Worst Passenger of the Week: Stating the Obvious

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.

Third Place – “I Want to Parachute”

A passenger on a Fuzhou Airlines flight on Monday allegedly attempted to exit the Fuzhou Changle International Airport (FOC) to Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG)-bound aircraft mid-flight. According to a flight attendant on the eventful journey, the unidentified male passenger had a simple reason for his outlandish actions.

The 50-year-old air traveler was apparently upset that he was not allowed to use his mobile phone as the plane was preparing for landing. After violently smashing his phone against the window, the inconsolable flyer made his unsuccessful attempt to escape through the main cabin door. “He also said, ‘I want to parachute,’” the cabin crew member later told reporters.

Other eyewitnesses say there were plenty of red flags before the agitated air traveler made his futile attempt to do the impossible and open the door of a passenger jet while in flight. The unhinged passenger was reportedly wearing bloodstained clothing and exhibiting signs that he was “unable to concentrate” and “emotional.” Before making his escape attempt, the man is said to have paced up and down the aisle announcing that the aircraft was unsafe.

Photographs taken by a fellow passenger show the man being roughly brought down by seatmates and crew members. The plane landed safely after the misbehaving flyer was eventually restrained, but one flight attendant was reportedly injured in the process. Authorities on the ground took the upset man into custody when the flight arrived at its destination. According to an airline spokesperson, the passenger involved is “likely to be mentally ill.”

The Runner-Up – “It Was Terrifying, Nasty and Scary”

A passenger is behind bars this week after being accused of downing a preflight bottle of duty-free whiskey and then proceeding to order fellow passengers off the plane based solely on their ethnicity. The allegedly drunken racial segregation attempt occurred on a Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN) to Kiev Boryspil International Airport (KBP) flight. Footage of the bizarre incident was recorded by a passenger on the plane and later posted to social media.

“She decided that foreigners flying with her should not remain in the cabin any longer,” the user explained. “Just because they were foreigners.”

The woman involved in the racist performance was reportedly warned several times that she was not permitted to consume her duty-free liquor on the plane. She chose to ignore the rule along with any admonishments that international flights tend to have an ethnically diverse population of passengers and aggressive racist diatribes on a packed passenger plane won’t likely end well for anyone involved.

The unpleasant flyer was eventually restrained after being brought to heel by a mob of nearby seatmates. “It was terrifying, nasty and scary,” one eyewitness on the flight told reporters following the hate-filled display and resulting violence.

The Winner – “You Cannot Smoke on Airplanes – It’s Against the Law”

A Spirit Airlines flight attendant handled the situation beautifully when a passenger this week on a Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)-bound flight suddenly decided it was time for a smoke break and a nap at his seat. Fortunately, the nicotine-craving flyer’s quick-thinking seatmate managed to capture cellphone footage of the whole exchange.

“Throughout the flight, I could hear him making loud outbursts,” the amateur camerawoman explains in her introduction to the short but dramatic video posted to social media. “Roughly 40 minutes before we landed, he laid across the two seats with his butt towards me. He continued his loud outbursts and began aggressively flipping the tray open and closed, then he sat up. I saw him take the cigarettes and lighter out of his pocket. I pulled out my phone and started to record as he lit the cigarette. The man across from us became nervous and flagged the attendant down as I recorded.”

in truth, the “nervous” man across the way may be the real star of the show. The moment he realizes what is occurring, he emotes for the camera. The look of utter disappointment in the entirety of the human race on his face better relates the situation aboard the early Tuesday morning Spirit Airlines than a thousand words could ever accomplish.

To make matters worse, it appears that the smoker immediately falls asleep after a single puff from his lit cigarette. Fortunately, the smokey incident was over almost as soon as it started. The flight attendant arrives and calmly snatches the offending cigarette from the man’s hand. The crew member then simply snuffs the butt out on the tray table.

“You cannot smoke on airplanes,” the FA offers with deadpan delivery. “It’s against the law, you do know that, right?”

 

[Image Source: Shutterstock]