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Delta flight to Los Angeles diverted to Dallas due to 'customer disturbance'

• Delta plane diverted mid-flight due to 'unruly' passenger

(CNN)A "customer disturbance" aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles resulted in the flight being diverted to Dallas on Monday, according to Delta.

The incident occurred on Delta Flight 365 that took off from Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

"Situations like these are rare and regrettable for the vast majority of our customers and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior at our airports and aboard our aircraft," Delta said. "We applaud our flight crew's quick decision to divert and address the situation as expeditiously as possible so the remainder of our customers can resume their travels."

In its statement Delta did not address the nature of the disturbance.

Assault on flight attendant 'one of the worst' in airline's history, American Airlines says

Bill Moseley, an actor who was on board the flight, said on Twitter the issue was due to an "unruly passenger. Ah, the unfriendly skies!"

The disturbance comes amid an apparent rise in unruly passengers aboard flights since the pandemic began and mask mandates were implemented.

The Federal Aviation Administration adopted a zero-tolerance policy for unruly passengers on board flights earlier this year. The agency said in August it had issued more than $1 million in fines to unruly passengers in 2021.

A survey by the Association of Flight Attendants released in July found that, of the 5,000 flight attendants surveyed, 85% said they'd dealt with unruly passengers in 2021.

A Southwest pilot and flight attendant fought over masks. One was cited for alleged assault.

A Southwest Airlines pilot was cited for alleged assault and battery after a mask dispute with a flight attendant at a California hotel amid pandemic political discord at the nation's largest domestic carrier.

The incident happened Oct. 18 at a hotel bar in San Jose, California, where the crew spent the night after a flight, according to police records and company and union officials.

The case has been referred to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for review and possible charges, according to Sgt. Christian Camarillo, public information officer for the San Jose Police Department.

"The event involved a disagreement over mask wearing or masks," Camarillo said, declining to provide more details.

The district attorney's office is reviewing the case, according to spokesman Sean Webby.

Southwest placed the pilot on leave while the matter is investigated, airline spokesperson Brandy King told USA TODAY.

King confirmed there was a "crew disagreement during an overnight trip."

"We do not have information to provide regarding the context of the event, and we do not discuss personnel issues externally," King said.

The San Jose incident happened on a Monday night. That Friday, Oct. 22, Southwest sent a lengthy memo to pilots and flight attendants about civility and the golden rule. "Crossing the line in a heated conversation can be a violation of our guidelines for employees and can even end in loss of job," it said.

"We realize there has been a steady drumbeat over the last 19 months about civility and respectful discourse – and that is for good reason. Many of our people have been faced with an uncomfortable situation where their beliefs are not shared by someone else, resulting in a confrontation of some kind," the memo began. "And for every situation we hear about, there are dozens more for which we don't. It is vital that we treat everyone with respect and honor our differences without pushing our ideals on someone else."

The memo sent by Bob Waltz, Southwest's vice president of flight operations and Sonya Lacore, vice president of inflight operations, recommends that flight crews have a briefing at the start of a trip to "set the right tone" about concerns and expectations. It reminds employees masks are required, including during briefings.

"And when the day is done and we retire for the day/evening, it is especially important that we measure our discussions when they veer toward sensitive topics that elicit emotional responses," the memo said. "Being off-duty is never an excuse to ignore the Golden Rule. Everyone has a different story before coming to work, and many times the best support we have is one another."

Southwest's flight attendants union, TWU Local 556, said in a statement, "We are aware of this matter and the fact that the investigation continues. As with all flight attendants we represent, we will support our member in accordance with the law and our collective bargaining agreement.''

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which represents the airline's pilots, declined to comment, citing the pending investigation.

U.S. charges passenger with assaulting American Airlines flight attendant

(Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors in Colorado on Monday charged a 20-year-old California man with assaulting a flight attendant on an Oct. 27 American Airlines flight that forced its diversion.

The New York to Santa Ana, California, flight made an unscheduled landing in Denver after the alleged assault in which witnesses said a flight attendant was punched in the nose, resulting in bleeding and a concussion.

Brian Hsu, of Irvine, California, who is also charged with interference with a flight crew, was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Autumn Spaeth after making an initial appearance

Spaeth ordered him to appear in Denver on Nov. 15 for a hearing and directed him to submit to a mental health evaluation.

A lawyer for Hsu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

U.S. airlines have reported a record number of violent incidents this year and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has pledged a "zero tolerance" approach.

American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker said in a video posted on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlEKgSD-F- last week "this type of behavior has to stop," calling the incident "one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we've ever witnessed."

An FBI agent said in an affidavit a witness reported Hsu punched the flight attendant in the face near the lavatory.

The flight attendant felt dizzy after the flight and was removed by stretcher. She was taken to the hospital where doctors told her that she had a concussion and she told the FBI she "currently has pain in her nose, head, and sinuses."

Hsu told the FBI he was returning home to California from New York after receiving brain surgery in Rhode Island.

Hsu said he accidentally bumped a flight attendant and claimed the flight attendant then "charged at him and hit her nose against the palm of his right hand."

The flight attendant said she was struck on the head when speaking to another flight attendant. After telling the passenger to sit down because the fasten seat belt sign was lighted, "the male passenger raised his arms as though he were going to stretch" but then struck her on the head, the FBI said.

The flight attendant said she "took a defensive posture" and then he charged at her flailing his arms, the FBI affidavit said, adding the passenger initially backed down but later charged her and "struck her in the face."

On Oct. 8, President Joe Biden said he instructed the Justice Department to "deal" with https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-says-us-will-deal-with-violence-airplanes-2021-10-07 the rising number of violent incidents onboard planes.

Through Oct. 25, there have been 4,941 reports of unruly passenger incidents, including 3,580 related to pandemic face covering regulations.

In June, a group representing major U.S. airlines such as American, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, as well as aviation unions, asked the Justice Department to prosecute violent air passengers.

A union representing Southwest Airlines workers said in May that a flight attendant "was seriously assaulted, resulting in injuries to the face and a loss of two teeth."