Caught On Tape: Flyer Punches Flight Attendant Aboard American Flight
Joe Cortez September 22, 2022
USA Today reports the incident happened aboard American Airlines Flight 377 on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.
Attendant Responds to Threat, But What Provoked Fight is Unclear
The video of the incident was shared online by Saad Mohseni, but taken by passenger Barrie Livingstone. In the 39-second clip, the flight attendant asks the passenger: “Are you threatening me?” before taking a step back. When the attendant turns to go to the front of the aircraft, the flyer strikes him in the back of the head. Other flyers gasp, while the flight attendants decide what action to take.
Violence in the air: a friend was travelling from Cabo to LAX, when a passenger hit a flight attendant for not letting use him the first class bathroom. He was later restrained by other passengers and arrested upon touchdown. The video shot was by Barrie Livingstone pic.twitter.com/PntVqWyWs9
— Saad Mohseni (@saadmohseni) September 22, 2022
The flight was ultimately continued to Los Angeles, where the flyer was met by law enforcement and taken into custody. The person involved has not been identified by authorities. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California told USA TODAY they were consulting with the FBI about the incident.
Both the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) – the union representing American Airlines Flight Attendants – and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) were quick to condemn the attacks. In a statement, APFA president Julie Hendrick said they support the crew members involved and will work with authorities to ensure prosecution.
“Thankfully, the crew and passengers subdued the passenger, and the flight landed safely,” Hendrick said in a statement. “This violent behavior puts the safety of all passengers and crew in jeopardy and must stop.”
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA made a similar stand against the violence. Union president Sara Nelson called for “swift and clear consequences for violent acts,” closing her statement with a call for everyone to come together to “help and heal.”
“It’s an incredibly hard day for Flight Attendants to go to work. But all over the country they are doing it,” Nelson said. “They are doing it even in the most persistently dangerous time for their personal safety – not only because they are brave, but because they are committed to bringing people together.”
Disruptions Continue to Remain Problem Aboard Flights
Despite dropping face mask rules aboard flights, disruptive behavior continues to trouble commercial flights in the United States. The latest data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows the agency has received over 1,900 reports of unruly passengers, with an average of two incidents per 10,000 flights as of the week ending September 11, 2022.
You’re Reading
Kind of surprised airlines haven't install cameras in key cabin areas... with car dashcams and cameras everywhere else... frankly seems like a no brainer...
Many airlines have started this actually. Cathay Pacific did it around a decade ago or so.
Fly The Friendly Skies! hah!
That's United. AA's skies are not so friendly.
No skies are friendly these days.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/orange-county-man-charged-interfering-flight-crew-after-assault-flight-attendant-was
A huge swath of the country has gone mental.
You can't have target social media dispelling falsehoods and not have people going nuts. It is like the whole country joined some sort of cult at the same time.
I know people blame Trumo but he is just the syptom of the problem. He recognized the issue when he was the leader of the birther movement - and has used it since. Now so many politicians (on both sides) are using it for their own gain.
And it is going to get worse, a lot worse, before it get better.
HUH? Trumo? Who is that? Birther movement? What does this have to do with this nutjob slugging a flight attendant.
TRUMP. Typo. JFC.
That orange Russian asset made it OK for US nutjobs to fly their freak flag.
Still irrelevant here as ever but nice try.
Today, if any of us were subject to this, or even a far more serious attack in New York, San Francisco, or Chicago the assailant would almost certainly not spend a day in jail. This is a readily demonstrable fact, with countless examples much worse than this.
Among unions, where the The Association of Flight Attendants occupies a leadership role in the AFL-CIO, the Association of Flight Attendants led the 2020 charge in demanding cashless bail, the defunding of police, and the ejection of police unions.
While flight attendants, all peaceful people really, have the right to be free of violence, it is ironic the same union are demanding maximum prosecution and a potential 20 year sentence for a misdemeanor assault of their member, while simultaneously pressing for policies that have directly led to the rest of us being subject to more violence without consequence on the street.