According to national records maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration, in 2019 the agency docked 146 investigations into unruly passengers while in 2021 that skyrocketed to 1099.įor the 2022 year, it appears to be on track for keeping up with the previous year’s record, as approaching the halfway mark of the calendar year that agency has initiated 470 investigations into unruly or dangerous passenger behaviour. Nationally, a similar trend has been playing out but has noticeably intensified since post-pandemic travel began taking off. The addition of Covid-19 travel restrictions seemed to only pour gasoline on an already omnipresent threat of unruly passengers.Īccording to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), incidents have been steadily rising since 2012, with the agency attributing most to be caused by intoxication and non-compliance with safety regulations. The May 2021 attack on the Southwest Airlines flight from Sacramento International Airport came at a time when airline employees were increasingly facing attacks from unruly and, at times, violent passengers. “My mistakes were broadcasted nationwide news and I have been completely disappointed and ashamed of myself,” she wrote in a letter, included in court documents. The defendant, for her part, attempted to sway the judge into delivering a lighter sentence by penning a handwritten letter from her jail cell, which highlighted the “challenges” she’d faced since the footage of her attack went viral and how she took “full responsibility for actions”. In May, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant suffered injuries to their face, including the loss of two teeth, following an assault involving a passenger. “Given the widespread news coverage of this incident, Southwest hopes that the ultimate sentence imposed in this matter will serve as a deterrent for others who may contemplate engaging in similar dangerous behaviour.” Last month an American Airlines flight attendant reportedly sustained a concussion and had to be removed from a plane by stretcher after she was allegedly punched in the face by a passenger. “This specific passenger created a situation onboard Flight 700 that jeopardised the entire flight, and created an unsafe environment,” the executive wrote. In a letter to the sentencing judge, a Southwest executive laid out why they believed that given the high-profile nature of the assault, which they characterised as “sickening”, it should be met with serious consequences. General deterrence was also an angle earmarked by Southwest Airlines. “He explained that the victims included not just the flight attendant victim and Southwest Airlines, but all passengers on the plane that day and flight attendants working in the industry,” said Jacklyn Stahl in an email to The Times. Part of the presiding judge’s impetus for handing down the 18-month sentence to the 29-year-old, an assistant for the US attorney told The New York Times, was a strong consideration for “general deterrence”. Ms Quinonez was also ordered to pay a $7,500 fine. She was also left with swelling on her face and bruising and a cut under her left eye. Passengers onboard the flight could be seen in the video trying to disarm the angry passenger, but she still managed to pull the hair of the employee and cause her serious injury.Ĭourt documents from the prosecution later revealed that the airline worker was taken to hospital after the flight and required two of her teeth to be replaced by crowns, while three of her teeth were chipped and needed to be repaired by surgery. In the video, Ms Quinonez can be seen getting up from her aisle seat and crossing over to throw several punches at the flight attendant, most of which land square in her face. The phrase has become a code for saying "F*** Joe Biden.Ms Quinonez initially filmed the altercation with the flight attendant, who was unnamed in the court documents, and then a separate video surfaced which caught the subsequent attack on the Southwest Airlines employee. Southwest later sent an internal memo to employees reminding them to comply with company guidelines about their conduct.Įarlier this month, a California woman said a Southwest flight attendant called police on her while she was flying with her biracial daughter after suspecting her of human trafficking.Īnd late last month, the airline came under fire after one of its pilots reportedly said "Let's go Brandon'' over a plane's public address system on a flight from Houston to Albuquerque. The airline told Newsweek at the time that the pilot has been placed on leave while an internal investigation is underway and pending the results of charges filed with local authorities. Police said the pilot was cited for alleged assault and battery. It comes after an off-duty Southwest Airlines pilot was accused of assaulting a flight attendant in a California bar during a confrontation over masks. Hotel Fight Over Masks Marks Third Incident Involving Southwest Employees.Southwest Faces Boycott Calls After Pilot's Alleged Use of Anti-Biden Chant.Southwest Calls Police on White Woman Flying with Biracial Daughter.Passenger Sues Airline, Alleging Injury in Mask Dispute.
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