week ending September 18, 2022.
The repercussions for passengers who engage in unruly behavior can be substantial. They can be fined by the FAA or prosecuted on criminal charges. As part of the FAA’s Reauthorization Bill, the agency can propose up to $37,000 per violation for unruly passenger cases. Previously, the maximum civil penalty per violation was $25,000. One incident can result in multiple violations.