Worst Passenger of the Week: Chronic Tardiness and Marital Spat

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 column, only one lucky flyer can take home the glory.

Honorable Mention – “Wait! Wait!”

The tardy passenger who famously chased his scheduled flight across the tarmac at Dublin Airport (DUB) while shouting, “Wait! Wait!” is in trouble once again. It seems Patrick Kehoe didn’t learn his lesson about arriving on time for important events.

Even though the now 24-year-old stood accused in assaulting airport workers who stymied his drunken attempt to catch a plane that had already departed (and later compound his legal woes by dropping trow and mooning reporters outside the courtroom), the judge saw fit to show some measure of leniency – but that was before the passenger with obvious time management issues missed three court dates in a row. Rather than sentencing the disruptive Ryanair passenger following the completion of a court ordered three-month-long restorative justice program as planned, the judge instead ordered his arrest.

When Kehoe missed his Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)-bound flight in September, it was because he lost track of time while drinking in an airport lounge. His lawyer, however, said that he “had no explanation” for Kehoe’s latest absence. He previously entered a guilty plea to charges of assaulting an Airport Police Service (APS) officer and an airport worker who cut short his attempt to try to board the taxiing passenger plane.

Third Place – “If I F—— Miss My Flight Home I Swear to God”

Being a personality on the Real Housewives of Atlanta isn’t enough on its own to earn a spot among the Worst Passengers of the Week, but it sure doesn’t hurt. In this case, former reality television star Kim Zolciak-Biermann earned her 15 minutes of fame the old fashioned way – by complaining about Delta Air Lines on social media.

The former “real housewife” became incensed after she and her family were removed from flight prior to departure at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). According to Zolciak-Biermann, her husband arrived at the gate after boarding had already closed because he was delayed at a TSA checkpoint due to questions about an emotional support dog traveling with the group.

“If I f—— miss my flight home I swear to God,” Zolciak-Biermann wrote in a since-deleted Twitter post on Saturday. The onetime reality star also told her followers that the airline’s actions were “unacceptable” and that she had called airport police to the gate.

Airport police confirmed that they were called to the scene, but indicated that “no crime had been committed.” For its part, the airline said that the family chose to deplane when it became clear one member of the party had decided to stay behind to “provide proper paperwork for an emotional support animal.”

The Runner-up – “I Was Just Freaking Out”

An adventurous two-year-old is recovering from a wild ride at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). The mischievous toddler used his mother’s brief distraction at a Spirit Airlines ticketing kiosk to take the opportunity jump on to a nearby baggage conveyor belt. The small child soon disappeared into the airport’s inner workings.

“When I tried to go after him, it was at the end of the machine,” the boy’s mother, Edith Vega told Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV. “I couldn’t even catch up. He just went a long ride away. I couldn’t even catch up. I wanted to jump in and try to go get him, but they didn’t allow me. I was just freaking out.”

A twisty five-minute ride later the adventurous little one emerged in the TSA inspection room. The child suffered a fractured hand during his dangerous escapade and was reunited with his worried mom at a local hospital.

“I’m thankful he’s alive,” Vega told ABC News. “That’s all that goes through my mind. I’m just grateful he’s here. I just hope he gets better.”

The Winner – “You Ain’t Gonna Tell Me You’re Looking at Other Women”

A marital spat on an American Airlines flight at Miami International Airport (MIA) on Sunday turned ugly even before the wife eventually chased her husband off the plane. Fellow passengers caught the whole thing on video (of course) and the now-viral footage has already been viewed tens-of millions of times.

The lovers’ quarrel reportedly started as a discussion about the husband’s drinking but soon escalated. From the video, it appears that Tiffany McLemore slaps husband at least once. “You ain’t gonna look at other women, and you ain’t gonna tell me you’re looking at other women,” McLemore can be heard shouting during a profanity-laced tirade.

“You’re going out of control,” the husband responds before fleeing towards the front of the aircraft. “You’re assaulting me!”

Only seconds later he is struck by a flying laptop. His wife can then be heard repeatedly taunting, “I’m assaulting you? I’m assaulting you?” She soon follows her husband off the aircraft, pausing only briefly to offer a non-plussed reaction to a crew member who informs her that she is going to be charged with assault.

As the couple quickly exits the plane, McLemore can be seen throwing the laptop which strikes her husbands head and sends fellow passengers and crew members scrambling. Police say that despite the savage nature of the domestic incident no charges were filed, as the husband refused medical treatment and was described as “uncooperative.”

“We thank the American crew who worked quickly to defuse the situation,” an American Airlines spokesperson told reporters in a statement. “Their actions resulted in a safe environment for all of our passengers.”

Well, almost all of the passengers anyway.

 

[Featured Image: Atlanta Airport ]