Unruly pax øker i USA - Curt Lewis

 Når uoppdragne drittsekker er ute og flyr blir det trouble - Curt Lewis

FAA reports 'off the charts' spike in unruly, dangerous passenger behavior on flights The Federal Aviation Administration is warning air travelers about what it describes as a dramatic increase in unruly or dangerous behavior aboard passenger airplanes. In a typical year, the transportation agency sees 100 to 150 formal cases of bad passenger behavior. But since the start of this year, the agency said, the number of reported cases has jumped to 1,300, an even more remarkable number since the number of passengers remains below pre-pandemic levels. The behavior in question includes passengers refusing to wear masks, drinking excessively and engaging in alleged physical or verbal assault, including what the agency describes as political intimidation and harassment of lawmakers. In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for example, a fistfight broke out amid a dispute over mask-wearing. In Washington, D.C., a passenger was escorted off a flight after arguing with flight attendants over the mask rule. In another case, a flight bound for Los Angeles was diverted to Denver and forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger allegedly tried to open an emergency exit. In recent days, Alaska Airlines banned an Alaska state senator for refusing to comply with mask requirements, according to The Anchorage Daily News. “It is not permissible and we will not tolerate interfering with a flight crew and the performance of their safety duties,” Stephen Dickson, the administrator of the FAA, said of the wave of incidents. “Period.” The FAA is now taking a “zero-tolerance” approach to poor behavior: Unruly passengers face potential criminal charges, fines up to $35,000 or lifetime bans on certain airlines. The bad behavior appears to be taking a toll. Angela Hagedorn, a former flight attendant with Alaska Airlines, tweeted that she recently resigned. “It has been an exhausting time for all the employees who are just trying to do their job according to their company’s policies," she said. “The constant arguing and pushback from guests, it’s ridiculous." Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants union, said airline employees have reported a wide range of troubling incidents. “What we have seen on our planes is flight attendants being physically assaulted, pushed, choked,” Nelson said. “We have a passenger urinate. We had a passenger spit into the mouth of a child on board. “These are some of the things that we have been dealing with,” Nelson said, adding that the physical and verbal abuse that flight attendants have allegedly experienced this year has been “way off the charts” compared to the last 20 years. In the months ahead, as parts of the United States begin to rebound from the pandemic and a greater number of people take to the skies, the FAA — along with the Transportation Security Administration and Air Marshals — plan to watch closely for behavior that threatens crew members or passenger safety.

 

 

American Airlines passenger attacks attendant: 'Cops aren't going to do anything to me' An attendant was allegedly assaulted on a flight from Miami to New York City. According to reports, a passenger on an American Airlines flight struck one of the flight attendants multiples times midway through the flight on Sunday. The attack was allegedly sparked after the passenger got into a dispute with attendants over garbage. The passenger followed a separate flight attendant to the crew area of the plane to complain about garbage not being picked up, according to court documents obtained by Fox News. When the passenger began yelling at one flight attendant, another airline worker was called in for help. When the second flight attendant attempted to separate the two, the passenger allegedly claimed that the attendant had pushed her. The passenger is accused of punching the flight attendant and pulling her hair. The two were then reportedly separated, and the suspect apparently continued to argue with another passenger. At one point, the suspect approached the flight attendant again and allegedly attacked her a second time. At one point, the suspect allegedly claimed that the "cops aren't going to do anything to me." One of the other flight attendants on the plane reportedly asked the pilot to land the plane, but the pilot was unable to comply at the moment. Fortunately, an off-duty New York police officer was reportedly on the plane and helped restrain the suspect. The plane landed at its intended destination, JFK airport, where authorities reportedly were waiting. The court documents identify the suspect as Chenasia I. Campbell. She was reportedly taken into custody and is facing charges of interfering with a flight crew, which is a federal offense, NBC New York reports. Campbell is reportedly a Brooklyn resident and is currently unemployed. She previously worked for the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities. In a virtual hearing on Monday afternoon, Campbell was released on $15,000 bail. Prosecutors also asked that she undergo a mental health evaluation and random drug testing, although her defense attorney replied that Campbell had already been in a mental health program prior to this case. The flight attendant sustained scrapes to the arm and cheek, bruises on her forehead and leg and a swollen hand, according to the court documents. She was evaluated by medical professionals but reportedly refused further medical assistance. Fox News reached out to American Airlines for comment, but representatives for the company did not immediately respond.