On an American Airlines flight, a passenger hit a flight attendant. The woman even had to go to the hospital and the man is now banned from the airline for life.
Washington – A first-class passenger hit a stewardess on a US scheduled flight and thus provoked an unplanned stopover in Denver.
American Airlines head Doug Parker called it “one of the worst displays of unruly behavior that we have ever seen.” Looking at the attacker, he said in a video message: “I can guarantee you that this person will never be allowed to fly with American Airlines again.” The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) announced that the victim has now been released from the hospital.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening on a flight from New York to California. The broadcaster ABC reported, citing a source familiar with the investigation, that the flight attendant accidentally bumped into the passenger and apologized for it. Later the man went to the galley and hit the woman twice. Then he returned to his seat as if nothing had happened. ABC quoted accounts from passengers who claimed that the man was drunk. After the attack, he had to be handcuffed to his seat. One passenger said he saw the flight attendant afterwards. “She had blood splatters on the outside of her mask.”
American Airlines turned on the FBI, according to Parker, and will do everything possible to bring the perpetrator to justice. They are also working with the FAA, which can impose fines of more than 50,000 dollars (42,800 euros) in such cases.
This year, the FAA crews have reported more than 4,940 reports of unruly passengers to date. 3580 incidents were reported in connection with the mask requirement. More than 920 investigations have been initiated. For comparison: According to the FAA, there had been 183 investigations throughout 2020. Because of the increasing number of incidents, the FAA now has a zero tolerance policy, according to its own information.
The AFA union published a survey in July, according to which 85 percent of flight attendants had to deal with unruly passengers in the first half of the year. More than half have experienced at least five incidents during the period. 17 percent reported “physical incidents”. dpa
