Worst Passenger of the Week: The Hero Syndrome

Every Friday, FlyerTalk looks back at the week’s most charming individuals. While there are always plenty of contenders for our Worst Passenger of the Week award, only one lucky flyer can take home the glory. Here are this week’s winners.

Third Place – One Weird Trick for Avoiding Baggage Fees

In the race to make it to the airport on time, it’s sometimes easy to forget to pack a few important items. Hotel lost and founds are well-stocked with everything from dog-eared John Grisham novels to iPhone chargers and Ray-Ban sunglasses, but this week, a passenger rushing to Supadio International Airport (PNK) in Indonesia decided to leave it all behind.

Airport police pulled over and arrested a completely naked woman riding a motor scooter on her way to the departures terminal. Had she made it to the ticket kiosk, the light-packing traveler identified only as “RS,” would have likely saved time going through the security checkpoint, but would have certainly been stymied by strict rules outlined in international aviation treaties that do not allow for the use of birthmarks as an accepted form of ID.

Other than to report, “We haven’t received a conclusive result of her psychological state,” police could offer no explanation of the woman’s unorthodox ground transportation arrangements. Locals in the know, however, offer some seemingly plausible explanations of their own. It has been suggested in local newspapers that riding Joan of Arc-style might just provide enough of a distraction to allow a motor scooter to slip through the notoriously gridlocked traffic surrounding the airport. It was also pointed out that an especially potent batch of local moonshine is more than capable of inspiring just about anyone to climb on a motor scooter naked and head for the airport.

The Runners-up – Aerial Combat Maneuvers for Beginners

A Middle East Airlines flight from Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) was forced to make an emergency landing at Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST) on Wednesday after the plane briefly turned into a midair boxing ring. The in-flight melee was caught on video by fellow passengers who eventually managed to separate the two pugilists to their individual “corners” of the plane.

One unnamed passenger even provided insightful color commentary for the pay-per-view quality cellphone video of the amateur bout in the economy class cabin. “It’s so funny,” he noted thoughtfully in the opening rounds of the fight. Presumably, it became somewhat less amusing when the plane was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Turkey.

The contest also proved to be less than fun for at least one of the fighters who seemed somewhat outmatched by an opponent who appeared to be roughly half his age. The younger and more violent of the two fighters also appears to be taking the fisticuffs much, much more seriously than his considerably older rival in the video.

In the end, authorities in Turkey declared the fight to be a draw and both men were removed from the plane by police.

The Winner – “THERE IS BOMBS ON UA 231 DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LAND”

A 20-year-old Utah man’s attempt to play the hero was foiled when FBI agents started to suspect him as the villain of the story. When Cameron E. Korth brought a threatening note he discovered in the lavatory of a United Airlines flight from San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Denver International Airport (DEN), it at first simply seemed like an example of “if you see something, say something” in action. When authorities noticed that the handwriting on Korth’s written statement about the incident appeared to match the handwriting on the note he “discovered,” the case looked to be cracked.

Now, FBI agents allege in court documents that Korth both wrote and planted the note which read, “THERE IS BOMBS ON UA 231 DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LAND.” The suspected hoaxer is said to have at first been coy about his involvement in the bomb threat. “I won’t say I wrote the threat, but I won’t say I didn’t,” Korth reportedly told agents before eventually coming clean about the incident.

“Korth stated he was trying to get help for his problems and that it was an impulsive act with no thought process behind it,” according to an affidavit filed in US District Court in Denver.

Although authorities found no evidence of any kind of explosive device aboard the aircraft, Korth is still facing a rather serious charge of “maliciously conveying false information.” If convicted, he could face a sentence of up to ten years in prison.

As a teenager, Korth earned accolades for his community involvement, even being named a Youth Good Samaritan Hero by the American Red Cross of Utah for fundraising efforts in which he created a Christmas lights event that is still a holiday tradition in his hometown. His downward spiral since then has included drug and weapons charges, for which, according to media accounts, he remains on probation to this day.

According to court documents, Korth told law enforcement officials that his recent set of growing problems stemmed largely from “dating and using drugs with a stripper.”

[Photo: Shutterstock]